How do you know where to put commas and where there is no need for it? This punctuation mark is important tool for registration writing. Often it is he who helps to understand the meaning invested by the author in the text. Commas are placed according to certain rules that are easy to remember. So why not remember school lessons?
Historical reference
How to figure out where to put commas? People have been asking this question for more than a millennium. The sign that functions as a comma was invented by the famous ancient Greek philosopher Aristophanes of Byzantium. This happened back in the third century BC. Even then, humanity desperately needed to clarify written language.
Aristophanes of Byzantium came up with a system of punctuation marks that is very far from modern punctuation. He used special points, which had to be placed depending on how the phrase was pronounced when reading. They could be located at the bottom, middle or top of the line. The function of the comma in those days was assigned to the period in the middle.
The sign that is used today is derived from the fraction symbol. The modern comma is a mini-copy of the one used from the 13th to the 17th centuries to indicate a pause.
How to know where to put commas
So, how to quickly and easily learn the rules and stop making mistakes? How to figure out where to put commas and where they are not needed? To begin with, you should remember that this punctuation mark serves to isolate and highlight:
- introductory words, clarifications;
- definitions;
- interjections;
- participial and participial phrases;
- appeals;
- circumstances.
Of course, that's not all. Punctuation can also be used to separate:
- homogeneous members of the sentence;
- between indirect and direct speech;
- between parts of a complex, compound and complex sentence.
Commas can be single or double. Singles break a sentence into parts, fixing the boundaries of these parts. This punctuation mark is needed, for example, when it is necessary to indicate two simple parts in complex sentence. Paired commas can be used, say, to highlight participial and participial phrases and introductory words.
The meaning of the sentence
The meaning of the sentence will help you understand where to put commas. After all, punctuation marks are used precisely in order to convey it correctly. If a comma is in the wrong place in a sentence, the meaning is inevitably distorted.
For example: “In the afternoon I entertained my sister, who was sick, by reading aloud”; “Elizabeth, with whom I had a fight a few days ago, walked towards me with a cheerful face”; “I gladly accepted the invitation of Anton, whom I had not seen for many days.” Commas are not where they should be or are missing, so the meaning changes. The person who reads the text does not understand what the author wanted to say.
Before unions
To avoid making mistakes, you need to remember the conjunctions that are preceded by this punctuation mark. When, where, what, because, since - just a few of them.
Suppose the sentence uses the conjunction “since.” Where to put commas? Examples help to understand this. Let's say: “Nikolai is delayed because he doesn’t have time to get ready”; “Svetlana will not come because she has urgent matters”; “Ksenia did something she had never done before”; “Vladimir answered in a way that no one before him could. The teacher gave him the highest score.”
Let's say that the sentence contains the conjunction “because”. Where to put commas? It is easy to give examples in this case as well. Let's say: “Alexander was not at the meeting because he is on a business trip”; “Elena failed the task because everyone refused to help her”; “Nicholas refused to marry a rich bride because he didn’t like her at all.” A comma can also be placed between the words “because” and “that.” For example: “The windows were open because voices on the street were clearly audible in the apartment.” This sentence confirms that the windows are indeed open. There is another example: “The windows were open because it was very hot in the apartment.” This sentence explains the reason that prompted them to be opened.
Independent part of a sentence
How do you know where to put commas in a sentence? This punctuation mark makes it stand out independent part. How to find her? If the meaning of a sentence is preserved after some part is removed from it, then it is independent. Introductory sentences, participial phrases must be separated by commas.
For example: “Yesterday I was told that my brother Dmitry, returning from Paris, felt unwell.” If we delete the adverbial phrase “returning from Paris,” the meaning of the sentence will remain virtually unchanged.
What other example can you give? “Today Stanislav learned that his girlfriend, passing by his house, did not come to visit him.”
Introductory words
Where should commas be placed if there are introductory words in the sentence? By the way, imagine, fortunately, of course, by the way - just some of them. The rules of the Russian language say to highlight them with commas on both sides.
For example: “By the way, I always knew that this would happen”; “Dmitry, fortunately, has already overcome his illness”; “Anastasia, just imagine, decided not to come visit us”; “Marina, by the way, has been involved in this for several years now sports club».
Appeal
The address is also always separated by commas in the sentence. It is not always located at the beginning; it can be located in the middle or even at the end.
For example: “Are you coming to visit us this week, Lydia?”; “More than anything else, Margarita, I love to read”; “Alexandra, how do you feel about this plan?”
Comparative turnover
Where to put commas? The rules of the Russian language dictate the use of these punctuation marks to highlight comparative phrases. As if, how, precisely, what, than, rather than are conjunctions, thanks to which they are easy to detect in a sentence.
For example: “I play the guitar better than her”; “He runs like he’s been training for a marathon for the past few years”; “It was safer to travel at night than during the day,” “I often visit Moscow, like many other cities in Russia.”
We must not forget about the existence of exceptions. Comparative phrases are not indicated using commas when we are talking about phraseological units, stable expressions. For example: “Cuts like clockwork”; “It’s pouring like buckets,” “It’s stuck like a bath leaf”; "Make yourself at home".
Between homogeneous members
Homogeneous members of a sentence will not always share this punctuation mark. How do you know where to put commas and where not to? However, but, and, but, yes - conjunctions in which this means of punctuation is necessary.
A comma is placed between homogeneous members, if they are connected by repeated conjunctions (or...or, either...or, and...and, not that...not that). For example: “In the apartment the light went out and then came on again.” This punctuation mark is not needed when using single conjunctions or, either, yes, and.
Complexity can be created by heterogeneous and homogeneous definitions. A comma is used if the sentence contains homogeneous definitions. Let's say: “an exciting, interesting action movie.” However, this punctuation mark is not needed if heterogeneous definitions. For example: “a Hollywood thriller.” “Hollywood” refers to the place where it was created, while “spectacular” expresses the impression.
Participial
Where is the correct place to put commas when talking about sentences with participial phrases? Participles are indicated by this punctuation mark only in those cases when they are located after the word they are defining. It's about about the word from which to participial phrase the question is asked. Let's say: “a brother who was surprised at my arrival,” “a friend who was delighted at the news,” “a mother who found out everything,” “an apple tree that grew in the garden.”
Coordinating Conjunctions
This punctuation mark is necessary in a complex sentence that contains coordinating conjunctions. The rules say to put it in front of them. Yes and, either, and, or, yes are examples of such unions.
The most important thing is to correctly understand where the beginning of one sentence and the end of another are. This is easy to do by identifying the subject and predicate. Separating by meaning will also help.
For example: “It rained all day, and the wind continued to rustle outside the window”; “They worked for a long time, but they finished all the work.”
Opposing alliances
Before contrastive conjunctions (a, yes, but), this punctuation mark is necessary in all cases. For example: “His relatives and friends placed the blame on Eugene big hopes, but he failed to justify them"; “It rained in the morning, but by lunchtime the weather improved”; “Your friend wants to talk to you, and you need this conversation.”
What else do you need to know
What else can you tell us about where to put commas in accordance with the rules of the Russian language? Using this punctuation mark, interjections, negative, interrogative and affirmative words are highlighted. Let's say: “Life, alas, does not last forever, sooner or later a person dies,” “Certainly, Alexander will join us for dinner today, since he promised me to do so”; “Isn’t it true that Victoria is very pretty? After all, you like this girl too?”, “Undoubtedly, Anatoly will go to trip around the world this week. I learned about this from him himself,” “I hope Timofey does not harbor a grudge.”
Interjections should not be confused with the particles ah, oh, well, which serve to enhance the connotation. For example: “Oh, what a guy he is!”; “Why is Alexander behaving so badly!”; “Oh, how tired I am, I worked all day today without rest.” It is also necessary to be able to distinguish the particle o, which is used when addressing. Let's say: “Oh mountains, mountains!”; "Oh fields, endless fields."
Conclusion
Punctuation errors can distort the meaning of the text more than spelling errors. The latter can always be passed off as a typo, while missing a comma or using it in the wrong place will not allow the reader to understand what the author wanted to say.
It is understanding the meaning that allows you to place punctuation marks correctly. Of course, it is important to remember the rules regarding the placement of commas in a sentence.
You already know that union- This service part speech, with the help of which they formulate connections between parts of sentences, separate proposals in a text or between words in a simple sentence.
Union"HOW"very often requires the isolation of different syntactic structures.
To understand when to put a comma before a conjunction " HOW", and when not, look at the following examples.
Comma before the conjunction "HOW" is put
1. Commas highlight or separate phrases beginning with a conjunction"HOW"
1) if they denote assimilation , without other shades of meaning (" HOW" has the meaning " like»).
For example: Below it is the Caucasus , like the edge of a diamond, shone with eternal snow. Her voice rang , like a bell. Her green eyes sparkled , like gooseberries. And he saw himself rich , like in a dream. (Krylov) His hands were shaking , like mercury. (Gogol) The air is clean and fresh , like kissing a child...(Lermontov) Like a seagull , the sail there is white in height.
Comparative phrases in our language not only convey similarities or differences, but also give beauty and expressiveness to the language.
The punctuation rule about the comparative phrase is not so complicated: it is always separated by commas on both sides.
For example: At the bottom , like a mirror , the water glistened. Around the tall brow , like clouds , the curls turn black. (Pushkin) Below , like a steel mirror, The lake streams turn blue. (Tyutchev) Sparkled brightly in the sky , like a living eye , first star. (Goncharov) Anchar , like a menacing sentry, stands alone in the entire universe (A.S. Pushkin).
What are the difficulties and where do the mistakes come from?
First difficulty- insufficiently thoughtful attitude to the text. If you do not understand that the sentence is comparing something to something else, you will not notice the comparative phrase. Here's a simple conclusion: always try to understand the text you are writing down.
Second difficulty is that among comparisons there are syntactic “dwarfs” and syntactic “giants”. This is what “dwarf” comparisons can look like; they can be accidentally overlooked.
For example: I myself , like a beast , was alien to people and crawled and hid , like a snake(M. Yu. Lermontov).
And here’s what “giants” comparisons might look like: In front of them , like ocean waves petrified during a storm, mountain ranges spread out.
What kind of trouble can be caused with such a proposal?
First, just forget to close the turn with a comma. This misfortune happens with all common phrases: having “caught” its beginning, many do not retain it in memory until the end - and then goodbye, second comma!
Secondly, without thinking about the meaning of the phrase, cut the “giant”, hastening to put a comma ahead of time, for example after the word petrified, and thereby turn the sentence into complete nonsense.
2) If in the main part of the sentence there is index word so, so, so, so.
For example: The Lyceum gave Russia such people , like Pushkin, Pushchin, Delvig. The coachman was equally amazed at his generosity , like the Frenchman himself from Dubrovsky’s proposal. (Pushkin) Nowhere else at a mutual meeting do they bow so nobly and naturally , like on Nevsky Prospekt. (Gogol) His facial features were the same , just like my sister. (L. Tolstoy) Laevsky is certainly harmful and just as dangerous to society , like a cholera microbe... (Chekhov) Everything around is somehow churchy, and the oil smells as strong as in a church. (Bitter)
3) If the turnover begins with the combination like.
For example: Trees , just like people , have their own destiny. To Moscow , like the whole country, I feel my sonhood , like an old nanny(Paustovsky). In her eyes , as well as throughout the face, there was something unusual. Just like at last year's competitions, the athletes of the Russian Federation were ahead;
4) If union "HOW" included in the introductory sentence . Most often used as introductory sentences the following expressions:
As I remember now, how they spoke, how we learned, how some people think, as well as combinations like now, as one, as a rule, as an exception, as usual, as always, as before, as now, as now, as on purpose and so on.
For example: It was , as you can guess, our heroine. Residents everyone is home, as one , poured out into the yard. I see , as it is now , the owner himself... (Pushkin) Classes have begun , as usual , at nine o'clock in the morning. I remember , like now , my first teacher at school. How on purpose , there was not a penny in my pocket. Commas , usually , participial phrases are highlighted. Spartakiad , as usual , takes place in the summer.
But! The indicated combinations are not separated by commas if they are part of the predicate or are closely related to it in meaning.
For example: Classes start as usual. Snowfalls occur in December as a rule (=usually). Yesterday went as usual(i.e. as usual);
5) in revolutions none other than and none other than; the same as and the same as.
For example: Rhine Falls in front nothing else , How low water ledge (Zhukovsky). But in front of her was none other , How traveling Aigle, a famous collector of legends, fairy tales, tales. It was none other , How Rylov.
2. If the application is with a union"HOW"has the meaning of causality, it is separated by commas.
For example: Like a true Frenchman, Triquet brought a verse to Tatyana (A.S. Pushkin) in his pocket. Why did he bring the verse to Tatyana? - like a true Frenchman.
If the application has no additional values, it is separated by a comma.
For example: Such a tool , like a screwdriver , always useful on the farm. Neither one nor the other question can be raised here.
3. B complex sentence when adding a subordinate clause:"HOW"acts as subordinating conjunction and connects subordinate clause with the main one.
For example: He sees , like a field father cleans up. Love jumped out in front of us , like it jumps out of the ground murderer, and amazed us both at once. I looked for a long time , how the candle burns.
(Reminder: how to distinguish a complex sentence from a complex sentence? In a complex sentence, you can ask a question from one part of the sentence to another. Using the example above: " I looked for a long time- for what? - how the candle burns". IN compound sentences parts are equal).
Comma before conjunction"HOW" not placed
1. Turnovers with a union"HOW"are not separated by commas
1) If the meaning of the circumstance of the course of action comes to the fore in circulation (to the question How?); Usually such phrases can be replaced by the instrumental case of a noun or an adverb.
For example: Buckshot rained down like hail.(Lermontov) (Compare: rained down like hail .) Dreams disappeared like smoke. (Lermontov) Like a demon is insidious and evil(Lermontov) (Compare: demonically insidious.)
The ring burns like heat.(Nekrasov) In anger, he thundered like thunder and sparkled like steel. The horse flies like a snowstorm, like a blizzard hurries. They flared like lightning in the sky, like fiery rain fell from the sky.
2) If the main meaning of the phrase is equating or identifying.
For example: …You loved me as property, as a source of joy, worries and sorrows...(Lermontov) (Compare: ...loved me, considering me his property.) …He[Judas] handed over his stone as the only one what he could give(Saltykov-Shchedrin);
3) If union "HOW"has the meaning "as" or turnover with the union "HOW" (application) characterizes an object from any one aspect.
For example: Rich, good-looking, Lensky was accepted everywhere as a groom. (Pushkin) I speak like a writer. (Gorky) My ignorance of the language and silence was interpreted as diplomatic silence. (Mayakovsky) We know India as a country ancient culture . The public appreciated the early Chekhov as a subtle humorist. We know Lermontov more as a poet and prose writer and less as a playwright. I will keep this letter as a memory. Yuri Gagarin made history as the world's first astronaut. The environmental issue arises How main question today.
4) If turnover forms nominal part compound predicate or the meaning is closely related to the predicate (usually in these cases the predicate does not have a complete meaning without a comparative phrase).
For example: Some are like emerald, others are like coral. (Krylov) She herself walked like wild. (Goncharov) I became like a child in soul. (Turgenev) Father and mother are like strangers to her. (Dobrolyubov) I watched how. (Arsenyev)
She behaves like a mistress.(If we take the predicate “ holds on» without turnover « like a mistress", then it turns out " she's holding on", and you might think that she is holding on to something.)
Compare also: feel like native element, behaves as if insane, understand as a hint, perceive as praise, recognize as a danger, look at as a child, greet as a friend, evaluate as an achievement, consider as an exception, take for granted, present as a fact, qualify as a violation of the law, mark as big success, interest as a novelty, put forward as a project, justify as a theory, accept as inevitable, develop as a tradition, express as a proposal, interpret as a reluctance to take part, define as a case stand-alone application, characterize as a type, stand out as a talent, design as official document, used as a phraseological turn, sound like a call, enter like component, appear as a representative, feel like a foreign body, exist as an independent organization, arise as something unexpected, develop as a progressive idea, perform as urgent task and so on.;
5) If comparative turnover preceded by denial Not or words completely, completely, almost, like, exactly, exactly, directly, simply and so on.
For example: I cultivated in myself this feeling of holiday not as rest and simply a means for further struggle, but as a desired goal, completion highest creativity life. (Prishvin) It was almost as bright as day. Children sometimes think just like adults. The girl's hair curls exactly like her mother's. The newspaper was not published as always. He just like a child.
6) If turnover has the character of a stable combination .
We have come to the very interesting case- To phraseological units. Our speech is permeated with phraseological units. These are stable phrases, colored with irony, cunning, and slyness.
For example: I need a fifth leg like a dog, it will help like a poultice for a dead person.
Phraseologisms bring into our speech not only imagery, but also mischief and a smile. And what is very important is that they do not require a comma before the conjunction" HOW"!
For example: He's everywhere felt at home. Brother and sister similar as two peas in a pod. At the lion's It was like a mountain had been lifted off my shoulders.(Krylov) Tell the doctor to bandage his wound and took care of him like the apple of his eye. (Pushkin) The young couple were happy, and their life flowed like clockwork. (Chekhov)
Strict grammar rules There are no phrases that help distinguish phraseological units from ordinary comparative phrases. You just need to be able to “recognize when you meet” as many phraseological units as possible.
Among stable phrases, not separated by commas, there are also “dwarfs”: works like an ox(or like a horse), tired or hungry as a dog, stupid as a plug, white as a harrier, mad, crazy, rooted to the spot and so on. There is no comma before " HOW"in combinations no how no And right here. A phrase of impressive size is not set off with commas either. as if nothing had happened.
Compare also: white as a harrier, white as a sheet, white as snow, pale as death, shines like a mirror, the disease vanished as if by hand, feared like fire, wanders like a restless person, rushed like crazy, mumbles like a sexton, ran in like crazy, spins like a squirrel in a wheel , squeals like a pig, I see like in the daytime, everything is as if on selection, jumped up as if stung, looked like a wolf, stupid as a cork, naked like a falcon, hungry like a wolf, as far as the sky from the earth, trembling as if in a fever, trembling like an aspen leaf, he's like water off a duck's back, waiting like manna from heaven, fell asleep like the dead, healthy as an ox, knows like the back of his hand, walks next to him like a man sewn, rolled like cheese in butter, sways like a drunk, swayed like jelly, red as a lobster, strong like an oak tree, screams like a catechumen, flies like an arrow, beats like Sidorov's goat, bald as a knee, pours like a bucket, waves his arms like a mill, rushes about like a madman, wet like a mouse, gloomy like a cloud, people like herrings in a barrel, not to be seen like your ears, dumb as a grave, running around like crazy, needed like air, stopped dead in your tracks, remained like a stranded lobster, sharp as a razor, different as heaven from earth, turned white as a sheet, repeated as if in delirium, you'll go like a dear, remember what was the name, hit like a butt on the head, looked like two peas in a pod, sank like a stone, loyal like a dog, stuck like a bath leaf, fell through the ground, disappeared as if sank into water, just like a knife to the heart, burned like in fire, dissipated like smoke, grew like mushrooms after rain, fell out of the blue, fresh as blood and milk, fresh as a cucumber, sat as if on needles, sat as if on coals, sat as if chained, listened as if spellbound, looked as if enchanted, slept like the dead, slender like a cypress, hard as a stone, dark as night, skinny like a skeleton, cowardly like a hare, died like a hero, fell like a man knocked down, rested like a ram, stubborn like a donkey, tired like a dog, whipped like a bucket, walked like being submerged in water, cold as ice, black as hell, feeling at home, staggering like a drunk, walking as if to execution and so on.
2. In addition, the word "HOW" could be part composite union both... and... or because, as well as revolutions since, since, as much as possible, as little as possible or more. In such cases, a comma is placed either before " HOW", or before the whole complex union.
For example: He has excellent grades in both Russian and mathematics. This topic is touched upon in both poetry and prose. Both children and adults love fairy tales. Avoid empty speeches, as their outcome is repentance.
He finished the story as they reached the place. Larisa worked in a hairdresser while Ivan was finishing college.
Since the eternal judge
He gave me the omniscience of a prophet,
I read in people's eyes
Pages of malice and vice.
(M. Yu. Lermontov)
3. In a complex sentence with homogeneous subordinate clauses after coordinating conjunctions.
For example: It’s nice to listen in a warm room to how angry the wind is and how the taiga groans.
4. Union"HOW" can be present in a sentence without attaching absolutely any semantic-syntactic block, but only as a means of expressiveness of speech.
For example: We have worked hard; I tried not to be separated from my friends as long as possible; The weight of the luggage seemed to lessen; I was just about to go to the skating rink and so on.
Spelling the words “also” and “the same” depends on what part of speech is in front of us. The rule is this: a conjunction is written together, an adverb with a particle is written separately.
Separate writing
It is correct to write “the same way” if “so” is an adverb, and “the same” is a particle. They are used to compare objects.
- She tried to be like her friend in everything: she painted her lips just as brightly, twirled in front of the mirror for a long time and drew out her words in a mannered manner.
- It was April, and snow was still falling in flakes outside.
Clue: try inserting the phrase “as well” after “the same way.”
- Same as me, she hates cream.
- Animals just like people, know how to love.
Continuous writing
“Also” is a conjunction formed by merging an adverb with a particle. It needs to be written together.
- The artist was nervous before the performance, and there was also a sense of excitement in the hall.
- The dollar, like the euro, also continues to grow rapidly.
Clue: The conjunction “also” can be replaced by another conjunction – “and”.
- The artist was nervous before the performance, And there was excitement in the room.
- AND The dollar, like the euro, continues to grow rapidly.
Let's ask a question
The spelling of the word also depends on the question. To an adverb with a particle you can ask the question “how?”. But such a number will not work with a conjunction, since it is not an independent part of speech.
Dropping a particle
Consider this proposal:
- My day today went the same way as yesterday.
Remembering that the “zhe” particle only imparts an amplification effect, let’s try to discard it. What did we get?
- My day today went the same as yesterday.
The supply was not affected at all, which means in this case“the same” should be written separately.
Now another example:
- My friend loves sushi and rolls, I also love Japanese cuisine.
Let's try to drop the "same" again. And this is what we get:
- My friend loves sushi and rolls, I love Japanese cuisine so much.
There is clearly something wrong with the proposal! Of course, in this case we did not discard the “zhe” particle, but tore off a piece of the union! Let us remember: in such a situation our word is written together.
At the same time, if you replace also with too, the meaning will not change. This is a compelling reason for cohesive writing.
- My friend loves sushi and rolls, I also love Japanese cuisine.
Synonyms
The following synonyms correspond to the adverb with the particle “also”:
- in the same way
- similar,
- like,
- as well as
- as well as,
- like,
- Seems like,
- the same
- similarly.
The conjunction “also” can be replaced with the words:
- Same,
- equally,
- at the same time,
- equally.
Remember that a correctly chosen synonym can solve a number of spelling problems.
Hard case
There are, however, difficult situations, when the meaning can be determined only by a broad context, which includes several sentences, or by intonation.
- The girl was also very beautiful.(This girl was as beautiful as the other one.)
- He was also determined.(And he was determined.)
Punctuation
Our words have their own punctuation features when written in writing. For example, after an adverb with the particle “also” the word “as” often follows. We are accustomed to the fact that “how” is usually preceded by a comma. But this is not always fair. Let's look at examples:
- I, like most students, am counting on a scholarship.
(= I, like most students, count.)
- I, like most students, am counting on a scholarship.
(= I calculate in the same way, to the same extent.)
We hope our article helped you understand the difference between the conjunction “also” and an adverb with the particle “also”. Always pay attention to the context - it will help resolve any difficulties. And also do not forget to follow the rules and tips. And for dessert - an instructive linguistic tale.
About the power of friendship
Once upon a time in the world the adverb So and the particle Zhe. So she always avoided Zhe because she considered herself superior to her.
– I am an independent word! Who is she? - Tak said with his nose turned up.
Zhe silently endured insults and sometimes even left the proposal so as not to end up next to the arrogant Tak. Perhaps they would never have become friends if not for one incident.
Union And one day he became very ill. So much so that he could not get out of bed and take his rightful place in the sentence: “And friendship is important to us.” And, as luck would have it, all his closest friends had left - there was no one to replace the unfortunate man! Then the words decided to gather a council.
- How can we be! If I is not included in the sentence, it will lose its meaning!
- I feel sorry for the poor guy. But we could all lose our jobs.
And all the words quietly began to cry. When suddenly Tak came up to Zhe and lowered his head and whispered:
- I'm sorry. Let's be friends. I know we can help.
She smiled welcomingly, extended her hand and said:
– Friendship is also important to us.
And then a miracle happened: the proposal made sense! The words raised surprised eyes to former enemies and beamed. They are saved!
Since then, Tak and Zhe have become such friends that you can’t spill water on them. And even if they found themselves apart in the proposal, they still supported each other.
Today we have another entry in the section “ Literacy Minute", and it will talk about a very common difficulty: the placement or non-placement of a comma before the conjunction . I think you, like me, have often found yourself in a difficult position, wondering whether a comma is needed before a conjunction or not. Today we will learn once and for all when this unfortunate comma is used and when it is not. So...
A comma is added.
We will start with those cases where a comma occurs. There are not many of these cases and, in principle, they are not difficult to remember.
1. A comma is placed in the case if union connects parts of a complex sentence. Everything here is easy and clear; in this case, you simply cannot do without a comma.
Example: We watched with pleasure as our friend reached the finish line first.
2. When the union enters revolutions close in value to introductory words . There are few such phrases in Russian, here are the main ones: as an exception, as a consequence, as always, as on purpose, as for example, as now, as now, as a rule, etc.
For example: In the morning before leaving, as if on purpose, it started to rain.
3. In the event that if the sentence contains a circumstance expressed by a comparative phrase that begins with a conjunction .
Example: There were people inside like sardines in a barrel.
I draw your attention to the fact that if after the turnover with the union the sentence continues, then you need to put another comma at the end of the phrase (isolate it). For example: In the distance, the water sparkled like a mirror..
A comma is NOT included.
Now I propose to determine those cases when the union is not separated by a comma.
1. In the event that eif unionstands between subject and predicate, Awithouthimthere would have to be a dash there.
For example: Nose like a beak. Night is like day.
2. If the turnover is with a unionis part of a phraseological unit. As we well know, phraseological units are separate integral language constructs, as a rule, immutable.
For example: Duringconversationhe sat on pins and needles.
3. Whenturnover with the unionin a sentence acts as an adverbial modifier of action.
For example: The path twisted like a snake.
IN similar cases our turnover with the union can be replaced by an adverb ( like a snake) or a noun in instrumental case (snake). However, the problem is that the circumstances of the course of action cannot always be distinguished with complete certainty from the circumstances of comparison. It is precisely such cases that cause the most difficulties for writers.
4. In those casesif the turnover is with a unionis part of the predicate and a sentence without such a phrase does not have a complete meaning.
Example: Young womanholdingI wanted tolike a mistress.
5. If a comparative phrase is preceded by a negationNot orone of next particles: completely, completely, almost, exactly, like, simply, exactly. In this case, instead of a comma, there is already a particle ( no, like, simple, etc..), so such moments, as a rule, do not raise much doubt.
For example: These two don't act like good friends. In this light, her face was exactly like her mother’s.
Compound conjunctions.
Don't forget that the word can be part of a compound union … So And… or because, as well as revolutions: since, as long as, since, as little (more) as possible, etc.. It is quite natural that in such cases the comma before not installed.
For example: All windows are as inthe house itself, and inthere werewide open.
That's all for today. I hope we have brought the necessary clarity to the issue of placing commas before the conjunction , and this knowledge will be useful to you in everyday writing activity. Don't forget to follow the blog updates! See you soon!
