“The great and mighty Russian language,” said Ivan Turgenev in an owl. And he is completely and absolutely right. Perhaps no language in the world causes so many problems when studying for foreigners. How difficult it is for them to get used to the fact that our words are divided by gender, inclined by cases. Yes, even the Russian people themselves very often make all kinds of mistakes. One of the difficult moments of our language is the spelling "because." Let’s understand and remember the rules so that you don’t make mistakes anymore and be competent people.
What is “because”?
To begin with, in order to clarify, you need to find out and remember to which part of speech the phrase we are considering refers to. So, “because” refers to a group of complex unions. Other examples of complex unions can be such phrases as “because”, “due to the fact”, “due to the fact”, “due to the fact that”. And from a grammatical point of view, “because” is always written separately, as it consists of two independent words, united in a union. This must be remembered. If someone will prove to you that “because” is written with a hyphen, you can simply stop talking to this person.
Why is there an error?
Most often, just on a hunch, people confuse a particle of “something” and a separate “what”. For example, "because" is precisely written with a hyphen. And the spelling “because” does not exist in the nature of the Russian language.
Interesting moment
A person who is savvy in terms of the Russian language may notice that the phrase “because” perceived by ear as two words can be spelled in three words. In what cases this happens, you ask. Now we will answer, we say. This happens when the meaning of the phrase turns into a combination of preposition, pronoun and conjunction. For example, "What can you say about a woman by what she wears in her purse?" In this case, just the same, there is a case of preposition, pronoun and conjunction. Another example: "Judging by what he saw, we can hope that they will be together again."
Two or three words?
How to determine in what cases in sentences with “because” it is written in two words or how “by that” in three? Everything is simple. If you ask the question “why?”, And the proposal logically answers you, then you need to write two words. If the answer is completely illogical, then there is a case of writing in three words. It is worth noting that in the examples we cited, the phrase “by that” is also a complex union, the spelling of which must be postponed in our memory.
Semantic functions
In complex sentences, the union “because” combines the subordinate part of the sentence with the main one. If there is this alliance, then the proposal is complex. In sentences with “because” there is always a causal relationship. Examples:
- He is lying to you, and this is only because he is afraid of responsibility.
- I’m not used to changing my schedule because I love certainty in everything.
Punctuation is not as simple as it sounds.
In writing, a special difficulty is caused by setting a comma: “because” is not a simple punctuation case. To put it before the union or inside it? We agree, this is difficult, but you can figure it out.
It should be noted that where the comma will stand, determines the author of the proposal. It all depends on what purpose he adheres to in his statement. Let's compare:
- "He attracted everyone's attention because he was polite and kind to everyone present." Here the emphasis is on the result.
- "I don't get a dog because I'm allergic." Here the emphasis is already on reason.
In the case when the union is divided in half, the “therefore” part refers to the composition of the main part in a complex sentence.
It is also important to note that there are several conditions when a union is necessarily divided into two parts.
1. If there is a particle “not” before the union.
- She loved him not because he was the most handsome man caring for her.
2. If the union faces a particle that performs a limiting, reinforcing function.
- He came to the meeting only because it was beneficial to improve his reputation.
3. If there is an introductory word or construct before the union.
- Catherine was late for a meeting, perhaps because she could not choose a dress.
4. If "because" is included in a series of parallel structures or homogeneous members of the proposal.
- I cannot live without my family because they give me great support, and also because I love them very much.
Remember that you do not need to divide a complex union if it is used at the beginning of a sentence. For instance:
- Because it’s cheaper here.
- Because I quit.
- Because he thought differently.
So, to summarize, we can say that if the sentence focuses on the reason, then the comma is placed before the “what”. If the emphasis is on the result, then the comma in front of "because."
Literacy is always valued, so do not neglect the repetition of the rules of the Russian language. Not for nothing that we have proverbs in our great and mighty one. Do you remember that “repetition is the mother of learning”?