Indivisible phrases - what is it?

2024 Author: Angel Austin | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:14

The syntax of the Russian language is one of the most difficult sections of grammar, as it studies not only the construction of sentences, but also such things as syntactically free and not free, or indivisible phrases. It is important to dwell on them in more detail. What is the characteristic of such non-free phrases and why cannot they be separated? This article will tell you more about this.

Definition of concept

Syntactically indivisible phrases in a sentence are constructions that cannot be separated without loss of meaning. They differ from syntactically free ones in that they are a separate member of the sentence, while in other phrases each word from the chain becomes a member of a complete speech statement and answers a specific question.

For example, in the sentence "There were two apples on the table" you can find as many as 2 phrases. The first is free - "It lay on the table." The main word here is “lay”, expressed by the verb, and the dependent word is “ontable" expressed by a noun.

From the main word, a question is asked to the dependent "where?" or "on what?" and it turns out that the main word controls the dependent. "On the table" can only be in the prepositional case and singular. This type of communication is called management. In the sentence itself, “lying” is a predicate, also a pronounced verb, and “on the table” is an adverb of place, a pronounced noun.

On the other hand, the phrase "two apples" remains in the sentence. It would seem that it can be divided, any word can be deleted without losing its meaning, because this is a combination of a numeral and a noun.

But what happens in the end? “There were two…” on the table, or “There were apples on the table…”? In this case, "two apples" in the sentence is the subject, expressed syntactically indivisible phrase. The main word here is the quantitative numeral "two", from which one can ask the following question: "two of what?" - "apples". The dependent word is "apple", expressed as a noun.

Numerative phrases

Absolutely all integral indivisible phrases are divided into groups according to their meaning, as well as the functions of their main or dependent words. The first group includes phrases, where the main word denotes either the number of objects, or the measure or volume. In these phrases, the main word, which carries the grammatical meaning of the whole construction, is the numeral.

Exact number of animate and inanimate objects

In similarphrases, a tandem of a quantitative numeral and any noun that has the form of a number is used. That is, it can be calculated.

For example:

1. Ivan has two notebooks.
2. Four trucks passed along the road.
3. There were six men in the living room.
4. There were eleven plates on the table.
5. There are more than a hundred apartments in this building.
6. There are four pairs of tights left on the shelf.
7. Three friends went camping.

Indefinite number of animate and inanimate objects

For example:

1. There were a few acquaintances at the party.
2. Most of the full-time students made it through the first session.
3. Some of the books ordered last week have not yet arrived.
4. There are many tourists in Gelendzhik in summer.
5. There were few cars on the road today.
6. Marusa was given so many tasks!

Measures of magnitude

For example:

1. Mom brought three kilos of tangerines.
2. The store cut off five meters of satin for me.
3. My car is literally three liters out of gas.
4. Four decimeters equals forty centimeters.
5. This refrigerator weighs about twenty-five kilograms.

Defined container with contents

Here examples are as follows:

1. Masha bought a bottle of milk in the store.
2. There is a box of chocolates in the closet.
3. Sergei has a pack of cigarettes in his pocket.
4. I'm inthere is a sack of potatoes in the fridge.
5. There is a can of coffee on the shelf.
6. Egor brought a vase of fruit.

A certain number of items

For example:

1. There were a lot of shavings in the workshop.
2. In the museum, schoolchildren saw a pile of stones.
3. Anna was given a bunch of cornflowers.
4. San Sanych brought home a bundle of firewood.
5. Mom cut a bunch of dill into soup.
6. Anton found a pile of papers on his desktop.

Quantitative nouns

We should also mention quantitative nouns - those substantiated parts of speech that were once numerals.

For example:

1. I have a dozen eggs in my bag.
2. Hundreds of years the heat of the Sun does not fade away.
3. Half an apple left over from dessert.

Indefinitely selective phrases

All selective phrases differ in the main component. The first model is phrases with a seemingly indefinite number of animate and inanimate objects. The main word here is the pronoun, and not all digits are taken, since the semantic meaning depends on the choice.

For example:

1. Take something with you.
2. Some of the students will be explicitly excluded from the state exam.
3. Some of the guys heard the screams.

Generalized selective phrases

The next group, without naming anyone or anything specific, still chooses and generalizes their choice. The main word here becomes either a numeral or an indefinite, negative or possessive pronoun.

If an interrogative pronoun is chosen, then the entire emphasis is shifted to finding out what the phrase is about - “Which of the windows should I open?”.

If a negative pronoun is used, it is emphasized that none of the proposed animate or inanimate objects will be selected – “No books suggested by a friend suited me.”

Determinatives indicate that all the selected persons once performed a similar action, or all objects participated in some kind of action - "Each of us lied to our parents."

For example:

1. One of the passengers gave way to a pregnant woman.
2. None of them said a word.
3. Any Democrat will speak up for their party.

Indefinitely indicative

In them, the main word is an indefinite pronoun, while the dependent can denote a sign, point to an object or place.

Examples:

1. Something heavy fell on me.
2. Andrey stepped on something soft in the dark.
3. Marina was frightened by the hurricane - it was something inexplicable.
4. Someone in black was standing outside the door.
5. Someone with a saw cut branches from a tree.
6. Somewhere in the field, Maybugs buzzed and grasshoppers chirped.
7. A plaintive squeak came from somewhere above.
8. This brick is sure to fall on someone's head.

Phrases with the meaning of joint action

There are also indivisible phrases in a sentence with a certain meaning. In them, the dependent word can denote a joint action, perception, as well as an identical relationship or attribute. There, the main word is always in the nominative case, and the dependent - in the instrumental with the preposition "c".

It would seem that such a phrase may seem free, since both words (both the main and the dependent) are syntactically whole. But the predicate indicates the impossibility of separating such syntax constructions. It is always in the plural, while the main word is in the singular.

Examples:

1. Mother and grandmother went to visit.
2. Sister and brother were listening to music in their room.
3. Grandfather and aunt Masha did not like to dance.
4. Lion and lioness basking in the sun in the enclosure.

Take note! There is also an opposite situation, when such a phrase can become free. For example, you can compare two sentences:

• Mother and daughter sewed a dress for graduation.
• Mother and daughter sewed a dress for graduation.

In both sentences, it is clear that the desired phrase is “Mother and daughter”. However, in the first example, since the predicate is in the plural, it is a syntactically indivisible collective phrase, and in the second it is absolutely free, since the predicate "shila" has a singular number.

Phrases with a specifying main word

The main word in such phrases isone that denotes a specific feature of a particular object or action. He is an integral part of it.

Examples:

1. A clown with sad eyes played with children.
2. The river with steep banks in those parts is the Danube.
3. A kitten with white paws played in the bedroom.
4. This store sells plus size clothes.
5. It is forbidden to speak in a loud voice during the film show!
6. She decided to refuse for some unknown reason.

Combinations with compound predicate

In such constructions, the phrase makes the main word, which is the second part of the compound predicate, indivisible. She is the custodian of the semantic component.

For example:

1. I wanted to leave for a long time.
2. She didn't try to understand his complex nature.
3. Nina tried to keep up with her parents.
4. Victor should explain the solution to the problem for us.
5. I need to know the date of departure.
6. It is necessary to send a verified person there.
7. The building proved short-lived.
8. Misha worked as a turner.

Metaphorical phrases

They have in their composition the main word, which has a metaphorical meaning. Examples of syntactically indivisible phrases of this type are below:

1. The ribbon of the river curved beautifully around the island.
2. The crescent of the moon shone brightly in the sky.
3. Stars reflected in the mirror of ice.
4. Candles of pines bristled along the sides of the alley.
5. Natasha ruffled the hedgehog hair on her head.
6. Waves came from Stepanresentment.

Important! Do not confuse metaphorical indivisible phrases with general language metaphors. Their metaphorical meanings have almost disappeared with time. Therefore, now these are ordinary free phrases.

For example:

1. After a passing car, a cloud of dust has risen.
2. At the bow of the ship was a cabin boy.
3. There were boxes under the wing of the plane.

Phraseological phrases

The most famous examples of indivisible phrases are phraseological units. After all, these are phrases with a stable meaning.

Examples:

1. She's tired all day, like a squirrel on a wheel.
2. The cat cried money in Vanya's wallet.
3. The new sysadmin worked a teaspoon an hour.
4. Alice rushed down the corridor at breakneck speed.
5. Andrey worked carelessly.

Phrases with certain words

There are also integral syntactic constructions in which the main word is a definite noun, which is not used without auxiliary ones. Such nouns need some kind of "distributors" in order to fulfill their syntactic function of a predicate or a separate application. They have an abstract content that cannot accurately characterize an object, information or action.

For example:

1. Anna Petrovna is a reliable person.
2. Scientists and writers are interesting people.
3. Andrey Vasilyevich, an experienced person, everything became clear from theirconversation.
4. Elena Ivanovna, a kind woman, always had many friends.
5. The violin is a delicate thing, handled with care.
6. Keeping melons is a simple matter.
7. Trading products in the market is not for him.
8. Mom's garden is a special place.

Phrases with a tautological word

In such syntactic constructions, philologists deal with the use of synsemantic words. These are tautological words that repeat their meaning.

Examples:

1. A girl with a graceful figure was standing at a tram stop.
2. A dog with a long tail was spinning around.
3. Wholemeal flour is sold in the neighboring department.

Spatial or temporal phrases

These indivisible phrases have the meaning of limiting space or time.

For example:

1. He often traveled from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 3-4 hours.
2. From morning to evening Sonia listened to her favorite songs.
3. From home to the university can be reached by bus.

Synonymous and indivisible phrases

This is the name of those syntactic constructions in which the same semantic content is expressed in different grammatical forms. For example, the syntactically indivisible phrase "a vase of fruit", and the free and synonymous to it - "a vase of fruit".

There are a lot of examples:

1. Alexander looked with admiration at his girlfriend. Alexander looked admiringly at hisgirlfriend (both phrases in this case are syntactically free).
2. He saw a meter of fabric lying on the table. – He saw a meter-long cloth lying on the table (in the first case, a syntactically indivisible phrase is presented, and in the second, a free one).
3. He saw a beautiful city today. – He saw a beautiful city today (the first phrase is indivisible, or whole-solid, and the second is syntactically free).

Indivisible phrases as subject and predicate

It is also important to mention them. In which sentence is the subject expressed by an indivisible phrase? It's easier to explain with examples. In this case, they are also sufficient. This category includes the following types of indivisible subject phrases:

• Quantitative-nominal: “There were twelve people at the start”, “A lot of sparrows swarming in the sandbox”, “There is a bag of potatoes in the hallway”. In all these sentences and in those presented below, the subject is expressed by an indivisible phrase.
• Vaguely selective: "Someone from the neighbors is buzzing with a saw", "Something from Anna's things was on the table".
• Generalized electoral: "Each of us understands the words of the anthem of his country", "Each of them is under suspicion."
• Indefinitely indicative: "Something dark was lying on a chair", "Someone else entered the hallway".
• Phrases with the meaning of compatibility "Grandfather and grandmother went for mushrooms", "Father and son repaired the fishing net".
• Phrases with a concretizing main word: “Large size shoes stood in the hallway”, “A girl with beautiful hair flaunted in front of the shop window.”
• Metaphorical phrases: "The sunset apple was slowly leaving the horizon", "He had a gorgeous hat of curls."
• Phraseological phrases: "Beat the thumbs - his constant occupation."

If we take indivisible constructions that act as a predicate, then these will be the following categories of similar phrases:

• Combinations with a compound predicate: "You must explain your behavior."
• Phrases with a certain word: "Anton is a kind person, he will not refuse to help."

Thus, analyzing indivisible phrases, we can say that these are integral syntactic constructions. And their main feature is the presence of a strong relationship between the main and the dependent word.

Syntactically indivisible phrases, subjects or predicates, objects or circumstances, are a single member of the sentence. The main word in such a lexical construction fully reveals the grammatical meaning, and the real or objective meaning carries the dependent one.