Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

People who have the same name are called namesakes .

429

11

Syntax

(d)

to mark off any parenthetical words, e.g.

Mой брaт ,нaвe´рноe ,стa´нeт врaчо´м.

Mу brother’ll probably be a doctor .

Я всё могу´ прости´ть лю´дям ,дa´жe прeдa´тeльство ,тaк кaк считa´ю

э´то слa´бостью.

I can forgive people anything, even treachery, because I consider it a weakness .

(e)

to mark off any comparative phrases, e.g.

Oн говори´т быстрeé ,чeм я.

He speaks more quickly than I do .

r Dash ( тирe´[э´]; indecl): this punctuation mark, which may be longer than an English dash, has several important uses, e.g.

(a)

to indicate some sort of omission, either of a copula (as is the case when it is necessary to render in Russian the English verb to be in the present tense) or of some part of an utterance expressed elliptically, e.g.

Mой брaт –студe´нт.

My brother is a student .

Ceрёжa –к воро´тaм, но вдруг из до´мa послы´шaлся крик.

Seriozha was off towards the gate, but suddenly from the house there came a shout .

Note:

the dash is not normally used to indicate a missing copula when the subject is a pronoun, e.g. Oн студe´нт, He is a student .

(b)

to introduce direct speech, and (if the verb that indicates that direct speech is being reproduced follows the speech itself ) to close that speech, e.g.

Oн спроси´л:

–Cко´лько про´сишь?

ди´мa нaзвa´л цe´ну. –Oго´! –вы´пучил он глaзa´. –Teбe´ повeзёт, e´сли

нaйдёшь дурaкa´ нa тaку´ю цe´ну.

He asked:

‘How much are you asking?’

Dima named his price .

‘Oho!’ he opened his eyes wide. ‘You’ll be lucky if you find a fool prepared to pay that.’

Note:

the direct speech introduced by the dash must begin on a fresh line.

(c)

to draw attention to something unexpected, to mark a syntactic

change of direction, or to give a sense of energy to an utterance, e.g.

Я ожидa´л(a), что они´ приглaся´т мeня´ –a они´ нe приглaшa´ли.

I expected them to invite me – but they haven’t .

и´рe нe приноси´ли посы´лок –то´лько пи´сьмa шли в eё a´дрeс.

They didn’t bring any parcels to Ira; she was just sent letters .

Бeзрaбо´тицa –э´то сa´мaя о´стрaя проблe´мa, стоя´щaя пe´рeд

прaви´тeльством.

Unemployment is the most serious problem facing the government .

430

11.15

Punctuation

(d)

a pair of dashes may mark off a parenthetical remark in a more

emphatic way than a pair of commas, e.g.

Cлeды´ э´того пeри´одa eё жи´зни –болe´знь, прeждeврe´мeннaя

cтa´рость –остa´лись у нeё нaвсeгдa´.

The traces of this period of her life – illness and premature old age – remained with her for ever .

r Exclamation mark ( восклицa´тeльный знaк): this tends to be used more widely than in English. It is placed, for example, after

instructions expressed by some part of speech other than an imperative and after greetings (7.6), congratulations and wishes (7.8–7.9) and forms of address at the beginning of letters (7.17), as well as after interjections (see 5.5) and other phrases that would be followed by an exclamation mark in English too, e.g.

здрa´вствуйтe!

Hello .

Cпоко´йной но´чи!

Good night .

C днём рождe´ния!

Haрру birthday .

дорогa´я ири´нa!

Dear Irina ,

Mногоувaжaéмый Hиколa´й

Dear Nikolai Petrovich ,

Пeтро´вич!

тсс!

Hush!

r Quotation marks ( кaвы´чки) of the sort used in English ( ‘ ’or “ ”) are now appearing in Russian as a result of the widespread introduction of personal computers. Guillemets (« ») are also used to enclose titles, quotations, unusual words, e.g.

Я читa´ю «Прeступлe´ниe и

I am reading ‘Crime and

нaкaзa´ниe».

Punishment’ .

что тaкоé ‘тaйгa´’?

What is ‘taiga’?

Note:

quotation marks may also be used as an alternative to a dash as an introduction to direct speech if the verb which indicates that direct speech is being reproduced precedes the speech itself, e.g. Го´ркa пи´сeм нaрaстaéт, кто´-то

сe´рдится – ‘вы мнe нe отвe´тили!’, The pile of letters grows and somebody gets angry: ‘You haven’t replied to me!’

r Brackets ( ско´бки): these indicate a parenthesis that is more strongly marked off from the surrounding material than a parenthesis that is

marked off by commas or dashes.

r Omission dots ( многото´чиe): these are quite widely used in Russian to indicate that a thought is incomplete or that speech is hasty or

awkward, e.g.

Oн . . . вы нe ду´мaeтe . . . он

He . . . you don’t think . . . He’s not a

нe вор . . .

thief . . .

Note:

since this is an expressive device it is unlikely to be encountered in R3a or R3b. In the written form of the colloquial language and in the language of the internet, on the other hand, it will occur frequently.

431

11

Syntax

11.16

Use of capital letters

Capital letters are used much more sparingly in Russian than in

English. In particular the foreign student should note that:

r capital letters are not used in Russian at the beginning of words

naming days of the week or months of the year, or indicating

nationality or religion, place of origin or language, e.g.

понeдe´льник

Monday

янвa´рь(m)

January

aнгличa´нин

Englishman

мусульмa´нин

Moslem

москви´ч

Muscovite

ру´сский язы´к

Russian (language )

r in titles of organisations, institutions, posts, journals, newspapers, books and so forth, it is usual for only the first word in the title to begin with a capital letter (cf. the English practice of beginning each noun and adjective with a capital), e.g.

Eвропe´йский сою´з

the European Union

ло´ндонский унивeрситe´т

the University of London

Mини´стр оборо´ны