[Sashimister]

Originally Posted by pacerier

cool, is it ok to assume that every instance of "[v-plain]方がいい" can be replaced with "[v-た]方がいい"?

I would say that it is. Can't think of an exception.

Is it true that そればかりか can never stand by itself as a sentence, but other than that it is the same as それだけじゃない? e.g. will these be equal:
(1)そればかりか、ボブも優しいですね。
(2)それだけじゃない。ボブも優しいですね。

It's true. But your sentences don't show that you understand the meaning of either of the two phrases in question.

ボブも優しい can only mean that someone else is 優しい and Bob, too, is 優しい. I just can't tell from your sentences that you know this.

To me, you seem to have wanted to say that Bob has another quality besides being 優しい. If that's the case, your sentnecs are both incorrect.

also, i've noticed that some intransitive verbs cannot be used as a command/request whereas some may, e.g.速く決まってください cannot be a substitute for 速く決めてください, yet we are allowed say 速く走ってください.
Is there some kind of rule to decide when intransitive verbs could not take the command/request form, or is it case by case?

I may just be too intoxicated but I have no idea what you're talking about.

One may say 早く決まってください, but this isn't directed at a person. You are praying for quick decision-making. You could call it a command/request to God.

Hope you're not reading another mediocre grammar book that tells you that transitive and intransitive verbs each have distinct qualities in Japanese as in another language. Truth is Japanese kids don't even know the words 自動詞 and 他動詞 until they learn about them in English in junior high.