A definition is a minor member of a sentence, which depends on the subject, complement or circumstance, defines the attribute of the subject and answers the questions: which one? which? whose?
The definition can apply to words of different parts of speech: nouns and words formed from adjectives or participles by transitioning to another part of speech, as well as pronouns.
Agreed and non-agreed definition
An agreed definition is a definition for which the type of syntactic connection between the main and dependent words is agreement. For example:
A dissatisfied girl was eating chocolate ice cream on the open terrace.
(girl (what?) dissatisfied, ice cream (what?) chocolate, on the terrace (what?) open)
Agreed definitions are expressed by adjectives that agree with the words being defined - nouns in gender, number and case.
The agreed definitions are expressed:
1) adjectives: dear mother, beloved grandmother;
2) participles: laughing boy, bored girl;
3) pronouns: my book, this boy;
4) ordinal numbers: the first of September, by the eighth of March.
But the definition may not be consistent. This is the name of a definition associated with the word being defined by other types of syntactic connections:
management
adjoining
Inconsistent management-based definition:
Mom's book was on the nightstand.
Wed: mom's book - mom's book
(mom’s book is an agreed definition, type of connection: coordination, and mom’s book is inconsistent, type of connection is control)
Inconsistent definition based on adjacency:
I want to buy her a more expensive gift.
Wed: a more expensive gift - an expensive gift
(a more expensive gift is an inconsistent definition, the type of connection is adjacency, and an expensive gift is an agreed definition, the type of connection is coordination)
Inconsistent definitions also include definitions expressed by syntactically indivisible phrases and phraseological units.
A five-story shopping center was built opposite.
Wed: center with five floors - five-story center
(a center with five floors is an uncoordinated definition, the type of communication is management, and a five-story center is an agreed definition, the type of communication is coordination)
A girl with blue hair entered the room.
(girl with blue hair - inconsistent definition, type of connection - control.)
Different parts of speech can act as an inconsistent definition:
1) noun:
The bus stop has been moved.
(bus - noun)
2) adverb:
Grandma cooked the meat in French.
(in French - adverb)
3) verb in an indefinite form:
She had a knack for listening.
(listen is an infinitive verb)
4) comparative degree of an adjective:
He always chooses the easier path, and she always chooses the more difficult tasks.
(easier, harder comparative degree of adjectives)
5) pronoun:
Her story touched me.
(ee – possessive pronoun)
6) syntactically indivisible phrase
Application
A special type of definition is application. An application is a definition expressed by a noun that agrees with the word being defined in case.
Applications denote various characteristics of the subject, which are expressed by a noun: age, nationality, profession, etc.:
I love my little sister.
A group of Japanese tourists lived in the hotel with me.
A variety of applications are geographical names, names of enterprises, organizations, printed publications, works of art. The latter form inconsistent applications. Let's compare examples:
I saw the embankment of the Sukhona River.
(Sukhony is a consistent application, the words river and Sukhona are in the same case.)
My son read the fairy tale “Cinderella”.
(“Cinderella” is an inconsistent application, the words fairy tale and “Cinderella” are in different cases
Separation(emphasized with commas) inconsistent definitions also depends on several factors:
a) from the part of speech of the defined (main) word;
b) from the position of the definition in relation to the defined (main) word - before the main word, after the main word;
c) from the presence of additional shades of meaning in the definition (adverbial, explanatory);
d) on the degree of distribution and method of expression of the definition.
However, in general, the isolation of inconsistent definitions is less categorical than the isolation of agreed upon definitions. It occurs if in a given context it is necessary to highlight any attribute and strengthen the meaning it expresses.
Conditions for separating inconsistent definitions
A) Definition expressed by indirect cases of nouns (usually with prepositions)
1. Noun modifiers are isolated if they refer to a personal pronoun:
Today she, in the new blue hood, was especially young and impressively beautiful(M. Gorky).
2. Defining nouns are isolated if they are separated from the word being defined by other members of the sentence:
After dessert everyone moved to the buffet, where in a black dress, with a black mesh on his head, Caroline was sitting(Goncharov).
3. Noun definitions are isolated if they form a series of homogeneous members with a preceding or subsequent separate agreed definition:
This crowd people dressed colorfully, with tanned faces And with squirrel tails on headdresses, made a strange impression(Arsenyev).
4. Noun definitions are usually isolated if they refer to a proper name, since they complement and clarify the idea of a person or an object.
Sasha Berezhnova, in a silk dress, wearing a cap on the back of his head and in a shawl, sitting on the sofa(Goncharov).
5. Noun definitions are usually isolated if they refer to a noun that characterizes a person by degree of relationship, position, profession, etc. The noun attribute in this case gives additional characteristics to the person. This definition is often common, that is, it contains dependent words. Quite often there are several such definitions.
Came out majestically mother, in a lilac dress, in lace, with a long string of pearls around the neck (Goncharov).
Pay attention!
1) When placing punctuation marks, it is very important to correctly determine the type of minor member expressed by the noun, since it can be not only a definition, but also an addition, a circumstance.
Wed: Came out majestically mother, in a lilac dress, in lace. - Mother came out in a lilac dress, in lace.
2) If an inconsistent definition expressed by a noun is isolated, it is distinguished by pauses.
3) Isolation of inconsistent definitions expressed by a noun is often not mandatory, but optional. If the author wants to give an additional characteristic to a person, if the isolation of the definition serves as a way of deliberately separating the phrase from the neighboring predicate, then such a definition is isolated.
Women, with a long rake in his hands, wandering into the field(Turgenev).
In this case, I.S. Turgenev wanted to emphasize that the turnover with a long rake in his hands does not apply to the predicate are wandering, and to the subject women(“women with rakes”, not “walking with rakes”).
4) Isolated inconsistent definitions are synonymous with subordinate clauses.
Wed: Women, with a long rake in his hands, wandering into the field. - Women with rakes in their hands, wandering into the field.
B) Definition expressed by a phrase with the comparative form of an adjective
1. Inconsistent definitions, expressed by a phrase with the form of the comparative degree of the adjective, are usually isolated, since in meaning they are close to a weakened, secondary predicate. Therefore, such definitions can be replaced by a subordinate clause or an independent clause. Such phrases usually appear after the word being defined and have dependent words:
Strength, stronger than his will, threw him out of there(Turgenev). - Wed: This force was stronger than his will. This force threw him out of there.
Often the noun being defined is preceded by another, agreed upon definition. In this case, the definitions have a connotation of explanation (meaning “namely”):
Short beard, slightly darker than hair, slightly shaded the lips and chin(A.K. Tolstoy); Other younger guys, looked at us with delight(Trifonov).
2. A definition with a comparative form of an adjective is not isolated if it is closely related to the noun being defined:
But at other times it wasn’t man is more active than him (Turgenev).
B) Definition expressed by the infinitive form of the verb
1. A definition expressed by an indefinite form of a verb (infinitive) is isolated (using a dash) if it has an explanatory meaning and the words can be placed in front of it, namely . In oral speech, such infinitive definitions are preceded by a pause:
But this lot is beautiful - to shine and die(Bryusov).
2. A definition expressed by an indefinite form of a verb (infinitive) is not isolated if it forms a single phrase together with a noun. Typically, such definitions appear in the middle of a sentence and are pronounced without pauses:
Thought marry Olesya came to my mind more and more often(Kuprin).
Pay attention!
1) Infinitives are highlighted with a dash rather than a comma or colon.
2) If a separate definition, expressed by an infinitive, is in the middle of a sentence, then it is separated by a dash on both sides.
Each of them solved this The question is: should I leave or stay?- for yourself, for your loved ones(Ketlinskaya).
But if, according to the context, there must be a comma after the definition, then the second dash is usually omitted.
Since there was only one choice left - lose the army and Moscow or Moscow alone, then the field marshal had to choose the latter(L. Tolstoy).
A) Definition expressed indirect cases of nouns (usually with prepositions)
1. if they refer to a personal pronoun:
Today she, in the new blue hood , was especially young and impressively beautiful (M. Gorky).
2. Noun definitions are separated, if separated from the defined word by other members of the sentence:
After dessert everyone moved to the buffet, wherein a black dress, with a black mesh on his head , sat Caroline(Goncharov).
3. Noun definitions are separated, if they form a series of homogeneous members with a preceding or subsequent separate agreed definition:
This crowd people colorfully dressed, with tanned faces And with squirrel tails on headdresses , made a strange impression (Arsenyev).
4. if they refer to a proper name, because they complement and clarify the idea of a person or an object.
Sasha Berezhnova, in a silk dress, wearing a cap on the back of his head And in a shawl , sat on the sofa (Goncharov).
5. Noun modifiers are usually isolated, if they refer to a noun that characterizes a person by degree of relationship, position, profession, etc. The noun attribute in this case gives additional characteristics to the person. This definition is often common, that is, it contains dependent words. Quite often there are several such definitions.
Came out majestically mother, in a lilac dress, in lace, with a long string of pearls around the neck (Goncharov).
Pay attention! G
1) When placing punctuation marks, it is very important to correctly determine the type of minor member expressed by the noun, since this can be not only a definition, but also an addition, a circumstance.
Wed:Came out majestically mother, in a lilac dress, in lace. – Mother came outin a lilac dress, in lace.
2) If an inconsistent definition expressed by a noun is isolated, it is distinguished by pauses.
3)
Isolation of inconsistent definitions expressed by a noun is often not mandatory, but optional. If the author wants to give an additional characteristic to a person, if the isolation of the definition serves as a way of deliberately separating the phrase from the neighboring predicate, then such a definition is isolated.
Women, with a long rake in his hands , wandering into the field (Turgenev).
In this case, I.S. Turgenev wanted to emphasize that the turnover with a long rake in his hands does not apply to the predicate are wandering, and to the subject women (“women with rakes”, not “walking with rakes”).
4) Isolated inconsistent definitions are synonymous with subordinate clauses.
Wed: Women, with a long rake in his hands, wandering into the field. – Women with rakes in their hands, wandering into the field.
B) Definition, expressed by a phrase with the comparative form of an adjective
1. Inconsistent definitions, expressed by a phrase with the form of the comparative degree of the adjective, are usually isolated, since in meaning they are close to a weakened, secondary predicate. Therefore, such definitions can be replaced by a subordinate clause or an independent clause. Such phrases usually appear after the word being defined and have dependent words:
Strength, stronger than his will , threw him out of there (Turgenev). –Wed:This force was stronger than his will. This force threw him out of there.
¯ Often the noun being defined is preceded by another, agreed upon definition. In this case, the definitions have a connotation of explanation (meaning “namely”):
Short beard, slightly darker than hair , slightly shaded the lips and chin (A.K. Tolstoy); Other Guys, younger , looked at us with delight.
2. The definition with the form of the comparative degree of the adjective is not isolated, if it is closely related to the defined noun:
But at other times it wasn’t person more active than him (Turgenev).
IN) Definition, expressed by the infinitive form of the verb
1. The definition expressed by the infinitive form of the verb (infinitive) is isolated (using a dash), if it has an explanatory meaning and the words viz. can be placed in front of it. In oral speech, such infinitive definitions are preceded by a pause:
But this one is beautiful lot– brighten Anddie (Bryusov).
2. Definition expressed by the indefinite form of the verb (infinitive), is not isolated if it forms a single phrase together with a noun. Typically, such definitions appear in the middle of a sentence and are pronounced without pauses:
Thought marry Olesya came to my mind more and more often (Kuprin).
Pay attention! G
¯1) Definitions-infinitives highlighted with a dash , not a comma or colon.
2) If a separate definition, expressed by an infinitive, is in the middle of a sentence, then it is separated by a dash on both sides.
Each of them solved this question - leave or stay – for yourself, for your loved ones (Ketlinskaya).
But if, according to the context, there must be a comma after the definition, then the second dash is usually omitted.
Since I was left alone choice – lose the army and Moscow or Moscow alone , then the field marshal had to choose the latter (L. Tolstoy).
Exercises for the topic
"Isolation of agreed definitions"
Exercise 1. Find isolated or non-isolated definitions in the sentences. Emphasize. Add missing punctuation marks.
1. The weather, which had been gloomy since the morning, began to gradually clear up (Arsenyev). 2. He had already opened his mouth and stood up a little from the bench, but suddenly, struck by horror, he closed his eyes and fell off the bench (M. Gorky). 3. Seized by evil despair, I saw around only these waves with whitish manes (M. Gorky). 4. Seized by some vague premonition, Korchagin quickly got dressed and went out into the street (N. Ostrovsky). 5. Meresyev sat silent and anxious (Polevoy). 6. A stoker who looked like a black man passed by and did not close the door near me (Bunin). 7. While the carriage, accompanied by barking, rolls with a roar along the bridges over the ravines, I look at the piles of bricks left from the burnt house and drowned in the weeds and think about what old Kologrivov would do if he saw impudent people jumping around the yard of his estate (Bunin) . 8. Pavel went into her room and sat down tiredly on a chair (Polevoy). 9. The fire of a bomb exploding near him instantly illuminated two people standing above and the white foam of greenish waves cut by the steamer (L. Tolstoy). 10. A heavy roar, unheard of by anyone, shook the air (A.N. Tolstoy). 11. Chichikov only noticed through the thick blanket of pouring rain something similar to a roof (Gogol). 12. The badger, frightened by the noise, rushed to the side and disappeared from sight (Arsenyev).
Exercise 2. Place the missing punctuation marks.
1. The girl picked a twig from a currant bush and, delighted with the aroma of the buds, caught up with her companion and gave him the twig (Prishvin). 2. In the archpriest’s father’s long beard and in his small mustache connecting to the beard at the corners of his mouth, several black hairs flash, giving it the appearance of silver trimmed with niello (Leskov). 3. His eyes are brown, bold and clear (Leskov). 4. The sky is almost not reflected in the water cut by the blows of the oars of steamship propellers by the sharp keels of Turkish feluccas and other ships plowing the narrow harbor in all directions (M. Gorky). 5. A long dam lined with silver poplars closed this pond (Turgenev). 6. She was wearing a white robe stained with blood and a scarf tied tightly to her eyebrows (A.N. Tolstoy). 7. Long, grasping arms raised the pine trees and they are trying to hold on to the clouds (Kuranov). 8. Angry in appearance, he was kind at heart (Fadeev).
9. Energetic, tall, a little angry and mocking, he stands as if rooted to the logs, and in a tense pose, ready to turn the rafts every second, he vigilantly looks ahead (M. Gorky). 10. The blue southern sky, darkened by dust, is cloudy (M. Gorky). 11. Mountains protruded from behind the sea, looking like a flock of clouds, and clouds like snowy mountains swirled behind them (Krymov). 12. The ringing of anchor chains, the roar of coupled cars delivering cargo, the metallic scream of iron sheets falling from somewhere on the stone pavement, the dull knock of wood, the rattling of cab carts, the whistles of steamships, sometimes piercingly sharp, sometimes the dull roaring cries of loaders, sailors and customs soldiers - all these sounds merge into the deafening music of labor of the day (M. Gorky). 13. And the people themselves who originally gave birth to this noise are funny and pitiful: their dusty, tattered, nimble figures, bent under the weight of goods lying on their backs, fussily run here and there in clouds of dust in a sea of heat and sounds, they are insignificant compared to the iron colossuses surrounding them piles of goods, rattling wagons and everything they created (M. Gorky). 14. Long, bony, slightly stooped, he slowly walked along the stones (M. Gorky). 15. He is a very kind person, but with rather strange concepts and habits (Turgenev). 16. But suddenly paying two hundred and three hundred rubles for something even most necessary seemed almost suicide to them (Goncharov). 17. The next day we learned that Soviet intelligence entered the city but, shocked by the monstrous picture of the escape, stopped at the descent to the port and did not open fire (Paustovsky). 18. Obviously, depressed by memories, Arzhanov fell silent for a long time (Sholokhov). 19. He looked around and saw that an overturned truck lying by the road, long since torn apart in parts, was smoking and quickly flaring up (Polevoy). 20. Dawn came, and Kazbek (Zabolotsky), encased in snow with a double-headed fragment of crystal, caught fire. 21. And enclosed in a regular square, he either rushes about and rushes for the fence, or silently flies around the garden (Shefner). 22. I never entered the house, sat on a bench and left unnoticed by anyone (Nikitin). 23. But besides the song, we also had something good, something we loved and, perhaps, replaced the sun for us (M. Gorky). 24. He stood surprised by the unexpected meeting and, also embarrassed, was about to leave (N. Ostrovsky). 25. Soft and silvery, it [the sea] merged there with the blue southern sky and sleeps soundly, reflecting the transparent fabric of cirrus clouds of motionless stars that do not hide the golden patterns of the stars (M. Gorky).
Exercise for the topic
“Isolation of inconsistent definitions”
Exercise 1. Find inconsistent definitions in the sentences. Emphasize. Add missing punctuation marks.
1. One of them was Stolz, the other was his friend, a plump writer with an apathetic face and thoughtful, seemingly sleepy eyes (Goncharov). 2. Blue in the constellations lasts midnight (Lugovskoy). 3. It was Lyoshka Shulepnikov, only very old, wrinkled, with a gray mustache and unlike himself (Trifonov). 4. The desire to talk to his daughter has disappeared (Trifonov). 5. Broad-shouldered, short-legged, wearing heavy boots and a thick caftan the color of road dust, he stood in the middle of the steppe as if carved out of stone (M. Gorky). 6. And all of her in an old tunic with a faded cap on her dark blond smooth hair seemed very tired and tired to Alexei (Polevoy). 7. The next morning, Luzgina, in an elegant silk blue dress with fluffed up combed light brown hair, fresh, ruddy, plump and fragrant with bracelets and rings on her plump hands, hurriedly drank coffee, afraid of being late for the ship (Stanyukovich). 8. The elevator operator at the entrance, gloomy with drooping cheeks, greeted Lyoshka with a nod of his head (Trifonov). 9. Suddenly, an old woman with a cigarette in her mouth came out of a white door with frosted glass (Trifonov). 10. Wearing a white tie, a smart coat wide open with a string of stars and crosses on a gold chain in the loop of his tailcoat, the general was returning from dinner, alone (Turgenev). 11. Elizaveta Kievna with red hands in a man’s dress with a pitiful smile and meek eyes (A.N. Tolstoy) never left my memory. 12. I am surprised that you and your kindness do not feel this (L. Tolstoy). 13. With her defenselessness, she evoked in him a chivalrous feeling of shielding, protecting, protecting (Kataev). 14. Sometimes, in the general harmony of the splash, a raised and playful note is heard - one of the bolder waves crawled closer to us (M. Gorky). 15. Suddenly everyone left work, turned to face us, bowed deeply, and some older peasants greeted their father and me (Aksakov). 16. Older kids were spinning under his arms (Rylenkov). 17. So all I have left is the dubious pleasure of looking out of the window at fishing (Kuprin). 18. She was haunted by a secret dream of going into the partisan underground (Fadeev). 19. Kirill Ivanovich felt a desire to repeat each word several times (M. Gorky). 20. On the bridge, dressed in raincoats with short sou'westers on their heads, stand the captain and the watch officer (Stanyukovich).
REPEAT! LET'S FINISH!
If the main members of the sentence are the basis, then the secondary ones are accuracy, beauty and imagery. Particular attention should be paid to definitions.
Definition as a member of a sentence
The definition refers to a word with an objective meaning and characterizes a sign, quality, property of an object that the word being defined answers the questions: “which?”, “which?”, “which?”, “which?” and their case forms. There are agreed and inconsistent definitions in Russian.
For example, “I loved watching the big beautiful white bird.”
The defined word is “bird”. From him the question is posed: “which one?”
A bird (what?) large, beautiful, white.
Definitions in this sentence characterize an object according to the following characteristics: size, appearance, color.
Definitions "big, beautiful"- agreed upon, and " white"- inconsistent. How do agreed definitions differ from inconsistent ones?
Definitions " big, beautiful" - agreed, they change when the defined word changes, that is, they agree with it in gender, number, case:
- bird (what?) big, beautiful;
- bird (what?) big, beautiful;
- a bird (what kind?) big, beautiful.
Definition "white"- inconsistent. It will not change if you change the main word:
- bird (what?) white;
- birds (what?) are white;
- a bird (what?) is white;
- bird (what?) white;
- about a bird (what?) white.
Therefore, it can be concluded that this is an inconsistent definition. So, we have found out how agreed definitions differ from inconsistent ones. The former change when the main word changes, while the latter do not change.
Inconsistent definitions with the meaning of the material from which the item is made
Inconsistent words are never expressed by adjectives, participles, or harmonized pronouns. They are most often expressed by nouns with and without prepositions and have different meanings of the attribute of the subject. One such meaning is “the material from which the object is made.”
Inconsistent definitions with the meaning of the purpose of the item
Very often it is necessary to indicate why an object exists, then inconsistent definitions are used that mean “the purpose of the object.”
Inconsistent definitions with the meaning of the accompanying subject attribute
If it is said that something is present or something is absent from the subject of speech, then inconsistent definitions with the meaning “accompanying subject attribute” are usually used.
Inconsistent definitions with the meaning of item ownership
Inconsistent definitions are widely used in the language, expressing the belonging of an object or, more precisely, the relationship of an object to another object.
Distinguishing inconsistent definitions and additions
Since inconsistent definitions are expressed by nouns, the problem of distinguishing between definitions and additions arises. Complements are also expressed by nouns in and do not differ formally from inconsistent definitions. It is only possible to distinguish between these minor members from a syntax point of view. It is therefore necessary to consider ways to distinguish between inconsistent definitions and additions.
- Complements refer to verbs, gerunds, participles, and definitions refer to nouns, pronouns indicating the subject.
- For additions we put cases, and for definitions we put the questions “which?”, “whose?”
Inconsistent definitions - pronouns
In such cases, the following questions are posed: “whose?”, “whose?”, “whose?”, “whose?” and their case forms. Let us give examples of inconsistent definitions expressed by possessive pronouns.
IN her a light came on in the window (in whose window?).
His my friend didn’t come (whose friend?).
IN their the garden had the most delicious apples (in whose garden?).
Inconsistent definitions - adjectives in the simple comparative degree
If a sentence contains a simple adjective, then it is an inconsistent definition. It denotes a feature of an object that is expressed to a greater or lesser extent than in some other object. Let us give examples of inconsistent definitions expressed by an adjective in the simple comparative degree.
Grandfather built himself a house better ours.
Society is divided into people smarter me and those who are not interesting to me.
Everyone wants a piece more than others.
Inconsistent definitions - adverbs
Often adverbs act as inconsistent definitions; in such cases they have the meaning of a characteristic in quality, direction, place, method of action. We look at sentences with inconsistent definitions, examples with adverbs.
Let's listen to the opinion of your neighbor (which one?) left.
The closet was small with a door (what kind?) outward.
The room was bright with a window (what kind?) against.
Inconsistent definitions - infinitives
The infinitive can be an inconsistent definition for nouns that have abstract concepts: desire, joy, need and the like. We look at sentences with inconsistent definitions, examples with infinitives.
Everyone would understand my desire (what?) capture these magical pictures.
The need (what kind?) lives ineradicably in the heart. love anyone.
The division will perform a task (what?) take height on the right bank of the Dnieper.
Everyone should experience joy (what kind?) feel yourself as a human being.
She had a habit (what?) talk with someone invisible.
Isolation of inconsistent definitions in the Russian language
Separating inconsistent definitions in writing with commas depends on the position taken and their prevalence. Inconsistent definitions that stand directly behind the word being defined - a common noun - are not prone to isolation.
At the back of the garden there was a long barn (what kind?) from boards.
The old woman served sour cream in a bowl (what kind?) with broken edge.
Girl (what?) in a blue dress stood at the entrance to the park, waiting for someone.
In the park (which one?) with cleanly swept alleys it was empty and boring.
Desire (what?) survive at all costs owned him all the time.
Inconsistent definitions that appear after the main word - a common noun - are isolated only if it is necessary to give it special semantic significance. Let's consider isolated inconsistent definitions (examples).
In the same jacket , from gray wool, she left the room as if the whole year of separation had never happened.
This vase , with a broken neck, I remember from childhood.
If inconsistent definitions appear before the word being defined, they are most often separated. Such definitions acquire an additional circumstantial connotation of meaning.
In a long elegant dress, the sister seemed taller and more mature.
In a long skirt and with bare arms, a girl stands on stage and sings something in a thin voice.
Inconsistent definitions are always isolated if they refer to and to a proper name. Let's consider isolated inconsistent definitions (examples).
She, with braids to the waist, went out into the middle of the room and looked for me with her eyes.
Marya Ivanovna , in a white starched blouse, loudly called the servants and told the girl who came to remove the scattered things.
It (the sun) with red-orange rim, hung very low from the horizon.
Practical task in OGE format
Among the exam tasks there is one that requires knowledge of inconsistent definitions. To complete such a task, you need to find a sentence that has an inconsistent definition. Next is a text with numbered sentences, among which you need to find the one you need.
Example 1: Find a sentence with an inconsistent common definition.
1) The room was quiet, and for a long time neither the boy nor the man broke the silence.
2) After some time, the father suddenly said:
3) Listen, Timur! 4) Do you want me to buy you a dog? 5) Shepherd dog with a black stripe on its back.
Example 2: Find a sentence with an inconsistent isolated definition.
1) Mother stood very close to Nadezhda.
2) She came in from the street.
3) In a raincoat and a white robe, she seemed different to Nadya than she was two months ago.
4) And Nadezhda, not yet coming to her senses, looked at her mother for three seconds, not recognizing her.
5) She saw several new wrinkles spreading from the wings of her nose to the corners of her lips.
6) Only the mother’s gaze remained the same, the same as Nadezhda wore in her heart.
Example 3: Find a sentence with an inconsistent non-isolated definition.
1) She was beaming with joy.
2) Today they called her mother.
3) Didn’t all the neighbors hear this girl with dark hair screaming:
5) The girl understood why her aunt was happy.
6) Only she herself still didn’t understand whether she was calling her.
Answers: 1(5), 2(3), 3(3).
An inconsistent definition often causes punctuation difficulties. The difficulty is that it cannot always be easily distinguished from the agreed one, which will be separated by a comma. It is difficult to find a good text that does not contain these sentence parts, because their use enriches speech. However, agreed and inconsistent definitions, examples of which we present below, are an attribute only of written speech.
The secondary members of the sentence explain the main ones, but can also refer to the same secondary ones. If they complement the grammatical basis, they will be called minor members of the subject or predicate group.
For example:
The high, cloudless sky completely occupied the horizon.
The subject is the sky. Its group: definitions high, cloudless. The predicate - occupied. Its group: complement horizon, circumstance completely.
Definition, addition, circumstance - these are the three minor members of the sentence. To determine which one is used in a sentence, you need to ask a question and determine the part of speech. Thus, complements are most often nouns or pronouns in indirect cases. Definitions - adjectives and parts of speech close to them (pronouns, participles, ordinal numbers, also nouns). Circumstances - adverbs or gerunds, as well as nouns.
Sometimes the secondary term is ambiguous: it answers two questions at the same time. As an example, consider the sentence:
The train to Omsk departed without delay.
The minor term to Omsk can act as a circumstance (train (where?) to Omsk) or as a definition (train (which?) to Omsk).
Another example:
Snow lies on spruce paws.
The secondary member on the paws is both an adverbial (lies (where?) on the paws) and a complement (lies (on what?) on the paws).
What is the definition
Definition - such a minor member of a sentence to which you can ask questions: “Which?”, “Which?”, “Which?”, “Which?”, “Whose?”
There are agreed and inconsistent definitions. The gradation depends on how this member of the sentence is expressed.
The attribute can be an adjective, noun, numeral, pronoun, participle, or even an infinitive. They distribute subject, object and adverbial clauses.
For example:
The last leaves hung on frozen branches.
The definition of latter refers to the subject leaflet; the definition frozen refers to the adverbial adverbial object on the branches.
Sometimes these minor members of a sentence can carry the main semantic load of the subject and be included in its composition.
For example:
A village dweller does not like to go to a stuffy city.
The role of the definition “village” is very interesting here, without which the subject “resident” would have no meaning. That is why it will be part of the main member of the proposal. Thus, in this example the subject is a villager.
Semantic functions of definitions
Both agreed and inconsistent definitions can express the following meanings:
- The quality of the item (a beautiful dress, an interesting book).
- Quality of action (opened door, thinking student).
- Place (forest fire - fire in the forest).
- Time (December holidays - holidays in December).
- Relation to another object (clay vase - vase made of clay).
- Belonging (maternal heart - mother's heart).
Agreed Definition
Agreed definitions can be used in the following parts of speech:
- Adjective (child's toy, deep lake).
- Pronoun (your car, some quantity).
- Communion (meowing kitten, waving flag).
- Numeral (eighteenth fighter, first student).
There is agreement in gender, number and case between this definition and the word to which it refers.
Our majestic history spans twenty centuries.
The following agreed upon definitions are presented here:
· history (whose?) ours - pronoun;
· history (what?) majestic - adjective;
· centuries (how many?) twenty - numeral.
Typically, the agreed definition in a sentence comes before the word it refers to.
Definition inconsistent
Another, more expressive type is inconsistent definition. They can be the following parts of speech:
1. Nouns with or without a preposition.
2. Adjectives in the comparative degree.
3. Infinitive verb.
Let's analyze a sentence with an inconsistent definition:
The meeting with classmates will take place on Friday.
Meeting (what?) with classmates. An inconsistent definition with classmates is expressed by a noun with a preposition.
Next example:
I have never met a friendlier person than you.
The inconsistent definition is expressed by the comparative degree of the adjective: the person (which?) is friendlier.
Let's look at a sentence where the definition is expressed by an infinitive:
I had a wonderful opportunity to come to the seashore every morning.
There was an opportunity (what?) to come - this is an inconsistent definition.
The example sentences discussed above suggest that this type of definition is most often found after the word it refers to.
How to distinguish a consistent definition from an inconsistent one
In order not to get confused about what definition is in the sentence, you can follow the algorithm:
- Find out what part of speech the definition is.
- Look at the type of connection between the definition and the word to which it refers (coordination - agreed definition, control and adjacency - inconsistent definition). Examples: meowing kitten - communication agreement, definition meowing - agreed; box made of wood - communication control, definition of wood inconsistent.
- Pay attention to where the definition is in relation to the main word. The main word is most often preceded by an agreed upon definition, and after that by an inconsistent definition. Examples: meeting (what?) with investors - the definition is inconsistent, it comes after the main word; deep ravine - agreed definition, comes after the main word.
- If the definition is expressed in a stable combination or phraseological turn, it will certainly be inconsistent: she was (what?) neither fish nor fowl. Phraseologism neither fish nor fowl acts as an inconsistent definition.
The table will help to distinguish between consistent and inconsistent definitions.
Parameter | Agreed | Inconsistent |
What is expressed | 1. Adjective. 2. Pronoun. 3. Communion. 4. Numeral. | 1. Noun with or without preposition. 2. Infinitive. 3. Adverb. 4. Comparative adjective. 5. Pronoun. 6. Indivisible combination, phraseological unit. |
Type of communication | Agreement in gender, number and case | 1. Management. 2. Adjacency. |
Position | Before the main word | After the main word |
The concept of separation
Situations often arise when a sentence contains separate agreed and inconsistent definitions that require highlighting with appropriate punctuation marks (commas or dashes). Separation always implies two identical punctuation marks; it should not be confused, for example, with commas for homogeneous terms, where single commas are used. In addition, the use of two different signs when isolating is a gross mistake, which indicates a lack of understanding of this linguistic phenomenon.
Separating agreed definitions with commas is a more common phenomenon than isolating inconsistent ones. To determine whether a comma is necessary, you need to pay attention to two aspects:
- The position of a separate definition in relation to the word being defined.
- How are the members of the sentence involved in isolation expressed (the actual definition and the word being defined): history (what?) majestic - adjective; centuries (how many?) twenty - numeral.
Separating agreed definitions
If the agreed definition comes after the word being defined, it must be separated by commas if:
- It is a participial phrase. For example: A basket of mushrooms, collected the day before, stood in the cellar. Here, the isolated definition collected the day before is a participial phrase, which is found after the word being defined, basket.
- It is an adjective with dependent words. For example: Through the glass, crystal clear, everything that was happening in the yard was visible. Here the definition of crystal clear is an adjective (pure) and its dependent word (crystal). It is necessary to put commas, because this phrase is located after the word glass, which is defined.
- Definitions must be separated if there is another definition before the word being defined. For example: Autumn days, bright and sunny, soon faded away. The definition of autumn is located before the word days; accordingly, the definition of bright and sunny must be separated by commas.
- Definitions are not common and are found in the sentence after the word being defined. For example: The southern night, black and warm, was full of mysterious sounds. The definitions black and warm are two uncommon adjectives connected by the conjunction and. There may be this option: The southern night, black, warm, was full of mysterious sounds. In this example, there is no conjunction, but the definition is still isolated.
In the latter case, you need to be more careful, because there are situations when the definition is closely related in meaning to the word it refers to, so there is no need to separate it with commas. For example:
In a country far from your home, you feel loneliness in a special way.
The definition of far from home should not be separated by commas, because without it the meaning of the sentence is unclear.
The isolation of the agreed definition located before the word being defined is necessary if it has the meaning of reason or concession. For example:
Exhausted by the difficult trek, the tourists were glad to set up camp.
In this case, the definition of “exhausted by a long march” is isolated because it is used in the meaning of a reason: since the tourists were exhausted by the difficult trek, they were glad to set up camp. Another example:
Not yet greened, the trees are elegant and festive.
Here the definition of not yet greened has a concession meaning: despite the fact that the trees have not yet greened up, they are elegant and festive.
Separating inconsistent definitions
Isolated, inconsistent definitions are quite rare. Usually they are paired with matched ones. Thus, isolated inconsistent definitions are usually used after the word being defined and are associated with the agreed connection.
For example:
This coat, new, ribbed, suited Natasha very well.
In this example, the inconsistent ribbed definition is related to the agreed upon new one, so it must be separated.
Here is another sentence with a separate, inconsistent definition:
Quite by chance we met Andrey, covered in dust and tired.
In this case, the inconsistent definition in the dust is associated with the agreed upon tired, so commas are required.
It is not necessary to separate with commas the cases when there are separate inconsistent definitions before the agreed one. Examples:
From a distance we saw sailors in ironed uniforms, happy and satisfied.
In this case, there is no need to isolate the inconsistent definition in a smoothed form, because after it there are agreed ones: happy, satisfied.
In classical literature one can find both non-isolated and isolated inconsistent definitions. Examples:
Two stearine candles, in traveling silver chandeliers, burned in front of him. (Turgenev I.S.) and Three soldiers in greatcoats, with guns on their shoulders, walked in step to take their shift to the company box (Tolstoy L.N.).
In the sentence from Turgenev's work, the inconsistent definition in traveling silver chandeliers is isolated, but the sentence of the same construction by Tolstoy is not. In the latter there are no punctuation marks for definitions in greatcoats, with guns.
As a rule, inconsistent definitions related to the predicate group are not isolated. Let's look at the last example: they walked (how? in what?) with guns, in greatcoats.
Application as a special type of definition
A special type of definition is application. It is always expressed by a noun. A distinction must be made between applications and inconsistent definitions. The latter are associated with the defined word by control, while between the application and the main word there is agreement.
For example, let's compare two sentences:
1. You, as the chief engineer, must oversee this project.
2. This woman in a white robe made the guys murmur.
In the first case, we have an engineer application. Let's prove this by bending the main thing and the definition of the word. You are an engineer - you are an engineer - you are an engineer - you are an engineer, etc. Between the words, the connection of agreement is clearly visible, accordingly, we have an application in front of us. Let's try to do the same with the definition from the second sentence. A woman in a white coat - women in a white coat - a woman in a white coat. Communication is management, so we see an inconsistent definition here.
In addition, the application simply names the object differently, while the inconsistent definition is some kind of attribute of it.
Segregation of applications
A single application is usually hyphenated: sister-mistress, lord commander. In certain cases, the application will be separated. Let's sort them out.
The application that refers to the personal pronoun is isolated. Examples:
1. Should she, an excellent student, take care of the test?
Here the application to the excellent student refers to the pronoun she.
2. Here it is, the reason.
We separate the application reason because it refers to the pronoun she.
A common application is isolated if it is located after the word being defined. Examples:
1. The brave captain, the thunder of the seas, easily navigated any reefs.
The application thunderstorm of the seas is a common one (thunderstorm of (what?) seas), so you need to separate it with commas.
2. The girl, everyone’s favorite, received the best gift.
The application everyone's favorite is used after the defined word girl.
Applications with the meaning of reason, concession, clarification are isolated (with it there is a conjunction like). Example:
You, as an investor, can control the work of employees. - You can control the work of subordinates because you are an investor (meaning of reason).
Here you need to be careful, because the application with the union as in the meaning “as” is not isolated. For example:
As a school subject, mathematics develops logical thinking well. - As a school discipline, mathematics develops logical thinking well. There is no need for separation.
If a separate application is at the end of a sentence, it can be highlighted with a dash. For example:
The other sisters, Elizaveta and Sophia, are also similar.
The application Elizaveta and Sophia is at the end of the sentence, so it is separated by a dash.
