Types of subordinate communication, members of a sentence, analysis of sentences, means of communication of sentences - all this is the syntax of the Russian language. The definitive clause is an example of one of the most difficult topics in the study of Russian syntax.
Subordinate clause: definition
An integral part of a complex sentence is the subordinate part. The subordinate clause is the part of a complex sentence that is dependent on the main clause . White snow lay in the fields as they drove into the village. Here is the main proposal . Snow lay on the fields. A question is asked from him to the dependent part: lay (when?) When they went to the village . The subordinate part is a separate sentence, since it has a predicative basis. However, communicating with the main member semantically and grammatically, it cannot exist independently. This distinguishes the main part of the complex sentence from the subordinate clause. Thus, the subordinate clause is part of a complex sentence, dependent on the main part.
The relative clause: types
In the syntax of the Russian language there are four types of subordinate clauses. The type of the dependent part is determined by the question asked from the main proposal.
Types of subordinate parts| Title | Value | Example |
| Definitive | From one word in the main sentence the question is asked what? | At that time, he directed the ensemble where Ilyin played. (ensemble (what?) where Ilyin played) |
| Explanatory | One word in the main sentence asks the indirect case: what? to what? than? about what? whom? to whom? by whom? about whom? | Can you imagine how happy she is! (can you imagine (what?) how happy she will be) |
| Circumstantial | From one word in the main sentence the question of circumstance is asked: where? when? where from? as? what for? other | He did what cowards do. (acted (how?) how do cowards act) |
| Connecting | From the whole main sentence any question is asked. | There was a strong wind, which is why the flights were canceled. (flights canceled (why?) because there was a strong wind) |
It is true to determine the type of subordinate clause - the task that the student faces.
Relative clause
A compound sentence (SPP) with subordinate clauses , examples of which are given in the table, consists of two or more parts, where the main part is characterized by a clause. The definitive part refers to one word from the main sentence. It is either a noun or a pronoun.
The definitive subordinate clause is an example of the formation of a definitive relationship between the main and the dependent parts. One word from the main part is consistent with the whole subordinate clause. For example,
Victor looked at the sea, in the open spaces of which a ship appeared. (The sea (what?), In the open spaces of which the ship appeared) .
The relative adjective: features
There are some features in NGN with relative determinants. Examples from the table will help to understand.
Subjective clauses: examples and features| Features | Examples |
| The adverbial decisive joins the main sentence, usually with an allied word ( whose, which, what, where, which and others). | He was shocked by the picture (what?) That hung in the living room. The city (what?), Where magnolias grow, was remembered by him forever. |
| In the main part of the SPP, there may be indicative pronouns associated with allied words , such as these and others. | In that city (which?), Where we rested, there are many historical monuments. From the apple orchard came such an aroma (what?), Which happens only on warm May days. |
| Clinical identifiers must follow immediately after the word being defined. | The photograph (what?) That is in his notebook was presented to him by Olga. The day (what?) When they met remembered everything. |
| The attributive clause (examples of sentences with a union word which ) can be separated from the main word by other members of the sentences. | The room within which the gallery was located was well lit. In the evenings in the resort town, the sound of the sea was heard, against the background of which gulls shouted. |
Relative clauses
Complicated sentences with a subordinate definitive part have one more peculiarity. If in the main part of the SPP the subject or nominal part of the compound nominal predicate is expressed by the definitive or demonstrative pronoun on which the subordinate definitive part depends, then this part is called correlative (pronoun-definitive). That is, sentences in which there is a correlation of the pronoun in the main part and the union word in the dependent, are sentences where there are pronoun-definitive subordinate clauses.
Examples: He was told only what was necessary (correlation of something + what). The woman cursed so loudly that she heard the whole area (the ratio is so + what). The answer was what the question itself was (the ratio is as + what). The captain’s voice was so loud and strict that the whole part was immediately heard and built (the ratio is so + what). A distinctive feature of pronouns is that they can precede the main sentence: He who was not on Lake Baikal did not see the true beauty of nature.
The Subordinate Definitive: Examples from Fiction
There are many options for complex sentences with a subordinate definitive part.
Writers actively use them in their works. For example, I.A. Bunin: The
northern district town (which one?), Where my family remained ... was far from me. At an early dawn (what?), When roosters were still shouting and the huts were smoking in black, you would open the window, it used to be ...A.S. Pushkin: In one minute, the road skidded, the neighborhood disappeared in the darkness (what?) ... through which white flakes flew to the snow ... Berestov answered with the same zeal (what?) With which the chain bear bows to the gentlemen at the order of its counselor .
T. Dreiser: We can only console ourselves with the thought (what?) That human evolution will never stop ... The feelings (what?) That the outcast is experiencing have flooded her.
The relative definitive sentence (examples from the literature illustrate this) introduces an additional connotation of the meaning of the main word, possessing a broad descriptive ability, and enables the author of the work to colorfully and reliably describe an object.
Violation of the construction of sentences with the relative clause
In the examination work on the Russian language there are tasks where the definitive clause is incorrectly used. An example of such a task: A foreigner came to the city, which was responsible for financing the project. In this proposal, because of the separation of the subordinate part from the main, a semantic shift occurred.
It is necessary to see a mistake and correctly use the definitive clause. Example: The
official who was responsible for financing the project arrived in the city. A bug has been fixed in the sentence. In the speech of native speakers and in the creative works of students, there are other errors in the use of sentences with relative clauses. Examples and characteristics of errors are given in the table.
Errors in Definitive Clauses| Example | Error characterization | Corrected version |
| She was helped out by whom she helped in the past. | Unreasonable omission of a demonstrative pronoun | She was rescued by the one whom she helped in the past. |
| Narwhal is a unique mammal that lives in the Kara Sea. | Incorrect alignment of the union word with the main word | Narwhal is a unique animal that lives in the Kara Sea. |
| People opened their mouths in surprise, which were struck by the ongoing action. | Logical and semantic connections are not observed | People who were struck by what was happening opened their mouths in surprise. |
Definitive subordinate and participial turnover
Sentences where there is a participial turn are semantically similar to a compound sentence in which there is a clause. Examples: Oak planted by great-grandfather turned into a huge tree. - The oak tree that my great-grandfather planted turned into a huge tree. Two similar sentences have different shades of meaning. In the artistic style, preference is given to the sacrament, which is more descriptive and expressive. In colloquial speech, the adjunctive definitional is used more often than the participial turnover.