Clarifying phrase examples. Sentences with clarifying isolated members

In a simple sentence, members of the sentence with meaning are distinguished by intonation and meaning clarifications, clarifications and additions. In general, they have the function of additional messages.

In sentences with clarifying, explanatory and connecting members, the following punctuation marks are used: comma, dash.

A) Clarifying members of the sentence

When clarifying, they differentiate clarifying And to be specified members of the proposal. Those members of a sentence that clarify other, clarifying members are called clarifying.

Words and phrases that clarify the meaning of the preceding words are isolated (separated by a comma at the beginning and at the end of the sentence and highlighted on both sides in the middle of the sentence).

In relation to the specified members, clarifying members serve as names that are more specific in meaning, since they narrow the concept conveyed by the specified (main) member of the sentence, or in some way limit it. Thus, the members being specified and specifying are correlated as general and particular, broad and specific, generic and specific, and the specifying member of the sentence follows the specified one (and not vice versa!).

Wed: Tomorrow ,(when exactly?) at six o'clock in the evening, a meeting of members of the cooperative will take place. - At six o'clock in the evening there will be a meeting of members of the cooperative.

All members of the proposal can be specified.

1. Most often specified circumstances of place and time, since they can be designated very generally and vaguely ( there, there, from there; everywhere, everywhere; then, then and etc.). It is the clarifying term that gives specificity:

There ,(where exactly?) on the horizon, a pale pink strip of light glowed(M. Gorky); Now,(when exactly?) after the flood, it was a river six fathoms(Chekhov).

Sometimes the relationship between broader and narrower concepts can be dictated only by a given context:

Tonight Yegor Ivanovich and I are going to Petrograd,(where exactly? / to whom exactly?) to Masha (A.N. Tolstoy).

Often, clarifying circumstances of a place form a chain, line up in a row:

Ahead,(where exactly?) far away, (where exactly?) on the other side of the foggy sea, prominent wooded hills were visible(L. Tolstoy).

2. Can be specified other circumstances, if they have a broader meaning than the clarifying one:

He shook his curls and self-confidently,(how exactly?) almost defiantly, looked up at the sky(Turgenev); He was careful(how exactly? / to what extent exactly?) until the pink gloss on the cheeks, shaved(Antonov).

Note!

1) Sometimes a series of circumstances may be devoid of a clarifying shade of meaning and be perceived (in this context!) as different sides of one phenomenon, without semantic subordination.

Several people are walking through the snow across the street to the house (Bykov).

If you put commas between the circumstances, then the relationship between them will become somewhat different: each subsequent one will be logically highlighted, perceived as subordinate to the previous one, which will enhance the impression of tension and even danger of the moment being described.

Wed: Several people are walking in the snow, across the street, into the house.

Pay attention to how the intonation changes!

2) Depending on the meaning, the same words can be considered as clarifying or not as specifying circumstances. Compare the sentences given in pairs:

Far in the forest the blows of an ax were heard(the listener is also in the forest). - Far , In the woods, blows of an ax were heard(the listener is outside the forest).

The children settled down in a clearing between the bushes (the clearing is surrounded by bushes, but there are no bushes in the clearing itself). - The children settled down in the clearing, between the bushes (the bushes are located in the clearing itself).

3) If, in the presence of two circumstances of time, the second of them does not serve to limit the concept expressed by the first, then it is not clarifying and a comma is not placed between them.

In 1961, 12th of April, man flew into space for the first time. - On April 12, 1961, man flew into space for the first time.

3. May be specified agreed definitions with the meaning of color, size, age, etc.:

Another ,(which one exactly?) last thing, a legend - and my chronicle is finished(Pushkin); Here and there women peeked out,(which ones exactly?) mostly old ladies, heads(Turgenev).

Clarifying definitions can specify the general meaning of pronouns this, this, each, one(not in the meaning of a numeral, but in the meaning of a pronoun), etc.:

Chichikov was a little puzzled by this,(which one exactly?) partly sharp, definition (Gogol); Not a single trace, neither of the sled, nor of the human, nor of the animal, was visible (L. Tolstoy); I wanted to distinguish myself before this, (how exactly?) dear to me, man (M. Gorky).

Note!

1) The isolation of clarifying agreed definitions is a rather rare phenomenon and largely depends on the will of the writer. Typically, definitions with a clarifying meaning are considered homogeneous, that is, a comma is placed not on both sides, but on one side - between the definitions.

With quick steps I walked through a long “square” of bushes, climbed a hill and... saw completely different, strangers there's room for me(Turgenev).

2) Clarifying definitions can be added through subordinating conjunctions.

Irresistible, albeit quiet, the power carried me away(Turgenev); You can't kill yourself like that over something simple, albeit so expensive, suit(Savelyev).

But if the definition attached by a subordinating conjunction is homogeneous in relation to the previous one and does not have the nature of clarification (semantic and intonation!), then a comma is not placed after it.

Received important although not final intelligence.

4. More often, in comparison with agreed upon definitions, clarifying ones are isolated inconsistent definitions:

The boat was moving, all the time moving in black,(which one?) almost inky color, shadows cast by high coastal cliffs(Simonov); It was a young man of short stature, with an inconspicuous mustache, in a simple,(which one?) striped shirt(Soloukhin); A young woman came in(which exactly?) seventeen years old, girl(Kuprin); Gavrik examined the little schoolboy in a long,(which one?) to toe, overcoat(Kataev).

5. Words give a clarifying character to the statement more precisely, more precisely, differently etc., however, the members of the sentence following them are not isolated, since the specified words, which have the meaning of introductory ( more precisely, more accurately, otherwise, rather are equivalent in meaning to the phrases “more precisely,” “in other words,” etc.), themselves separated by commas:

His kindness, or rather his generosity, touched me(in this example, the predicate agrees with the word closest to it, from which it cannot be separated by a comma); Quite recently, more precisely, an article of similar content was published in the last issue of the magazine; The data given in the report should be supplemented, or rather clarified.

The words moreover can act as clarifying words. They are separated by commas, while the definition that follows them is not:

It would be stupidity, nay, madness, to miss such an opportunity; He deeply respected his friend, moreover, he admired him.

Note!

The word is rather not separated by commas if used in the following meanings:

A)“better”, “more willing”:

b)"it's better to say":

Pavel Petrovich slowly walked back and forth in the dining room..., uttering some remark or rather an exclamation, like “ah! hey! hm!”(Turgenev); He was not surprised, but rather pleased by this question.

Note. Clarifying parts of a sentence are usually separated by commas. However, it is also possible to set such a sign as dash.

A dash is usually placed in the following cases:

a) in clarifying circumstances, if not only the clarifying, but also the insertive nature of the circumstances is emphasized, for example: The rooks screamed across the river in the branches, and everywhere - in the bushes and grass- the birds sang and chirped(A.N. Tolstoy);

b) when emphasizing the sequence of clarification and correlation of clarifying and clarifying members, for example: He got a job in a mine, part-time- After school(Baruzdin). Here is the circumstance to the mine is explained by the entire following construction part-time - after school, and this construction has its own clarification After school, separated by a dash. Using a comma instead of a dash in this context is impossible, since a comma would distort the meaning, equalizing the positions of all three circumstances (cf.: to the mine, part-time, after school). And the dash emphasizes that the circumstances are unequally related to each other;

c) when specifying the nominal part of the predicate (cf.: The snow here was shallow - ankle-deep ).

B) Explanatory members of the sentence

Explanatory members of a sentence explain the meaning of the preceding members of the sentence. Explanatory and explanatory terms in principle denote identical concepts.

Difference between clarifying And explanatory members of the sentence is that clarification is a transition from a broader concept to a narrower one, and clarification is the designation of the same concept in other words.

Thus, explanatory terms are second names in relation to the first ones, expressing for various reasons this or that concept is not sufficiently defined and understandable:

Especially for us, Russians, conciseness should be close and precious.(Chernyshevsky); He imagined his home - six large rooms (M. Gorky); Sometimes you want to do something - read(Gogol).

1. The explanatory part of the sentence is preceded by the words exactly, namely, that is, that is:

She was brought up in the antique way, that is, surrounded by mothers, nannies, girlfriends and hay girls (Pushkin); We rode on our horses in leather, that is, in a mat-covered runner (Aksakov); While, exactly a year ago, I also collaborated on magazines(Dostoevsky); The third day that is, that week, I tell the elder...(Sleptsov).

If there are no words in a sentence exactly, namely, that is these words can be inserted:

Grandfather Semyon had his own golden and unfulfilled dream - to become a carpenter(Paustovsky); He always wanted one thing with all the strength of his soul - be quite good (L. Tolstoy).

Note!

1) In the absence of explanatory conjunctions that is, exactly, namely and if there is an explanation, emphasis is usually placed using a dash rather than a comma.

There was only one conversation - about the weather; His profession was the most peaceful - a teacher.

2) There is a colon in the explanatory part of the sentence. Usually a colon is added to avoid two dashes.

Another way has been suggested: use of some types of marine plants- algae, rich in many valuable substances.

2. Explanatory members of a sentence can be joined by a conjunction or (meaning “that is”):

Note!

The conjunction or can have a disjunctive meaning (“either this or that”). In this case, he connects homogeneous terms, and a comma is not placed between them. If the conjunction or can be replaced by the conjunction that is, then it has explanatory meaning. In this case, the explanatory phrase is separated by commas.

Wed: From the forest ravine came the singing of a nightingale or goldfinch. - From the forest ravine came the cooing of wild pigeons, or turtle doves(Aksakov); It was decided to decorate the house with a balcony or mezzanine. - Around the entire building there is a vast stone balcony, or veranda, where the owners of the barracks lazily doze in bamboo chairs(Goncharov).

Note. Definitions that are explanatory in nature (they can be preceded by the words namely, that is), are separated by a comma from the word being explained, but a comma is usually not placed after them, for example: Thick firebrands stuck out, the remains of the former, burnt-out bathhouse; The next, sixth volume of the subscription edition will arrive in the store in a few days; He spoke in a completely different, serious tone; The fourth and final part of the novel will end with an epilogue.

B) Connecting members of the sentence

The connecting members of the sentence convey additional information, explanations or comments that arose along the way in connection with the content of the main statement. The connecting parts of the sentence are separated by commas, less often - by a dash:

The reflection of light struck, shaking impetuously, in all directions, especially from above(Turgenev); Every river, even a small one, has merit on earth(Peskov).

1. The connecting members of a sentence may have special connecting words: even, especially, especially, for example, mainly, in particular, including, moreover, and moreover, moreover, and(meaning “and moreover”), yes, yes and, yes and in general, yes and only and etc.:

In an imperceptible way I became attached to a kind family, even to a crooked garrison lieutenant(Pushkin); There will be a bath for you now, and with your mistress(Pushkin); At night, especially in the heat,... it was scary in the house (Bunin); Some Cossacks including Lukashka, stood up and stretched out (L. Tolstoy); The new manager paid most attention to the formal side of the matter, in particular on clerical details(Mamin-Sibiryak); Three people in Zarechye, including Sima Devushkin, made bird cages and cages (M. Gorky).

Such members of the sentence can be easily separated from the rest of the sentence and, to enhance their distinctive role, put a dot instead of a comma.

Wed: You have solid work experience, moreover, in the field of restructuring and searches for new forms (Belyaev). - Among other telegrams there will be his. And the most unusual (Lapin); All things, especially tree branches and building corners, stood out in amazing relief against the dark pink darkening sky(Kuprin). - Many writers have possessed this ability to create an excellent oral story based on true facts. Especially Mark Twain (Paustovsky); It was very warm, even hot(Chakovsky). - The mechanisms in dolls are usually very primitive. Even in the most expensive and beautiful (Dementiev).

Note!

1) If the connecting member of a sentence begins with an introductory word ( for example, in particular etc.), then a comma is not placed after the introductory word.

The fastest ripening mushrooms for example, birch and russula, reach full development in three days(Aksakov).

2) You should not mix punctuation with connecting conjunctions and connecting conjunctions and, yes, connecting homogeneous members of a sentence. In the first case, a comma is placed before the conjunction, in the second, no sign is required before the non-repeating conjunction.

Wed: The author submitted the article, and in a timely manner (And- connecting conjunction). - The author presented the article in a revised form and in a timely manner (And- connecting conjunction); The work could have been done a long time ago, and even better. - The work could have been done faster and even better.

3) A comma is not placed before a conjunction and even in the following cases:

A) if it is used in a connecting meaning.

So he went into the forest to hunt for nuts and got lost(Turgenev);

b) in combinations like took and said (with the same form of the verb take and another verb to indicate unexpected or arbitrary action):

They lived a year in perfect harmony, and the next year she take it and die (Uspensky);

V) in combination no-no yes and:

...No, no, yes, he will remember her[mother], will write a letter(Gladkov).

2. Sometimes connectors can be included in a sentence without conjunctions (note the long pause that accompanies the connector):

Quite late another guest appeared, in a tailcoat...(Herzen); At night I stand at the gun, the orderly(Kataev).

Often a dash is used instead of a comma:

We went to the Caucasus - to the sun, to the sea, to the picturesque mountains; He remained the same as before - calm, hardworking, modest.

3. Punctuation distinguishes not only the connecting members of the sentence, but also the connecting clauses:

No, I him[brownie] haven't seen yeah you can't even see him (Turgenev); I walked in some kind of intoxication, yes and there was a reason (Garshin); I took it into my head to turn under the shed where our horses stood to see if they had food, and besides, caution never hurts (Lermontov).

D) Separate revolutions with the meaning of inclusion, exclusion and substitution

Clarifying, explanatory and connecting constructions are accompanied by separate phrases with the meaning of inclusion, exclusion and substitution. Such phrases consist of nouns (with or without dependent words) with prepositions and prepositional combinations except, instead of, besides, over, along with, except for, including, excluding and etc.:

instead of hard work; with the exception of three people; except three people; along with obvious successes.

Revolutions denote objects included in a homogeneous series or, conversely, excluded from such a series, or objects that replace others.

In writing, phrases with the meaning of inclusion, exclusion, substitution can be separated:

The crowd dispersed except for a few curious people and boys, and Gavrila returned home(Turgenev). Beyond all expectations, my grandmother gave me several books(Aksakov).

It should be remembered that highlighting such turns is not mandatory! They can be isolated depending on the semantic load, position in the sentence, degree of prevalence, etc., that is, if the author wants to highlight such phrases in meaning and intonation:

At the outpost, instead of a sentry, there was a collapsed booth(Pushkin). - Instead of an answer, Kirila Petrovich was given a letter(Pushkin).

Note!

1) In this kind of turn of phrase excluding, including are prepositions, not gerunds.

2) If an isolated member of a sentence is in the middle of a sentence, then it is isolated on both sides.

3) The preposition except can have the meaning of inclusion and exclusion.

Wed: Besides the big house in Zamoskvorechye, nothing reminded of the night battle(Leonov) is an exception (only the big house reminded of the fight); Except the city of Okurova, on the plain there is a small village of Voevodino(M. Gorky) - inclusion (on the plain there were both the city of Okurov and the village of Voevodino).

Typically, turns are isolated regardless of the shades of meaning. However, uncommon phrases with except in the meaning of inclusion may not be isolated (this is how their inclusion in a homogeneous series of objects is emphasized).

Wed: In addition to books, there were notebooks and pencils on the table.(inclusion). - There was nothing on the table except books(exception).

Recently, there has been a tendency to highlight revolutions with except, regardless of the shades of meaning. This happens especially often:

A) in the presence of negative pronouns nobody, nothing and interrogative pronouns who, what:

I couldn't discern anything except for the muddy twisting of the blizzard (Pushkin);

b) if there is a combination in circulation except:

We are evil to no one, except for bears, we don't(Markov).

Please note that the phrase besides in the meaning “besides” is an introductory word, therefore it is always isolated in writing.

4) Phrases with the preposition instead also differ in meaning. If they have a substitution value, then a comma is usually added.

Instead of bare cliffs, I saw green mountains and fruitful trees near me(Pushkin).

If instead is used to mean “instead”, “for”, then a comma is usually not placed.

He got into the car instead of the driver.

May 8, 2013

Two branches of the science of language - syntax and punctuation - are always studied together. Simple cases of comma placement, for example, the obligatory comma before the coordinating conjunctions A and BUT, usually do not cause difficulties. But to isolate the minor members of a sentence, knowledge of the basics of syntax is necessary.

Under a number of conditions, minor terms can be separated by commas on both sides, including circumstance.

The adverbial adverb in a sentence answers the questions of adverbs, since it denotes a sign of an action or, much less often, a sign of a characteristic. Nevertheless, not only an adverb, but also any independent part of speech can act as a circumstance.

The isolation of circumstances expressed by a participial phrase or a single participle, although it has its own subtleties, is easily learned by schoolchildren. The presence of a gerund in a sentence is a kind of signal for the use of a comma.

Another thing is a clarifying circumstance. Examples of this kind are more difficult to detect: they are not so obvious.

What is a qualifying circumstance?

Clarifying members, as is already clear from the term itself, clarify the information contained in the sentence:

All my childhood friends, (who exactly?) especially Mikhail, are very dear to me.

Dark, (what exactly?) almost coal-black eyes stood out on his pale face.

A little girl ran into the room, (which one specifically?) no older than our son.

Clarification is always separated by either commas or dashes.

A separate qualifying circumstance in most cases specifies the time and place of action.

If we have a clarifying circumstance of time, then the sentence, in addition to it, should contain generalized information about when the action is performed:

We left late in the evening, (when exactly?) at eleven o'clock.

At the end of August, (when exactly?) on the twenty-fifth, my only brother was born.

The clarifying circumstance of place details and narrows information about where the event described in the sentence occurs:

Andrey lives very close to us, (where exactly?) a five-minute walk.

Ahead, (where exactly?) in the very center of the road, we noticed a huge pit.

Geographical names and addresses are often specified:

Last summer we returned from another city, (where exactly?) Vladivostok.

My friend moved to the Oktyabrsky district of Samara, (where exactly?) on Michurina Street.

Less common is the clarifying circumstance of the course of action:

The soldiers tried to talk as quietly as possible, (how exactly?) almost in a whisper.

Perepelkin listened to me attentively, (how exactly?) with some special respect.

Clarifying circumstances with other meanings are also distinguished.

To correctly place punctuation marks, it is important to understand the context of the sentence:

Artists performed in the square in the city center. (The square is located in the central part of the city)

Artists performed on the square in the city center. (The artists perform on the square located in the city center).

A hint for isolating clarifying members of a sentence is intonation. But you should not focus only on semantic pauses in the speech flow; it is better to pay attention to the syntactic role of the structure and select a question for it.

Source: fb.ru

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Two branches of the science of language - syntax and punctuation - are always studied together. Simple cases of comma placement, for example, the obligatory comma before A and BUT, usually do not cause difficulties. But to isolate secondary ones, knowledge of the basics of syntax is necessary.

Under a number of conditions, secondary members can be distinguished from two sides and circumstances.

The adverb in a sentence answers the questions of adverbs, since it denotes a sign of action or, much less frequently, not only an adverb, but also any independent

The isolation of circumstances expressed by a single gerund, although it has its own subtleties, is easily learned by schoolchildren. The presence of a gerund in a sentence is a kind of signal for the use of a comma.

Another thing is a clarifying circumstance. Examples of this kind are more difficult to detect: they are not so obvious.

What is a qualifying circumstance?

Clarifying members, as is already clear from the term itself, clarify the information contained in the sentence:

All my childhood friends, (who exactly?) especially Mikhail, are very dear to me.

Dark, (what exactly?) almost coal-black eyes stood out on his pale face.

A little girl ran into the room, (which one specifically?) no older than our son.

The clarification is always separated by a dash.

A separate qualifying circumstance in most cases specifies the time and place of action.

If we have a clarifying circumstance of time, then the sentence, in addition to it, should contain generalized information about when the action is performed:

We left late in the evening, (when exactly?) at eleven o'clock.

At the end of August, (when exactly?) on the twenty-fifth, my only brother was born.

The clarifying circumstance of place details and narrows information about where the event described in the sentence occurs:

Andrey lives very close to us, (where exactly?) a five-minute walk.

Ahead, (where exactly?) in the very center of the road, we noticed a huge pit.