GRAMMAR DETAIL

〜かける

to start but not finish

Indicates that an action was started but stopped partway through and remains unfinished.

Examples

彼は夕食を作りかけて、電話に出た。

He stopped midway through making dinner to answer the phone.

書きかけの手紙を机の上に置いた。

I put the unfinished letter on the desk.

Structure: Attach かける to a verb's masu-stem to describe an action begun but not finished.
Basic usage: 彼は夕食を作りかけて、電話に出た。 describes answering the phone with dinner preparation still unfinished.

Describing an unfinished object
- 書きかけの手紙 uses 書きかけ as a noun-like expression and connects it to the letter with の. 手紙を書きかけた conjugates かける into the past to describe beginning to write.
Activity versus incompleteness
- 本を読んでいる focuses on the activity of reading, while 読みかけの本 focuses on a book not yet read through. A book set aside after some reading can also be called 読みかけの本.