The spelling of the prefixes "half-" and "half-" is one of the most important topics in the grammar of the Russian language. Despite the fact that at first glance it doesn’t seem as widespread as, for example, participles and participles, its significance cannot be underestimated. And it won’t work, considering how many words the prefixes “half-” and “half-” contain. The spelling of these consoles is subject to strict rules that need to be understood and learned.
Fusion spelling "half-"
Before you begin to analyze this rule, you must understand the general principle. The spelling “half-” and “half-” depends on which letter the root of the word begins with. That is, from what letter is "at the junction" between the main part of the word and the prefix.
If the prefix "half-" has a consonant sound, you must write it together with a noun. Here are some examples of words with "half-":
- Half a second, half a minute, half an hour, half a day, half a month, half a year.
- Half circles, half a cup, half plate, half a teapot, half a portion.
- Half past eleven, half past four, half past two, half past three, half past four, half past four.
- Half a kilogram, half a gram, half a centner, half a meter, half a centimeter.
- Half rooms, half apartments, half a yard, half a city, half a country, half a planet.
The same applies to the use of the words with the prefix "half-" or "half-" (and in this case, it is "half-") in full sentences:
- At least half an hour passed before half the deed was done.
- It was nice to see an old friend six months later, drink half a cup of coffee, talk heart to heart and spend half a day in good company.
- Employers promised to call back, but the pessimistic student was sure that no one would call back in half an hour, or in half a day, or even in half a month.
Writing the prefix "half-" through a hyphen
Unlike the prefix "semi-", the spelling "half-" can be done through a hyphen. In the case of the prefix "half-", everything is quite simple: a hyphen separates it, firstly, from a noun beginning with a vowel. For instance:
- Half an orange, half an apricot, half an apple, half a quince, half a vegetable, half a cucumber.
- Half-past ten, half-April, half-October, half-August, half-January.
Secondly, a hyphen is necessary in nouns starting with the letter A:
- Half a lemon, half a lime, half a leaf, half a spoon, half a onion, half a slice.
And finally, thirdly, a hyphen is used in combination with nouns that are capitalized. For instance:
- Half of Moscow, half of St. Petersburg, half of Russia, half of Europe.
Of course, this rule does not change in any way when a word with the prefix "half-" is included in a full sentence:
- We didn’t see each other for half a summer, but then spent half of August together, traveled half of Russia.
Prefix "semi-"
Unlike the prefix "half-", the spelling "semi-" is very unambiguous: only together, and never through a hyphen. For instance:
- Half-smile, half-turn, half-circle, half-half, half-wolf, half-moon, midnight, peninsula.
The rule of words beginning with a vowel or with the letter L does not apply to the spelling of this prefix. In a sentence, it might look like this:
- A crescent moon shone with a bright spot in the black midnight sky, illuminating its kind, soft half-smile and a tiny figure, half-turned.
By the way, "half-turn" is an adverb, the spelling of which should be remembered. But spelling words with “half-” and “half-” is simply not enough to memorize, and it’s hard to understand and master in practice much easier.