私は彼のえり首をつかまえた。

I; me; private affairs; personal matter; secrecy; selfishness

topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis

he; him; his; boyfriend

indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question

fishing weir; fish weir; fish trap; pouch-shaped bamboo fence across river, etc.

neck; head; dismissal; discharge; firing (from a job)

indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.

to catch; to arrest; to seize