When is a comma used? Commas in sentences: rules. When is a comma used? Sentences containing "how"

Total found: 13

Hello! First of all, I want to thank you for what you do, it helps a lot! Moreover, it is very instructive and interesting. My question is this. Is the combination of the words “very strong” in itself correct? I think this is tantamount to saying "butter oil." I come across this phrase more than once. But for some reason it hurts my ears. Thank you!

Thank you! Very much- correct combination.

Hello, please help me understand the punctuation of sentences with one main clause and several complex sentences with different conjunctions. I can't find the rule anywhere. Do we need commas between complex sentences? For example, He knew what to say to others(,) and how his girlfriend would react. The person himself knows where to go(,) and what to do. where... (,) and with what... how... (,) and why... where... (,) and where... etc.

Russian help desk response

A comma is placed between homogeneous subordinate clauses of a complex sentence that are not connected by conjunctions: A person knows where to go, what to do...

A comma is not placed between homogeneous subordinate clauses of a complex sentence connected by non-repeating connecting or disjunctive conjunctions: He knew what to say to others and how his girlfriend would react. A person knows where to go and what to do.

For repeated coordinating conjunctions, a comma is placed between subordinate clauses of a complex sentence: He knew what to say to others, and how his girlfriend would react, and what his friends would think. A person himself knows where to go, and what to do, and with whom to be friends.

Good afternoon. I often hear the expression “facial expressions” in other people’s speech. I think that in this case the word “face” is superfluous, since “facial expressions” already implies movement of the facial muscles. It's the same as saying "full house." Is it so?

Russian help desk response

You're right. Facial expression - lexically redundant combination.

What punctuation mark comes after "Be sure"?
"Rest assured, we have something to say."

Russian help desk response

After sure you can put a comma or colon, but in combination have something to say no comma needed. Correctly: Rest assured, we have something to say. Rest assured: we have something to say.

Hello, dear employees of "Gramota"!
To question 184623. You write that the combination “can’t find anything to say” is written separated by a comma. However, D.E. Rosenthal in the “Handbook of Spelling and Stylistics” points out: “A comma does not separate expressions like “there is something to do”, “there is something to work on”, “there was something to think about”, “I’ll find somewhere to turn”, “I don’t find anything to say”, “there is something left to live on”, etc., consisting of the verb “to be”, “to find” (to be found), “to stay” and a few others in singular or plural form, interrogative relative pronoun or adverb (who, what, where, where, when, etc.) and an indefinite form of another verb. For example: “There is someone to scold, there is no one to feed” (Dal); “There is something to like...” (Pisemsky); “We found something to surprise: and without “Everyone saw this”; “He couldn’t find anything to answer and remained silent.”
Please help me figure out what is correct: with a comma or without?
Thank you.

Russian help desk response

We must agree with your arguments: a comma is not needed.

tell me: “I think (,)??? what to say” Is a comma required?

Russian help desk response

Correctly with a comma: I think what to say.

Hello, please tell me whether a comma is needed in the sentence “I have something to say”?

Russian help desk response

No comma needed. Right: I have something to say.

Hello.
Please tell me whether the word “simply” is separated by commas and whether it is introductory in the following sentences:
I'll just enjoy the ride
I just don't know what to say
Let's just close this topic
Why did you do that? “I just didn’t know how to do it differently.”

Russian help desk response

It is not introductory and does not require isolation.

Hello! Is a comma necessary in the sentence “We have something to say”? Thank you.

Russian help desk response

A comma before _what_ is not required.

Please tell me, is it acceptable to call the heroine of a literary work a hero? In particular, can Rose from the poem below be called a “hero”? Ah, how amazing are the whims of happiness - We learn - there are no limits to them! Once upon a time, fortune surprised Azor with a riddle of love while playing... And the blooming Rose gave smiles with its beautiful beauty, it was so beautiful! At times, immersed in love dreams, A/ was lamented by languidly passionate thoughts... Hours of fleeting visions flew by, A/ the tender Rose bloomed in her castle- N/a naive dream in the languor of love... A/Zor dreamed of her early in the morning- L/ love, the ideal of the most tender aspirations. A/x, how he dreamed, how he strove to find! She made his soul and mind lazy... He saw the beauty and immediately fell in love: “Ah, my Rose, I recognized you right away!” The drops wafting with the sun of April, O/ happiness, love in both poetry and prose R/ will tell you everything that A/zor and the gentle beauty Rose were unable to say...

Russian help desk response

Please tell me urgently whether a comma is needed here: If you don’t know what to say (?) - smile. Thank you!!!

Russian help desk response

Are commas necessary in sentences such as: I have something to say; Is there anything to see? Or is it better to do without punctuation marks?

Russian help desk response

There are no commas in such constructions: _there is somewhere to go, there is something to do, there is something to say, there is something to see_.

How do you know where to put commas and where there is no need for it? This punctuation mark is an important means of formalizing written speech. 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 your 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 a 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? With the help of this punctuation mark, its independent part is highlighted. 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 and 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 training in this sports club for several years now.”

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, exactly what, than, rather than are conjunctions that make them 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 and set 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, or...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 are used. 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. We are talking about a word from which a question is asked in a participial phrase. 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 had high hopes for Evgeniy, but he failed to live up to 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 on a 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.

The comma is the simplest and most prosaic, but at the same time the most insidious sign. Its formulation implies an understanding of how speech is constructed and structured, what meanings appear and disappear if the comma is placed incorrectly. Of course, in a short article it is impossible to describe in what cases a comma is used and list absolutely everything; we will focus only on the most common and simple ones.

Enumeration and homogeneous members

Correct placement of commas in a simple sentence begins with knowing the rule that homogeneous members of a sentence must be separated by a comma:

I love, adore, idolize cats.

I love cats, dogs, horses.

Difficulties arise if there is a conjunction “and” between homogeneous members of the sentence. The rule here is simple: if the conjunction is single, a comma is not needed:

I love dogs, cats and horses.

If there is more than one conjunction, then a comma is placed before the second conjunction and further:

I love dogs, cats, and horses.

Otherwise, a comma is placed before the conjunction “a”. The rule dictates the placement of the sign in any case and also applies to the conjunction “but” and the conjunction “yes” in the meaning of “but”:

My neighbor doesn't like dogs, but cats.

Cats love cautious people, but avoid noisy and angry people.

Definition with personal pronoun

Difficulties with where a comma is needed also arise when it comes to definition. However, everything is simple here too.

If a single adjective refers to a personal pronoun, it is separated by a comma:

Satisfied, she entered the room and showed the purchase.

I saw this dog then. She, joyful, wagged her tail, trembled and jumped on her owner all the time.

Separate definition

If you are memorizing the rules about when to use a comma, then the third point should be a separate definition.

By separate definition we mean, first of all, It is separated by commas in the case when it follows the word to which it refers:

A boy who has read books about travel will never pass indifferently past a travel agency or a store with tents and lanterns.

The cat, who had barely waited for the treat, was now purring and looking affectionately at its owner.

A boy who has read books about travel will never pass indifferently past a travel agency or a store with tents and lanterns.

The cat, which had barely waited for the treat, was now purring and looking affectionately at its owner.

Special circumstances

Commas in both simple and complex sentences separate a single gerund and a participial phrase:

The cat purred and lay down on my lap.

The dog, after growling, calmed down and let us talk.

After making a number of comments about the new project, the boss left.

Introductory words

Introductory words are words that show the reliability of information, its source or the speaker’s attitude to this information.

These are words that could potentially be expanded into a sentence:

This artist, of course, won the hearts of all his contemporaries.

Natasha doesn't seem to have any intention of taking care of her father.

Leonid apparently has no idea why so many people have appeared around him lately.

Appeals

If there is an address in the sentence, and it is not a pronoun, then it must be separated by commas on both sides.

Hello, dear Leo!

Goodbye, Lydia Borisovna.

Do you know, Masha, what I want to tell you?

Linda, come to me!

Unfortunately, ignorance of when to use a comma often leads to illiterate execution of business letters. Among these errors are the omission of a comma when addressing, and the insertion of an extra comma when pronouncing:

Good afternoon Pavel Evgenievich!(Need to: Good afternoon, Pavel Evgenievich!)

Svetlana Borisovna, we have also prepared our new samples for you. ( Need to : Svetlana Borisovna, we have also prepared our new samples for you.)

How do you think it is advisable to conclude this agreement? ( Need to : Do you think it is advisable to conclude this agreement?)

Comma in a complex sentence

In general, all the rules regarding the cases in which a comma is placed in a complex sentence essentially boil down to one thing: all parts of any complex sentence must be separated from each other by a punctuation mark.

Spring has come, the sun is shining, sparrows are scurrying about, children are running around triumphantly.

They bought him a new computer because the old one could no longer work due to the small amount of memory and incompatibility with new programs.

What else can you do if not have fun when there is nothing else left to do?

At the head of the procession was a little red-haired boy, he was probably the most important.

A comma in a complex sentence is placed in all cases, except for a unifying word, and if another sign is not needed at the junction of parts of the sentence, first of all, a colon.

Exception: unifying word

If parts of a complex sentence are combined by a single word (for example, then a comma is not placed between these parts of the sentence:

and the birds flew in, our company somehow perked up.

Wed: Spring has come, the birds have flown in, and our company has somehow become more lively.

This word can be not only at the very beginning of a sentence:

We will go to this meeting only as a last resort, only if all the conditions are agreed upon and the text of the agreement is agreed upon.

Comma or colon?

A colon should replace a comma if the meaning of the first part is revealed in the second:

It was a wonderful time: we drew what we wanted.

Now he got down to the most important thing: he was making a gift for his mother.

The dog no longer wanted to go for walks: the owners had so intimidated her with training that it was easier to sit under the table.

Sentences containing "how"

Many mistakes regarding when to use a comma arise from a misunderstanding of the difference between the two meanings of the word “as.”

The first meaning of this word is comparative. In this case, the sentence is separated by commas:

The aspen leaf, like a butterfly, rose higher and higher.

The second meaning is an indication of identity. In such cases, the phrase with “how” is not separated by commas:

The butterfly as an insect is of little interest to people who are accustomed to seeing animals as a source of warmth and communication.

Therefore the sentence: " I, like your mother, will not allow you to ruin your life" can be punctuated in two ways. If the speaker is really the listener's mother, then the word "how" is used as a word indicating identity ("I" and "mom" are the same thing), so there is no need for commas.

If the speaker compares himself with the mother of the listener (“I” and “mother” are not the same thing, “I” is compared” with “mother”), then commas are needed:

I, like your mother, will not allow you to ruin your life.

If “how” is part of the predicate, the comma is also omitted:

The lake is like a mirror. ( Wed .: The lake, like a mirror, sparkled and reflected the clouds).

Music is like life. (Music, like life, does not last forever.)

Formal signs of the need for a comma: to trust or not?

Special features of sentences will help you pay attention to when a comma is used. However, you should not trust them too much.

So, for example, this primarily concerns whether a comma is placed before “so that.” The rule seems to be unambiguous: “A comma is always placed before “so that”.” However, any rule should not be taken too literally. For example, a sentence with "so" could be:

He wanted to talk to her to find out the truth and to talk about how he lived his life.

As you can see, the rule works here, but the second “so” does not require a comma. this error is quite common:

We went to the store just to study the prices and to see what we could buy for lunch in this city.

Right : We went to the store just to study the prices and to see what we could buy for lunch in this city.

The same goes for the word “how”. It was already said above that, firstly, a word has two meanings, and secondly, it can be part of different members of a sentence, so you should not trust the common formulation “There is always a comma before “as”.”

The third common case of a formal sign of the need for a comma is the word “yes”. However, it should also be treated with great caution. The word “yes” has several meanings, including “and”:

He took his brushes and went to paint.

The jackdaws and crows flocked in, but the titmice were still missing.

Such formal signs should rather be treated as potentially “dangerous” places. Words like “so that”, “what would”, “how”, “yes” can signal that there may be a comma in this sentence. These “signals” will help you not to miss commas in sentences, but the rule regarding these signs themselves should never be overlooked.

At the same time, when placing commas, you should rather focus not on the “rules”, but on the meaning of the sign. The comma, in general, is intended to separate homogeneous members of a sentence, parts of a complex sentence, as well as fragments that do not fit into the structure of the sentence, which are alien to it (addresses, introductory words, etc.). The rules only specify each case. This even applies to the formula “you need a comma before “to”.” This rule actually specifies the general principle of punctuation. But in general, of course, when writing you need to think!

A comma is placed before the conjunction HOW in three cases:

1. If this conjunction is included in phrases that are close in their role in the sentence to the introductory words, for example: AS A RULE, AS AN EXCEPTION, AS A CONSEQUENCE, AS ALWAYS, AS NOW, AS ON PURPOSE, AS FOR EXAMPLE, AS NOW: In the morning, as if on purpose, it started to rain;

2. If this conjunction connects parts of a complex sentence, for example: We watched for a long time as the coals of the fire smoldered;

3. If the sentence contains a circumstance expressed by a comparative phrase that begins with the conjunction HOW, for example: Her voice rang like the smallest bell;

Please note: if the sentence continues after the phrase with the conjunction HOW, then you need to put another comma at the end of the clause. For example: Below, the water shone like a mirror; We watched for a long time as the coals of the fire smoldered, unable to tear ourselves away from this spectacle.

The phrases with the conjunction HOW are not isolated in five cases:

1. If the phrase with the conjunction HOW in a sentence acts as an adverbial circumstance of the course of action, for example: The path twisted like a snake. In such cases, the phrase with HOW can be replaced with an adverb (IN SNAKE) or a noun in the instrumental case (SNAKE). Unfortunately, the circumstances of the course of action cannot always be distinguished with complete confidence from the circumstances of comparison.

2. If the phrase with the conjunction HOW is part of a phraseological unit, for example: During lunch she sat as if on pins and needles;

3. If a phrase with the conjunction HOW is part of the predicate and a sentence without such a phrase does not have a complete meaning, for example: She behaves like a mistress;

4. If the conjunction HOW stands between the subject and the predicate (without this conjunction a dash would have to be placed there), for example: The lake is like a mirror;

5. If the comparative phrase is preceded by the negation NOT or the particle AT ALL, COMPLETELY, ALMOST, LIKE, EXACTLY, EXACTLY, SIMPLY, for example: They don't do everything like neighbors or Her hair is curly just like her mother's;

In addition, we must remember that the word AS can be part of the compound conjunction AS... SO AND... or SO AS, as well as phrases SINCE AS, SINCE THE TIME AS, AS LESS (MORE) POSSIBLE, etc. In this case, naturally, a comma is not placed before HOW, for example: All the windows, both in the manor's house and in the servants' rooms, are wide open.(Saltykov-Shchedrin). He didn’t take cutlets with him for breakfast and now he regretted it, since he was already hungry(According to Chekhov).

Exercise

I would have heard the door opening.

She was pale with some kind of Hindu pallor, the moles on her face became darker, the blackness of her hair and eyes seemed even blacker (Bunin).

And is this really how Paris lived now? (Bunin).

Well, I’ll help, father, just don’t blame me if it doesn’t turn out as planned.

I rarely visited “noble” houses, but in the theater I was like one of my own - and I ate a lot of pies from pastry shops (Turgenev).

When I went to bed, I, I don’t know why, turned around on one leg three times, put on lipstick, lay down and slept like a log all night (Turgenev).

It will sound and whine like a string, but don’t expect a song from it (Turgenev).

Everything about us is not like people! (Saltykov-Shchedrin).

Now, wrapped in a cap and a cloak, from under which a rifle protruded, he rode with one murid, trying to be noticed as little as possible, carefully peering with his quick black eyes into the faces of the inhabitants he came across along the road (Tolstoy).

Millions of people committed against each other such countless atrocities, deceptions, betrayals, thefts, forgeries and the issuance of false banknotes, robberies, arson and murders, which the chronicle of all the courts of the world will not collect for centuries and for which, during this period of time, people, those who committed them did not look at them as crimes (Tolstoy).

The guests arrived out of the blue.

A boy of about fifteen quickly came out of the door to meet him and stared in surprise at the newcomers with sparkling eyes as black as ripe currants (Tolstoy).

While Hadji Murad was entering, an elderly, thin, thin woman came out of the inner door, wearing a red beshmet on a yellow shirt and blue trousers, carrying pillows. (Tolstoy).

I did not accompany the captain as a servant. The clean spring air, compared to prison, also cheered her, but it was painful to step on the stones with feet unaccustomed to walking and shod in clumsy prison boots, and she looked at her feet and tried to step as lightly as possible (Tolstoy).

One of them, the most extravagant, was that I wanted to go to him, explain myself to him, confess everything to him, frankly tell him everything and assure him that I did not act like a stupid girl, but with good intentions (Dostoevsky).

So I studied and studied, but ask me how a person should live, I don’t even know (Tolstoy).

These experiments could have been carried out either a month earlier or a month later.

The streets between the houses were narrow, crooked and deep, like cracks in a rock (Andreev).

Amateurs use this fish as a natural clock in a room aquarium (According to V. Matizen).

In the west, the sky is greenish and transparent all night, and there, on the horizon_ as it is now_, something is smoldering and smoldering... (Bunin).

Rostov felt how, under the influence of the hot rays of love... that childish smile blossomed on his soul and face, which he had never smiled with since he left home (Tolstoy).

There were people in the carriage like sardines in a barrel.

It contains irony, not as a style feature or technique, but as part of the author’s general worldview (Lakshin).

When Stepan Trofimovich, already ten years later, conveyed this sad story to me in a whisper, having first locked the doors, he swore to me that he was so dumbfounded then on the spot that he did not hear or see how Varvara Petrovna disappeared (Dostoevsky).

But the eyes don’t seem to be stupid and shiny, like Maria Kresse’s (Bulgakov).

“If they knew that you wanted this, the holiday would be cancelled,” said the prince, out of habit, like a wound clock, saying things that he did not want to be believed (Tolstoy).

Armande was already beginning to despair when the local curé, François Loiseau, arrived from Auteuil and became friends with Moliere while he was living in Auteuil (Bulgakov).

But before they had time to rise, a bell rang impatiently behind the doors upstairs (Bulgakov).

“Torment,” he said, “them: now their prayer book is gone,” and he galloped past; and behind this stratopedarch are his warriors, and behind them, like a flock of skinny spring geese, are boring shadows, and everyone nods to the ruler sadly and pitifully, and everyone quietly moans through their crying: “Let him go! “He alone prays for us” (Leskov).

Seeing this, people stopped dead in their tracks. “We've eaten enough, my dears! We celebrated the winter, but by spring our stomachs were sagging!” - Porfiry Vladimirych is reasoning with himself, and he, as if on purpose, had just brought all the accounts of last year’s field farming into clarity (Saltykov-Shchedrin).

As if on purpose, he didn’t come today, and I still have a whole terrible night ahead of me! (Bunin).

Understand that this child whom you are now receiving in the Poklen house is none other than Mister de Molière! (Bulgakov).

The bazaar is like another city within the city (Bunin).

However, the consistent application of this method, which treats literature not as the fruit of organic creativity, but as a medium of cultural communication, eventually began to slow down the development of literary criticism (Epstein).

Next to him she felt like she was behind a stone wall. He had been silent until now, and no one paid any attention to him, but now everyone looked back at him, and, probably, everyone wondered how he could still remain unnoticed (Leskov).

Still young, handsome in appearance, with a fortune, gifted with many brilliant qualities, undoubted wit, taste, inexhaustible gaiety, he appeared not as a seeker of happiness and protection, but rather independently (Dostoevsky).

Half of them even died, but they were not amenable to education: they stood in the yard - everyone was amazed and even shied away from the walls, but everyone just looked at the sky like birds with their eyes squinting (Leskov).

He screams like an eagle: stop, I’ll shoot! (Bunin).

You often read news and large serious materials from reputable, respected publications on the Internet and catch yourself thinking: who is the author of these illiterate lines, where did they study, who taught them to use written Russian so ineptly. In addition to , a mistake in which, unfortunately, even specialist philologists make, many errors in the field of syntax and punctuation began to be found in the texts of would-be journalists.

Simply put, the question of where to put a comma, whether it is needed here or not, and if it is needed, then why, causes enormous difficulties for most writers. One gets the impression that they did not study this section of the Russian language either at school or at university, and they put punctuation marks where there is a pause in the language - this is where they strive to “stick” their “hook”. But in language, not everything is so simple - it has its own rules. MIR 24 decided to recall some of the punctuation features of the Russian language.

Punctuation refers to the system of punctuation marks in the written language, the rules for their placement in written speech, as well as the section of grammar that studies these rules. Punctuation makes clear the syntactic and intonation structure of speech, highlighting individual sentences and members of sentences. This greatly facilitates oral reproduction of what has been written.

(along with the colon and dash) is the most complex punctuation mark. In order to understand whether a given sentence contains a comma, you need to remember a few simple rules. In writing, this sign is used to highlight and isolate participial and participial phrases, definitions, isolations, addresses, interjections, interjections, clarifications and, of course, introductory words.

Also, a comma is used to separate between direct and indirect speech, between parts of a complex, complex and compound sentence, and homogeneous members of a sentence.

This punctuation mark is used either singly or in pairs. Single commas serve to divide a whole sentence into parts, separating these parts by marking their boundaries. For example, in a complex sentence it is necessary to separate two simple parts, and in a simple one - homogeneous members of the sentence that are used in the listing. Paired commas highlight an independent part of a sentence, marking boundaries on both sides. On both sides, participial and adverbial phrases, introductory words, and addresses in the middle of a sentence are most often distinguished. To understand where commas are placed, remember a few rules.

The main thing is the meaning

The most important thing is to understand the meaning of the sentence to understand the meaning of the sentence. One of the functions of punctuation marks is to convey correct semantics. If a comma is placed in the wrong place, the meaning is instantly distorted and a comic effect appears. For example: “Yesterday I entertained my sister, who was sick, playing the guitar.”

To highlight an independent part of a sentence, you need to read the sentence without this part. If the meaning of the sentence is clear, then the removed part is independent. Commas, as a rule, always highlight adverbial phrases, introductory sentences and words. For example: “The other day it became known that a friend of mine, returning from vacation, forgot her phone in the train car.” If we remove the participial phrase from this sentence, its meaning will hardly change: “The other day it became known that a friend of mine forgot her phone in the train car.”

However, there are cases when the gerund adjoins the predicate and in its meaning becomes similar to an adverb. In such cases, single participles are not separated by commas. “Why, sir, are you crying? Live your life laughing” (A.S. Griboyedov). If the gerund participle is removed from this sentence, it will become incomprehensible.

Insidious treatment

Addresses are always separated by commas in sentences. If it is in the middle or end of a sentence, it is not very easy to identify. For example: Tell me, boy, how far is it to the city? You are wrong, wife, when you say that Lionel Messi is not a football genius. Well, haven’t you noticed, sister, that the clock hanging on the wall has stopped?”

Let's compare

In almost all cases, a comma is used when talking about comparative phrases. It is easy to find in a sentence, mainly due to conjunctions as if, exactly, as, as if, as, rather than than, etc. However, there are exceptions. Comparative phrases are not highlighted if they are phraseological units. For example: It was as if he had disappeared into the ground. Rain cats and dogs and so on.

Between homogeneous members

A comma is placed between homogeneous terms, but not always. A comma is necessary for conjunctions such as a, yes, but, but, however. Also, a comma is needed between homogeneous members that are connected by repeating conjunctions (and ... and, or ... or, not that ... not that, either ... or). There is no need to put a comma between homogeneous members that are connected by single conjunctions yes, and, either, or. In addition, repeating conjunctions before homogeneous members of the sentence will help determine where commas are placed.

Difficulties arise when homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions come across. Between homogeneous definitions, a comma is necessary. For example: interesting, fascinating book. For heterogeneous definitions, there is no need to use a comma: interesting philosophical novel. The word “interesting” expresses the impression in this phrase, and “philosophical” means that the novel belongs to a certain genre.

Boundaries of simple sentences

In complex sentences, a comma is placed before coordinating conjunctions. These are unions like and, yes, or, either, yes and. The main thing here is to correctly determine where one simple sentence ends and another begins. To do this, you need to find a grammatical basis in each of them (subjects and predicates) or divide a complex sentence according to its meaning.

Defined word in participial phrase

A comma is placed in sentences with a participial phrase, but also not always. The main thing here is to remember that participles are isolated only if they appear after the word they define. The word being defined is the one from which the question is asked to the participial phrase. For example: The bus standing at the bus stop broke down. If this does not happen, a comma is not needed: The bus standing at the stop has broken down.

A comma is always placed before contrastive conjunctions - but, yeah, uh.

Oh those interjections

Affirmative, interrogative, negative words, as well as interjections, require commas. There is always a comma after the interjection: “Competent speech, alas, is a rarity these days”. But not everything is so simple here. The interjection must be distinguished from particles such as oh, ah, well– they are used for reinforcement, as well as particles O, used when addressing. “What are you like!”, “Oh, close your pale legs!” (V. Brusov).

Here, of course, everything is very schematic and brief - Russian punctuation is much more complex and richer. But even these tips, I hope, will help you write correctly and put commas where they are justified by the rules, and not use them where they are not needed. I wish you success in mastering the “great and mighty” and remind you:

How to correctly pronounce, speak and write - the New Season program will test your knowledge and teach you on the air of the MIR TV channel from September 3. The program will air on button 18 on Sundays at 7:20.

Every week, TV viewers will be able to learn new and interesting facts about the “great and mighty.” The program will continue to be hosted by the charismatic Sergei Fedorov, who promises to fill the program not only with intelligence, but also with sparkling humor.

Ivan Rakovich