Allied words are pronominal words that serve, along with unions, as a way of expressing a subordinate relationship in a complex sentence and, unlike unions, act as a member of a subordinate clause. As allied words, there can be interrogative-relative pronouns that have inflection forms (noun pronouns, numeral pronouns, adjective pronouns) and invariable pronouns (adverb pronouns).
Allied words: what is it? Morphological characteristics
Grammar in Russian uniquely defines those words that can be used as allied words. Consider the first definition, which fixes a closed list of allied words and delimits their syntactic and morphological features. So, only interrogative pronouns can be used as allied words. These include:
- pronominal adverbs (where, where, when, how, where, how, why, why, what for);
- pronominal adjectives (which, what, what, which, whose, who);
- noun pronouns (what, who);
- pronominal number (how much).
In addition, allied words are pronominal words that simultaneously have the properties of a significant (independent) and auxiliary part of speech.
According to the ability to change words, allied words are divided into two types: changeable and unchangeable. The first includes the words what, how much, whose, who, what, which, what, what, who, and the second, without exception, all pronominal adverbs. That is, why is a union word that does not change. But what is - a short adjective, modified by numbers and gender. What, who, how much are pronouns that are declined only by cases. The rest of the modified allied words can be declined by cases, numbers, genders.
Syntactic functions of the allied word
Allied words in Russian can play the following roles in a sentence:
- Subject. Some thermometers show thirty-three degrees, but there are others that show thirty-six. He stood outside the door, listening to everything that was going on.
- Predicate. According to these signs, we determined what kind of lighthouse we have. He wondered who this old man was.
- Addition. He sat on the windowsill and listened to what the soldier was saying. The land referred to in the letter is Severnaya Zemlya.
- Definition. Wrote on the first page what books to read.
- Circumstance of place. She glanced at the window, behind which the weather changed almost every minute. He immediately began to figure out where to change it.
- Circumstance of place. He huddled in a corner, listening intently, waiting to be let go home.
- Circumstance of course of action. The girl explained how to find the way.
- Circumstance of measure and degree. Now it is clear how truthful his testimony was given to him by his embarrassed feelings.
- Circumstance causes. he was afraid that his grandmother would understand why all the relatives gathered around her.
- Circumstance of purpose. He understood why the old books were collected here.
The difference between conjunctions and allied words
In addition to allied words, conjunctions can connect the main and subordinate clauses in a complex sentence. The union is a part of speech that is not a member of the sentence. Allied words differ from unions in that:
- these words are members of the sentence (they kept their eyes on the path that leads to the forest);
- allied words are members of a subordinate clause, so they cannot be thrown out without changing the meaning (you cannot say: "They did not take their eyes off the path leading to the forest");
- allied words can be logically stressed (we know what she will do tomorrow);
- after allied words, you can use particles exactly, (we know what she will do tomorrow; we know what exactly she will do tomorrow);
- allied words can be replaced by demonstrative pronouns and pronominal adverbs (we know what she will do tomorrow; we know that she will do tomorrow).
The main thing is to remember that separately these techniques will not always help to recognize the union and the allied word. Since all signs are based only on the external expression of important internal differences, not a single sign can be classified as universal. Only with the combined use of the named criteria or in different combinations, it is possible to determine what attaches a subordinate clause to the main part - a union or a union word.
Subordinating conjunctions and allied words
These linking words connect the subordinate and main clauses, while the union, acting as a service part of speech, does not act as a member of the subordinate clause, but the allied word, acting as a significant part of speech, is.
In turn, the allied word can act as both the main and the secondary member of the sentence. At the same time, it is impossible to identify the meaning of the subordinate clause and the role of the allied word in it. This error is quite common. Therefore, you need to put the correct question from the main clause to the subordinate clause. And when the role of the allied word is determined, then the question must be posed directly in the sentence itself from the words or phrases to which the subordinating allied words refer. Examples:
This is the house we used to live in.
This is a house that was built this year.
This is a house that was built in XXcentury.
In some cases, allied words and conjunctions may intersect. Such bundles include four words, which can be unions or allied words. Namely: what, when, how, than.
But you should know what the allied word is, as well as the allied words whose, how much, which, why, who, where, why, where, where, under no circumstances can be unions.
Union word what
Word that is an allied word if it acts as a member of a sentence:
- subordinate attributive (the book I was given yesterday turned out to be incredibly interesting);
- subordinate pronoun-defining (too much I love everything in the world that clothes the soul in flesh);
- subordinate explanatory clause (we don't know what will happen to us);
- subordinate concessive (don't tell her, she has an answer for everything);
- subordinate connecting (the player works great, which makes me happy).
In such sentences, the word what is a relative pronoun.
Union word when
When it can be attributed to allied words if it is used as a connected word in a sentence:
- subordinate attributive (do you remember the time when we met in the garden?);
- subordinate explanatory clause (Anna accepted my news calmly and only asked what would happen next);
- adventitious time (she woke up when it was at alllight).
Connection like
The word as it can be attributed to allied words, if it is in the sentence:
- subjunctive explanatory clause (many have expressed their opinions on how best to complete this task);
- subordinate mode of action (I can’t tell about the artist’s life path the way she does it herself);
- subordinate degree (became as warm as it is only in summer);
- subordinate concessive (no matter how entertaining this computer game is, going to the theater is much more interesting).
Union word than
What will be the allied word if it is a member of such sentences:
- subordinate pronoun-defining (Ivan, what she is unhappy with, on the contrary, everything suits me);
- subordinate explanatory (how do you think this movie will end?);
- subjunctive (she was a good, honest, pure person who loved him, which he admired).
