There is a strong idea that word order in the Russian language is free. If it were truly free, the question of neither errors in word order nor such a stylistic device as inversion would arise. It would be more correct to say that word order in Russian is flexible: not only grammatical, but also semantic. For example, the famous line from Nekrasov IN the woodcutter's ax was heard in the forest possible with a different word order: The woodcutter's ax rang out in the forest etc. The order of words determines the meaning of these sentences: Nekrasov reports what happened in the forest, in the second version - where the woodcutter’s ax was heard.
In each specific case, the word order depends both on the grammatical nature of the words in a sentence and on the meaning of the entire sentence, which, in turn, is governed by the preceding and subsequent sentences.
180. Grammatical word order
Every sentence consists of phrases organized in one of the following ways: coordination – morning dawn, control – read the letter, adjacency – laughed merrily; Within a phrase, the grammatical order of words applies. It is predetermined by the grammatical nature of the words entering the phrase.
1. Coordination- a type of connection in which the main word requires that the dependent word take the same grammatical forms in which it itself is used. Such a connection arises between the defined and the definition, that is, between the noun and the adjective, as well as other parts of speech that can act as an adjective; participle, ordinal number, pronoun-adjective. The dependent word in all these cases comes before the main word, the process that has begun, the first successes, our disappointments. If the main word has several definitions that agree with it, then the order of arrangement depends on their morphological nature:
1) definitions expressed by pronouns come before definitions expressed by other parts of speech, for example: on this solemn day, all the typos noticed;
2) attributive pronouns precede all other pronouns, for example: all these amendments, every comment you make. But the pronoun most is placed after the demonstrative pronoun, for example: these same possibilities, the same case;
3) definitions expressed by qualitative adjectives come ahead of definitions expressed by relative adjectives (the latter, as expressing a more significant or permanent feature, come closer to the noun being defined), for example: new historical novel, late autumn;
4) if heterogeneous definitions are expressed only by qualitative adjectives, then the one that denotes a more stable attribute is placed closer to the defined noun, for example: huge black eyes, a pleasant light breeze;
5) if heterogeneous definitions are expressed only by relative adjectives, then they are usually arranged in order of ascending semantic gradation (from a narrower concept to a broader one), for example: daily weather reports, antique bronzes.
2. Control- this type of subordinating connection in which the main word of the phrase requires the placement of the dependent word in a certain case. Dependent words are nouns and noun pronouns, and main words are verbs, nouns, adjectives, participles, and gerunds: read a book, read it; reading a book, faithful to duty, reading a book, reading a book. In such combinations, where the main word precedes the dependent, objects and inconsistent modifiers expressed by nouns or pronouns appear after the words on which they depend. For example: be interested in history, the reviewer's opinion.
The lexical and grammatical meaning of the main word determines the need for a controlled word (one or more) and their form. For example, verb cut denotes an action that must be directed at something (object of action) and produced by something (instrument of action). The object to which the action extends has the form of the accusative case, and the instrument of action has the form of the instrumental case. Moreover, the obligatory nature of the object and the instrument with this verb is not the same: the object is obligatory (class of transitive verbs), therefore the control between the verb and the noun is strong here; the instrument of action is less obligatory, therefore control is weak. If the main word has several dependent ones, as in the above example, then, naturally, the more obligatory word (strong control) comes first, and then the less obligatory (weak control), so the following word order is assumed: cut (what?) paper (what?) with scissors; the arrival of (who?) son (to whom?) to his parents.
Deviation from this order is due to the semantics of dependent words: if a word with weak control denotes a person, and with strong control an object, then the word denoting a person (despite the fact that it is weak control) can come before a word with strong control denoting an object: write a letter to your brother - write a letter to your brother. If a weakly controlled word is expressed by a personal pronoun, then it must be placed immediately after the word controlling it: write him a letter, give us a surprise.
3. Adjacency- this type of subordinating connection in which the semantic relationship between the main and dependent word is not formally expressed, since the dependent word does not have inflection forms. Adjacent are adverbs, comparative adjectives, gerunds, infinitives, 3rd person possessive pronouns and other unchangeable words and forms. Adjacent qualitative adverbs in -O And -e and adverbs measures And degrees precede the main word: happily reported, looked defiantly, quite an adult; the rest tend to follow: speak English, ride a horse, arrive in the evening, spoke in the heat of the moment. The main word is preceded by an adjacent possessive pronoun of the 3rd person: his, her, their opinion.
The main requirement for word order in a sentence is that don't destroy(without sufficient grounds) natural lexical-grammatical connections within the phrase. Destruction leads to error. Yes, in a sentence The public is widely preparing to celebrate the artist’s fiftieth birthday, the order of words is broken and requires editing: word wide adjoins the verb Mark, but not getting ready. You should: preparing to celebrate widely. It is necessary to correct the word order in the sentence P It is prohibited to drink water from rivers and reservoirs in our region. You should: It is forbidden (what?) to drink (what?) water (what? where?) from rivers and reservoirs (what? which?) of our region.
4. The subject and predicate form a predicative phrase constructed according to the type of agreement. But this is a special type of phrase: it does not name, but informs. The subject of speech is usually the subject (expressed by a noun or parts of speech that replace it), and the message about it is conveyed by a predicate, an expressed verb, or a combination of a verb with other parts of speech. Therefore, the strictly grammatical subject of a sentence precedes the predicate (first the subject of speech is named, then something is said about it). For example: Life went on as usual; He walked through the living room into the library. In author's remarks that break direct speech or follow it, a different order is necessary: Do not rush, - said the father, - you will have time; a different word order is also preferable when the subject and predicate are semantically undifferentiated, expressed by verbs being or course of action : it rains, summer has passed, lightning flashes.
§181. Semantic word order
Free-flowing sentence components
Grammatical word order doesn't have in the Russian language it is strictly fixed. The structure of a sentence allows for variations in the arrangement of some of its components. The choice of a specific option depends on the communicative task, that is, on the meaning of the sentence. These free-standing components include:
1) circumstances(except for the manner of action, as well as measure and degree), which, as a rule, are weakly controlled members of phrases; their place may change depending on the semantics of the entire sentence. Wed: The child could not speak from fear. – The child could not speak from fright. The first sentence tells about why the child could not speak, that is, the reason is indicated, in the second - about what happened (he got scared) and the consequences;
2) participial phrases; compare: Referring to illness Petrov asked to postpone the exam– Petrov, referring to illness asked to reschedule the exam– Petrov asked to postpone the exam, referring to illness. The reason is expressed most strongly in the first sentence and weakest in the last;
3) particles; their place may change, but the more significant in each specific sentence is which particular word the particle is placed in front of. Wed: This the book is difficult even for him(we are talking about difficulties for a prepared reader); This the book is even difficult for him(the unexpectedness of the difficulty is emphasized); Even this the book is difficult for him(we are talking about a completely unprepared reader);
4) introductory words; their arrangement is free, if they relate to the sentence as a whole, changing the place of introductory words leads to a change in the modality of the utterance. Wed: It seemed he fell asleep; He, it seemed fell asleep; He fell asleep it seemed (the degree of confidence that he is sleeping decreases from the first sentence to the third). If the introductory word is connected in meaning to a separate member of the sentence, then it is placed next to it, for example: A real bird, game, began to appear, according to the hunters (Aksakov); Our dilapidated little boat tilted, scooped up and solemnly sank to the bottom, fortunately, in a shallow place(Turgenev). You should not put an introductory word between a preposition and a full word. Instead of The matter was in it would seem that, in faithful hands follows: The matter was it would seem that, in the right hands;
5) appeals; their arrangement is free, but the appeal at the beginning or end of the sentence is logically emphasized, while the appeal at the beginning of the sentence has the function of attracting attention, and at the end - expressing a request or softening a statement. Wed: Doctor, tell me, what’s wrong with my child?; Tell, doctor, what's wrong with my child?; Tell me, what's wrong with my child, doctor? Tanya, you should know this; You should have known this Tanya. In appeals, slogans, appeals, orders, oratory, official and personal letters, the appeal, as a rule, is placed at the beginning of the sentence and is often separated into an independent statement: Gentlemen judges! Please pay attention...;
6) some parts of a complex sentence; in a complex sentence, some predicative parts are rigidly fixed (clause clauses always come after the word they define, for example: House, which stands on the corner, was built...), other predicative parts are freely arranged. Wed: Since you have not fulfilled your obligation, I terminate the contract; I terminate the contract because you have not fulfilled your obligation. The choice of option, as in a simple sentence, depends on the specific communicative situation;
7) author's words in sentences with direct speech. Wed: And I, waiting for the wind, say in a low voice:– I love you, Nadya! (Chekhov); I love you, Nadya! - I say... In the first case, the author’s commentary is more important than someone else’s speech, in the second case, someone else’s speech itself is more important. If someone else's speech is sufficiently developed, it can be broken by the author's words. In this case, the author’s commentary itself is reduced to the role of almost introductory words, but the part of the statement that comes after the author’s words is highlighted. Wed: – Shouldn't we go? - I say to Nadenka,– home?
§182. Word order and the complex syntactic whole
The order of words in a sentence depends not only on the grammatical connections of words and the meaning of the entire sentence, but also on the complex syntactic whole (see Chapter XLIX) of which the sentence is part. Wed: Suddenly, someone in white separated from the wall and began to approach. From fright the child could not utter a word; Everything at school is so unusual, strict and solemn that when they asked the question: “How old are you?”, the child could not utter a word from fright.
In some cases, the nature of the development of thought in a complex syntactic whole not only determines the place of a freely located component, but also requires a departure from the strictly grammatical order of words. Wed:
1) Everyone gathered at the table. Peter brought a book and there was silence;
2) There was a book on the table. Peter brought the book;
3) And here we have this book. Peter brought the book.
In the second and third options, the logic of the development of thought subordinates grammar: in the second case it is reported who brought the book, in the third - how it came to us. In the first case, sequentially developing events are reported.
The order of words in a sentence (and its meaning) depend not only on the preceding context, but also on the subsequent one. Wed;
1) Autumn... Dry leaves slowly fall to the ground. Soon it will be covered with a continuous multi-colored carpet;
2) Autumn... Dry leaves slowly fall to the ground. It’s as if they don’t want to part with the tree;
3) Autumn... Dry leaves slowly fall to the ground, and the smoke of the fires rises to the sky.
The first sentence allows all three variants of the second sentence after it, and the second variants are conditioned by their subsequent context.
The main means of forming a sentence are word order, actual division of the sentence, intonation and logical stress.
For the correct construction of a sentence, it is essential word order, sequence in the arrangement of sentence members. In Russian, word order is free. This means that there is no strictly assigned place for one or another member of the sentence. However, arbitrary arrangement of words in a sentence can lead to disruption of logical connections between words and subsequently to a change in the semantic content of the entire statement.
For example: At the meeting of representatives of the two states, the undertaken obligations were successfully fulfilled.(The meaning of this sentence can be understood to mean that the obligations were fulfilled at the meeting itself. To eliminate the inaccuracy, it is necessary to correct the sentence as follows: The commitments made at the meeting of representatives of the two states were successfully fulfilled.) The exact order of words is especially important for written speech, in which the semantic content of the statement cannot be clarified with the help of logical stress, non-verbal means of communication (gestures, facial expressions) and the situation itself.
The syntactic function is expressed in the fact that there are cases when, depending on its position in the sentence, a word can be a specific member of the sentence.
Compare: Mother(subject) loves daughter(addition). - Daughter(subject) loves mother(addition); A sick person arrived(definition) Human. - The man arrived sick(nominal part of a compound nominal predicate), My mom(subject) - our teacher(predicate). - Our teacher(subject) - My mum(predicate), etc.
Word order in Russian is important when expressing thoughts, as it performs three main functions.
1. The order of words serves to fully convey the meaning of the message. .
For example, in sentences: The machine beat Kasparov And Kasparov was beaten by a machine, which differ not lexically, but only in word order, contain two messages with different meanings: in the first case, it is about a car (the topic of the message), and in the second, about Kasparov, that is, he is the topic of the statement, although in both cases the car is the subject, and Kasparov is the object. A different word order leads to a different actual division of the sentence.
2. A special word order can give an emotional overtone to a sentence. , while performing a stylistic function: Red Square is dozing. Quiet step of a passerby.
3. Word order can differentiate sentence members , and then it performs the syntactic function: A truck overtook a car.
Even though the word order in Russian is sufficiently free, stand out straight And reverse word order.
At direct word order The members of a sentence are usually arranged like this:
In declarative sentences, the subject is followed by a predicate: .
- the verb complement follows the word being defined: The teacher checked our tests.
- the agreed definition is placed before the word being defined: The teacher checked our tests.
- an inconsistent definition comes after the word being defined: She bought a polka dot dress.
- circumstances can occupy different positions in a sentence: Yesterday he came home late. We will go to the village tomorrow.
Reverse word order it can be any, it is used to highlight the necessary words, thereby achieving expressiveness of speech. The reverse word order is also called inversion (Latin “inversio” - rearrangement).
Inversion allows:
1) highlight
the most important in meaning members of the proposal
;
2) express a question
And enhance emotional coloring
speeches;
3) link parts of text
.
Yes, in a sentence The forest drops its crimson headdress(A. Pushkin.) inversion allows you to strengthen the meaning of the main members of the sentence and the definition of crimson (compare: direct order: The forest drops its crimson robe).
In a text, word order is also one of the means of connecting its parts: Love is stronger than death and fear of death. Only by her, only by love does life hold and move.(I. Turgenev.) Inversion of an addition not only enhances its semantic meaning, but also connects sentences in the text.
Inversion is found especially often in poetic speech, where it not only performs the above functions, but can also serve as a means of creating melodiousness and melody:
Above the great, golden-domed Moscow,
Above the Kremlin wall, white stone
Because of the distant forests, because of the blue mountains,
Playfully on the plank roofs,
The gray clouds are accelerating,
The scarlet dawn is rising.
(M. Lermontov.)
Intonation includes melody, rhythm, intensity, tempo, timbre of speech, logical stress. It is used to express various grammatical categories or to express the feelings of the speaker.
There are various types of intonation: interrogative, exclamatory, enumerative, emphasizing, explanatory, etc.
Intonation- a complex phenomenon. It consists of several components.
1. Each phrase has a logical emphasis, it falls on the word that is the most important in meaning.
2. Intonation consists of raising and lowering the voice - this is the melody of speech.
3. Speech proceeds quickly or slowly - this determines its tempo.
4. Intonation is also characterized by its timbre, which depends on the target setting and can be gloomy, cheerful, frightened, etc.
5. Pauses are also part of intonation. It is very important to do them in the right place, since the meaning of the statement depends on it:
How surprised he was/by his brother’s words!
How surprised his / brother’s words were!
Intonation interrogative sentences consists of raising the tone on the word on which the logical stress falls: Have you written poetry? Have you written poetry? Have you written poetry? Depending on the place of logical stress, intonation can be ascending, descending or ascending-descending:
The peculiarities of the intonation of exclamatory sentences are that the highest rise in tone and sound strength fall on the word emphasized.
Logical stress- this stress is semantic; it can fall on any word in a sentence, depending on the desires and goals of the speaker. It highlights the most important thing in a sentence.
Read the following sentences aloud, highlighting the marked words with intonation:
1) Ripened in our garden grape
;
2) In our garden ripe grape;
3) IN our The grapes are ripe in the garden.
The first sentence says that the grapes are ripe, and not anything else; in the second, that the grapes are ripe, already ready; in the third, that the grapes are ripe in our country, and not in our neighbors or somewhere else, etc. The most important thing in a message is usually new, which is given against the background of something known to the interlocutors.
Let's take, for example, the sentence Brother goes to school.
If we emphasize the first word with a stronger emphasis, we emphasize that it is the brother who studies at school (and not the sister or anyone else). If we highlight the second word, we emphasize what exactly the brother does. By highlighting the last word with logical emphasis, we emphasize that the brother is studying at school (and not at a technical school, university, etc.).
Depending on the logical stress, the meaning of the sentence changes.
When the place of logical stress changes, the intonation also changes: if the logical stress falls on the last word, then the intonation of the entire sentence is usually calm and the logical stress itself is weak. In other cases, the intonation is tense, and the logical stress itself is strong.
An example of how important it is to correctly place logical emphasis is an excerpt from V. Lakshin’s article about A. P. Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard.”
“The capacity of Chekhov’s phrase is amazing. Petya Trofimov says in the play: “All of Russia is our garden.” Actors on different stages in our country and around the world pronounce these four words differently.
To emphasize the word “garden” is to respond to Chekhov’s dream about the future of the homeland.
On the word “our” - emphasize the feeling of selfless ownership, involvement in what your generation has been given to accomplish.
Using the word “Russia” means responding to one’s belonging to everything Russian, a land not chosen, but given from birth.
But it would be most accurate, perhaps, to put the emphasis on the word “all”: “All of Russia is our garden.” For there is no corner in it to whose care and needs we have the right to remain deaf, which we would not want to see in the blossoming of “eternal spring.”
And the surest way to this, according to Chekhov, is to first perform at least one unconditionally selfless good deed. Write at least one inspirational, honest page. Plant at least one tree."
Thus, the most important thing in a message can be highlighted both by word order and logical stress.
Word order - a means of oral and written speech, and logical stress - only oral speech .
Logical stress is required if the word order does not highlight the most important thing in the message.
The ability to highlight the most significant in a sentence is a necessary condition for expressive oral speech.
In Russian, the order of words (more precisely, members of a sentence) is considered free. That is, in the sentence there is no strictly assigned place for one or another member of the sentence. For example, a sentence: The editor carefully read the manuscript yesterday– allows 120 construction options.
They are distinguished depending on the type, structure of the sentence, ways of expressing its members, style and context of speech forward and reverse word order
. The reverse order most often serves to specially highlight certain words by rearranging them, which is inversion, a special artistic device. The direct order is characteristic, first of all, of scientific and business speech, the reverse - for journalistic and artistic speech; in colloquial speech, a sentence is constructed according to special laws.
Place of the main members, subject and predicate
In narrative
In sentences, the subject usually precedes the predicate: Some left the village to earn money.
The reverse order of the main members of a sentence (first the predicate, then the subject) is common in the following cases:
1) in the author’s words that break direct speech or come after it, for example: “I’m not strange,” the boy answered sadly;
2) in sentences in which the subject denotes a period of time or a natural phenomenon, and the predicate is expressed by a verb with the meaning of becoming, being, the course of an action, etc., for example: A hundred years have passed; Spring came; It was a moonlit night;
3) in descriptions, in stories: The sea sings, the city hums, the sun sparkles brightly;
4) as an inversion: Bear hunting is dangerous, a wounded animal is scary;
5) often when placing adverbial words at the beginning of a sentence: There was noise coming from the street.
In interrogative
In sentences, the predicate often precedes the subject, for example: Will bookmakers deceive me?
In incentives
In sentences, subject pronouns often precede the predicate, which enhances the categorical nature of the order and advice. And when they follow the predicate, they soften the tone. Compare: You finish this work today. - Finish this work today.
Compound predicate.
In colloquial speech, the connective of the nominal predicate is often put in first place: I was young, hot, sincere. Placing the nominal part of the predicate in front of the subject and the nominal part serves the purpose of inversion: The dark thickets of forests and the depths of the seas are mysterious and therefore beautiful, the cry of a bird and the crack of a tree bud bursting from the warmth are mysterious (Paustovsky); Both remained hungry.
Place of definition in a sentence
1. Agreed Definition
usually placed before the noun being defined, for example: interesting story; verified quotes; our publishing house.
Setting an agreed definition after the word being defined serves the purpose of inversion: The mountains are inaccessible on all sides (Lermontov).
Postpositive definitions referring to a noun repeated in a given sentence are common: This idea of inflation is, of course, quite naive; Such plans, bold and original plans, could only arise in our conditions.
The means of semantic definition are:
- its isolation: The people, amazed, stopped.
- separating it from the defined noun: Rare stars shone in the ashen sky.
A detached definition (that is, separated by commas) is usually postpositive: publication of letters received at the company’s office; exhibition of paintings nominated for the prize.
2. If there are several agreed upon definitions, their order depends on their morphological arrangement.
- Definitions expressed by pronouns are placed ahead of definitions expressed by other parts of speech: on this solemn day, our future plans.
- Determinative pronouns precede other pronouns: all these amendments, every comment you make. But the pronoun MOST is placed after the demonstrative: these same opportunities, the same case.
- Definitions expressed by qualitative adjectives are placed ahead of definitions expressed by relative ones: new historical novel; light leather binding; late autumn time.
- If heterogeneous definitions are expressed by qualitative adjectives, then the one that denotes a more stable attribute is placed closer to the word being defined: huge black eyes; interesting new story.
- If heterogeneous definitions are expressed by relative adjectives, then they are usually arranged in order of ascending semantic gradation: daily stock reports, specialized haberdashery store.
3. Inconsistent definition
is placed after the word being defined: expert opinion; leather bound book; novel with sequel. BUT definitions expressed by personal pronouns as possessives come before the word being defined: his objections, their statements.
Consensus definitions usually precede discordant ones: high mahogany bed. BUT inconsistent definitions, expressed by personal pronouns with a possessive meaning, usually precede the agreed one: his last performance, their increased demands.
Place of an object in a sentence
The complement usually follows the control word (the word it depends on): read the manuscript, sign the contract, ready for the meeting.
Often the object expressed by a pronoun may precede the control word: I liked the work; This sight amazed him; The mother noticed something in her daughter's expression.
It is common to place an addition with the meaning of person before the control word in impersonal sentences: He needs to talk to you; My sister is not feeling well.
If there are several additions related to one control word, different word orders are possible:
1) usually a direct object precedes others: Take the documents from the secretary; Discuss the issue with your employees;
2) the indirect object of the person in the dative case usually precedes the direct object of the subject: Tell us your legal address; This woman saved Bekoev’s life. In the same way, the genitive case with the meaning of the agent (inconsistent definition) precedes the other case (as a complement): The director's visit to his subordinates.
The direct object, which matches the form of the subject, is usually placed after the predicate: Mother loves daughter; Laziness breeds carelessness. When the subject and object are rearranged, the meaning of the sentence changes or ambiguity arises: The daughter loves the mother; Laws are protected by the courts.
Place of circumstance in a sentence
1. Circumstances of the course of action, expressed by adverbs ending in –о, -е, are usually placed in front of the predicate: The translation accurately reflects the content of the original; The pavement glistened smoothly.
Some adverbs that combine with a few verbs are placed after them: walk, lie prone, walk barefoot, walk.
The place of the adverbial manner of action may depend on the presence of other minor members of the sentence: The climbers walked slowly. – The climbers walked slowly along a steep path.
A means of semantically highlighting circumstances is their placement at the beginning of a sentence or separation from the words to which they are adjacent: In vain he tried to make out people on the horizon; We were very friendly.
2. Circumstances of measure and degree stand before the word on which they depend: The director is very busy; I won't repeat it twice.
3. Circumstances of the time usually precede the predicate verb: There was little conversation at dinner; In a month we plan to achieve success.
4. Circumstances of the place usually precede the predicate, and often appear at the beginning of a sentence: The factory was restless; A cloud was coming from the west.
If the adverbial adverbial place is at the beginning of a sentence, it is often followed by the predicate, and then the subject: To the right rose the white hospital building.
If a sentence contains adverbials of both place and time, then they are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence, with the adverbial adverbial of time placed in the first place, and the adverbial adverbial of place in the second place: Warm weather is expected in Moscow tomorrow. Another order is possible - a circumstance of time, subject, predicate, and finally, a circumstance of place: Yesterday I met a friend of mine on the street.
5. Circumstances of reason and purpose often come before the predicate: Two girls were crying in fear; Some delegation deliberately entered the square.
Location of introductory words, addresses, particles, prepositions
1. Not being members of a sentence, introductory words are freely located in it if they relate to the sentence as a whole: Unfortunately, he fell ill. - Unfortunately, he fell ill. - Unfortunately, he got sick.
If the introductory word is connected in meaning to one member of the sentence, then it is placed next to it: Our dilapidated boat sank, fortunately, in a shallow place.
2. The appeal is also freely placed in the sentence, but most often it is placed at the beginning, which is logically emphasized. Compare: Doctor, tell me what’s wrong with my child. - Tell me, doctor, what’s wrong with my child. – Tell me what’s wrong with my child, doctor.
Moreover, in calls, slogans, orders, oratory speeches, official and personal letters, the appeal is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
3. Particles stand in front of the word they refer to. Compare: This book is difficult even for him. - This book even difficult for him. - Even this book is difficult for him.
4. Separating the preposition from the controlled noun is undesirable: I'll come with a few more comrades.(I will come with a few more comrades). You should also not put two prepositions in a row: Pay attention to outstanding work in all respects(Note the work, which is outstanding in all respects).
The correctness of speech largely depends on the arrangement of words in a sentence. Poor word order can distort or obscure the meaning of a statement. For example, hearing the phrase: The village feeds the lake, we express bewilderment: does the lake need to be fed? Apparently the lake feeds the village(that is, the villagers make a living by fishing). We are accustomed to the fact that in such constructions the subject comes first.
The arrangement of sentence members, characteristic of the modern Russian language, was not fixed immediately. Remember the ponderous phrases in the works of M.V. Lomonosov, in the poetry of G.R. Derzhavina. Their syntax still retained traces of the influence of Latin-German constructions, which were very far from Russian colloquial speech. It is not surprising that the remarkable reformer of the Russian literary language N.M. Karamzin proclaimed the principle: “Write as we speak, and speak as we write.” Karamzin worked hard to develop the order of words in a sentence and gave an example of two constructions typical of the Russian language: The bell rang and the horses started moving.(the subject comes first, that is, prepositive, and the predicate is postpositive) and The sun is shining; Autumn has come; It's raining(prepositive predicate). Both constructions reflect direct word order, but their stylistic application is different. Sentences of the first type are used more often in narration:
We swam quite slowly. The old man had difficulty pulling his long pole out of the viscous mud... Finally we got to the reeds, and the fun began. The ducks rose noisily, “rushed” from the pond, frightened by our unexpected appearance in their domain, shots rang out in unison after them... These short-tailed birds tumbled in the air, splashed heavily on the water... Easily wounded, they dived... [T. ].
These structures vividly convey movement and development of action, reflecting the dynamics of events in the best way possible.
Sentences with a prepositive predicate are used when describing a situation, an object, a landscape:
It was a beautiful July day... Merry and majestic, as if taking off, the mighty luminary rises. Around noon, a lot of round, high clouds usually appear... Here and there bluish stripes will stretch from top to bottom: then barely noticeable rain falls... Everything bears the stamp of some touching meekness... [T.].
This word order is typical for an epic, calm tone of speech, for creating static pictures.
Usually the prepositive predicate in interrogative and exclamatory sentences: Do you know about this?; What a pleasant activity these dances are!(Sharp).
When determining the place of minor members of a sentence, it should be borne in mind that a sentence is usually built from phrases in which the coordinated words precede the core word, and the controlled words follow it.
Let us characterize the word order in phrases that are most often used in Russian constructions.
I. In combinations of nouns with adjectives, the latter are usually prepositive: good man, fun ride. The postpositive adjective is distinguished by its meaning and is often emphasized by intonation: Here youyou will meet the only sideburns, passed with extraordinary and amazing art under the tie... Here you will meetwonderful mustache , not depicted by any pen, by any brush... Here you will findthe only smile smile- the height of art(G.).
If the integrity of a phrase is violated in a sentence and the adjective is separated from the noun by a verb, then this is usually stylistically justified. Such an adjective is always emphasized, strengthened. For example: Boredom tormented mescary (T.); Early fellsnowball (Shol.); Invisible ranglark (Naked). In such cases, they talk about inversion - that is, a stylistic device consisting of a deliberate change in the usual word order for the purpose of emotional, semantic highlighting of any part of the statement.
II. In phrases of two nouns, the dependent word is usually postpositive: a mother's love, a walk in the moonlight, the path to victory. But a word indicating the appearance, size, color and other properties of an object can also be prepositive, always appearing in combination with an adjective: [Sobakevich] ... this time it seemed to him very similar toaverage size bear (G.).
III. In phrases with a core adjective word, the adverb usually comes first: very kind, deathly pale, incredibly large. The same position is occupied by a noun indicating the qualitative attribute of an adjective: extremely patient, fundamentally wrong.
IV. In verb phrases with the dependent case form of the noun, it is usually in second place: I lovethunderstorm, writingpencil, came upto the window. However, preposition of a noun is also possible if it indicates a quality or method of action: Quick steps she was walking towards the house(Nikol.); Then he did the samewith a searching gaze looked at Kocharyan and Mitya(Kettle.). If a verb refers to two nouns, then words with the meaning of addressee or circumstance are placed immediately after it: wrotefor students allowance, tookin the closet paper, openedkey door, the final position is occupied by a word form, which in meaning is more closely related to the verb: received from the editoranswer, writes to friendsletters.
In combinations of verbs with adverbs, the word order depends on the meaning of the statement: adverbs are postpositive if they have logical stress: He workedartistically (G.); Metfriendly (Furm.).
Particular attention should be paid to the order of words in a sentence when using homogeneous members. Of interest is the use of several definitions that occupy the same syntactic positions in a sentence: Bywide big highwayless road rode at a fast trottall blue Viennese stroller in a train(L.T.). As can be seen from the example, adjectives are placed closer to the nouns, naming a more important feature. If a pronoun appears in a series of homogeneous definitions, it moves forward: ...your beautiful Ryazan scarf(Es.).
An additional note can be made about the order of words in a sentence when using the infinitive. The dependent infinitive is always postpositive: Sasha... blushed, readycry (Ch.); I would like tolive and die in Paris, if there were no such land- Moscow(M.). The prepositive use of the infinitive gives speech a conversational coloring: I will buy, I will buy, only youcry something stop doing that; I don’t have long, I’m bringing pots to the kitchensoar I'll send(Sharp).
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