Our life is very unpredictable. You never know where you will end up tomorrow and what kind of people you will have to communicate with. One thing is for sure - smart and literate people are appreciated everywhere! Therefore, in order not to fall into the dirt on your face, you should pay attention first of all to your speech, including the written one. For example, the rules of commas in Russian will help you correctly compose any document. After all, often even small and insignificant mistakes can cause misunderstandings.
Punctuation and its role in Russian grammar
Punctuation is a section of the grammar of the Russian language that regulates the use and placement of separators.
Thanks to punctuation marks, people, when reading a book or document, are able to understand the intonation, meaning and emotions of the author.
Punctuation marks, in addition to emphasizing and semantic, also play a dividing anda separating role, that is, they separate and separate sentences or words from each other. For example, in the sentence “What wonderful weather!” the exclamation mark not only signals the end of a sentence, it also emphasizes the author's mood. In the syntactic construction “It started raining, the children ran home” - a comma separates two simple sentences, and also indicates a sequence of actions.
The following punctuation marks are used in Russian punctuation: "." and themselves "". Each sign has its own functions in writing.
Why do we need commas in Russian?
The main function of commas in any language, not only in Russian, is a separator. Commas separate homogeneous members of a sentence, simple sentences within complex ones, and also highlight phrases, clarifying and introductory words, appeals.
For example: "Cities, towns, villages - everything is my own." "Cities", "towns", "villages" are homogeneous members of the sentence. In the next construction - "The clouds converged over the city, the wind started the game, the earth was shrouded in cold, the end of the world was coming…" - commas are needed to separate simple sentences as part of a complex one.
The rules for setting a comma are the minimum that every student should know!
- So, in a syntactic construction, when the main and subordinate clauses are combined through repeated conjunctions - and … and, neither … neither, or … or, both … and - commas are placed and carry a semantic and dividing role. for example: "Not a day, not two, not three headaches."
- Commas are always used in syntactic constructions:
- Before unions - a, and also, yes (in the meaning of "but"): "It's warm and cozy in the house, and a snowstorm is blowing outside the window."
- Before allied words - however, nevertheless, nevertheless.
- When one sentence joins another with the words - where, to, where: "Never go where the emptiness lives in the hearts…".
- Before difficult alliances - because, because, because: "Appreciate childhood, because it quickly passes."
Sometimes in such unions a comma is placed in the middle, so one part of it is included in the main clause, and the second in the subordinate clause: “Mom did not allow Lisa to watch cartoons until she cleaned the room.”
"Like…and" - commas between homogeneous members of a sentence
One of the main functions of commas is to separate homogeneous members of a sentence, which may or may not be combined with unions. For example: "Cherries, cherries, plums grew in the garden" or "Cherries, cherries, and plums grew in the garden."
- Commas are placed between homogeneous members with unions - but, yes, however, although …
- With repeated unions - neither … nor, and … and, then … then, or … or: “Either go and do not interfere, or stand and help!”
- When homogeneous members are combined with allied words - not so much … how much, not only … but also, if not … then how … so - commas are placed inside the unions, and not before them: “Not only at night, but also during the day the children did not go outto the yard.”
- Put a comma on repeated words that are used to show the duration of the action: "Soaps, soaps, but never washed."
When else should a comma be used?
Such separators as commas are placed in syntactic constructions not only between homogeneous members.
Commas needed for highlighting:
- Comparative turns that begin with unions as if, as if: "It was a hot day, like in a desert."
- Clarifying words that are joined by unions - including, including, except, exactly, in other words.
- Introductory words - no doubt, it happened, fortunately, unfortunately, however, obviously, probably true, in a word and others.
- Requests: "Hello, Larisa Ivanovna!".
- Interjection – oh, hey, uh, oh, alas…
- Affirmative and negative words: "Yes, I am the one you are looking for".
Common punctuation mistakes
The main errors in punctuation are the incorrect placement of signs, in particular, extra commas. Therefore, it is important not only to know the rules for using separators, but also the exceptions to them.
- Often the constructions “like clockwork”, “like cancer”, “like from a bucket”, which have already become aphorisms, are confused with comparative turns and mistakenly single them out with commas.
- Commas are not put before unions like, what, whose, where, if they are included in set expressions - by all means, the devil knows what.
- Sometimes two consecutive verbs in oneform are taken as homogeneous members and separated by commas: “I’ll go bring it”, “Take it.”
- They also make mistakes in a pair union - both … and - put commas before "how". This is because a double union is perceived as a single or comparative turnover. In this case, the comma is placed only inside the union, namely before the word "so".
Be literate
Grammar is a subject that begins to be studied at school, but it brings benefits throughout life. The rules for writing commas are quite simple, so everyone is able to remember them. After all, it is always easier for a literate person in life!
