Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

soft drinks

сaлa´т столи´чный

‘capital-city salad’

Note:

predicative adjectives, on the other hand, generally follow the noun irrespective of whether they are long or short, e.g. Кни´гa интeрe´снa, The book is interesting ; зaдa´чa былa´ тру´днaя, The task was a difficult one .

r Adverbs tend immediately to precede the verb they modify, e.g.

Bсeгдa´сияéт со´лнцe.

The sun always shines .

Oн eщёспит.

He’s still asleep .

Oнa´ хорошо´вы´глядит.

She looks good .

и´скрeнноблaгодaрю´ вaс.

I sincerely thank you .

Note 1

Adverbs indicating language used, on the other hand, follow the verb, e.g.

Oнa´ говори´т по-ру´сски, She speaks Russian .

2

Certain adverbs which are used with a limited number of verbs and most of which are derived from nouns also generally follow the verb, e.g. идти´

пeшко´м, to go on foot ; ходи´ть босико´м, to go about barefoot .

(d)

In expressive registers, e.g. R1, R3c and the language of belles-lettres, emphasis or emotive effect is achieved by infringement of the rules

given above. Consider the following examples which all embody some

departure from neutral word order as it has been described in the

preceding paragraphs:

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11

Syntax

Был ондо´брый мa´лый.

He was a nice fellow .

Pомa´нычитaéтe?

Do you read novels ? (as opposed to

e.g. plays)

Простоя´ли мычaс в о´чeрeди.

We stood in the queue for an hour .

Bсe смeя´тьсястa´ли.

Everybody started laughing .

Oнa´ плa´вaтьо´чeнь лю´бит.

She likes swimming very much .

Paбо´тaтьну´жно.

One must work .

Я вaм рaсскaжуáнeкдо´т

I’ll tell you a funny story .

смeшно´й.

Поэ´т зeмли´ ру´сской.

A poet of the Russian land . (rhet;

e.g. in newspaper headline)

B стeпи´ глухо´й.

Deep in the steppe . (poet; e.g. in

folk song)

Пeчa´льноэ´то мe´сто в

This place is miserable on a rainy day .

дождли´вый дeнь.

11.15

Punctuation

Russian usage with regard to punctuation differs significantly from

English usage, and since Russian usage is also more rigid the student aiming for a high degree of accuracy in the language needs to pay

some attention to the Russian rules in this area.

r The full stop ( то´чкa), the question mark ( вопроси´тeльный знaк) and the semi-colon ( то´чкa с зaпято´й), broadly speaking, are used as in English, to mark, respectively: the end of a sentence, the end of a

question, and a division within a sentence that is more marked than

that indicated by a comma.

r The colon ( двоeто´чиe) too is used in a similar way in both English and Russian, i.e. it may introduce:

(a)

a clause that explains or expands on the preceding clause, e.g.

Oнa´ опоздa´лa нa лe´кцию :поéзд, нa кото´ром онaé´хaлa, был

зaдe´ржaн.

She was late for the lecture: the train she was travelling on was delayed .

(b)

direct or reported speech, e.g.

Oн провёл руко´й по лбу :

– Heт, я нe бу´ду.

He passed his hand over his brow. ‘No, I’m not going to.’

Bce скaзa´ли одно´ и то жe :что´бы я рaбо´тaл(a) побо´льшe.

Everybody said the same thing: that I should work a bit harder .

(c)

a list, e.g.

Bырa´щивaeм вся´кого ро´дa о´вощи нa огоро´дe :кaрто´фeль, морко´вь, лук, кaпу´сту . . .

We grow all sorts of vegetables on the allotment: potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbages . . .

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11.15

Punctuation

(d)

a quotation, e.g.

Mо´жeт быть, по´мнишь словa´ Пу´шкинa :‘Beснa´, вeснa´, порa´

любви´!’

Perhaps you remember Pushkin’s words: ‘Spring, spring, the time of love!’

However, the remaining punctuation marks used in English (the

comma, the dash, the exclamation mark, quotation marks, brackets,

omission dots) require more attention.

r Comma ( зaпятa´я): this is used in Russian to serve many of the purposes of the comma in English, for example to indicate minor

pauses as in lists, to separate adjectives qualifying the same noun or adverbs modifying the same verb, after дaand нeт, and so forth, e.g.

Oнa´ говори´т по-ру´сски ,по-по´льски ,по-нeмe´цки и по-дa´тски.

She speaks Russian, Polish, German and Danish .

Э

´то до´брый ,вeсёлый ,у´мный чeловe´к.

He’s a kind, cheerful, intelligent man .

– Bы умeéтe плa´вaть?

– дa ,умe´ю.

‘Can you swim?’ ‘Yes, I сan.’

However, use of the comma is also obligatory in Russian in the

following circumstances in which its use may be optional in English or in which English usage tends to be lax:

(a)

to separate clauses linked by coordinating conjunctions, e.g.

Ca´шa гимнa´ст, a Пe´тя штaнги´ст.

Sasha’s a gymnast and Petia’s a weight-lifter .

Note:

when the conjunction is и, a comma is not used if the subject of the verb in the two clauses is the same, e.g. Oнa´ лeглa´ нa дивa´н изaсну´лa, She lay down on the sofa and went to sleep .

(b)

to mark the division (or divisions) between a main clause and any

subordinate or relative clauses, e.g.

Oн скaзa´л ,что э´того нe зaбу´дeт.

He said he would not forget this .

Э

´то бы´ло двa го´дa тому´ нaзa´д ,когдa´ я рaбо´тaл(a) в Mосквe´.

It was two years ago, when I was working in Moscow .

Гости´ницa ,в кото´рой мы остaнa´вливaлись ,былa´ построéнa в

про´шлом году´.

The hotel in which we were staying was built last year .

(c)

to mark off any phrases containing gerunds or participles, e.g.

Haчa´в читa´ть ,я срa´зу по´нял(a´) знaчe´ниe э´того докумe´нтa.

Having begun to read, I at once realised the importance of this document .

лю´ди ,нося´щиe одно´ и то жe и´мя ,нaзывa´ются «тёзкaми».