Syntax is a branch of the science of language that studies the composition and means of expressing the grammatical basis and secondary members of a sentence. The subject and the predicate are the main semantic center of the utterance. Without the presence of at least one main term of the sentence, there cannot be a full-fledged lexico-grammatical unit. But secondary elements, although they are called so, play an equally important role in conveying the semantic nuances of the utterance and grammatical relations within it. Addition, definition and circumstance - these members of the sentence perform an explanatory function, referring to one of the main ones, describing them.
Definition of the term
Let us examine in more detail what such a circumstance is. It includes nouns and adverbs, pronouns that answer the questions “where?”, “Where?”, “How?”, “When?”, “Where?” etc. They indicate the place, reason, time of action, image, etc. The circumstance is connected primarily with verbs, in particular with the predicate. Especially if it is expressed by transitional predicates, for example:
- Natasha took the doll (where?) To the room .
- Mitya and his father spent the whole summer (where?) In the country.
- The guys jumped (how?) High and (how?) Noisily .
In addition to the listed parts of speech, circumstances are expressed in pronoun adverbs, participles, an indefinite form of the verb:
- Brother went outside to breathe in the clear frosty air and admire the clear brilliance of the stars.
- The angry kid sat staring and resentfully turned to the side.
This is, in general terms, the coverage of the topic “What is circumstance”. We now consider it in more detail, with specific examples.
Types of circumstances
Depending on the expressed meaning, circumstances are divided into lexical-semantic groups, each of which has its own set of questions. These include:
- Words with a place value. Asked questions: where from? where to? Where? For instance:
- Well (where?) Where (where?) We are not. (In this sentence, circumstances are expressed in adverb and indivisible phrase.)
- Natasha came (from where?) From the city. (A noun with a preposition acts as a circumstance.)
- Words with the meaning of time. Questions: since when - until when? when? how long? For instance:
- I left (when?) Early, (when?) Before dawn. (Adverb and noun with a preposition.)
- I was afraid that with hay (until when?) Until the thunderstorm we will not manage. (Noun with a preposition.)
- What is the circumstance of a measure, degree and mode of action? They answer the questions: to what extent? how? as? how much? and others. For example:
- The frightened puppy screeched near his feet and glanced at the big dog (how?) Sullenly (adverb).
- The pearl necklace looked (how? To what extent?) Unusually impressive and (how?) Elegant (adverbs).
- Circumstances with the meaning of comparison. They answer the questions: how? like what? like what, to whom? For example, sentences:
- A bright, golden (like, like whom?) Butterfly circled (where?) A maple leaf (noun) in the air.
- Outside the window (like whom?) A blizzard howled (expressed by a noun) howled a crying child.
- What is the circumstance of the reason: these are verbs and nouns that answer the questions: why? why? for what reason? Examples of offers:
- I did not argue with him (why?), So as not to quarrel. (Infinitive with particle not.)
- The child's head was spinning (for what reason?) From hunger. (Noun with a preposition.)
- Circumstances of the goal. These include questions: for what purpose? what for? for what? You can identify them in the sentences:
- The horses stopped (for what purpose?) To get drunk and take a breath. (Infinitive and phraseological verb type.)
- The guys came (why?) To visit me and cheer. (Infinitive.)
- Circumstances of conditions and concessions. Questions that can be posed to them: under what condition? despite what? For instance:
- In case of emergency (under what condition?) I had to call the commander.
- Despite the approaching storm (in spite of what?), The caravan wandered its way.
Parsing Circumstances
Like any member of a sentence, circumstances are parsed. Its order is as follows:
- it is necessary to isolate the desired unit from the sentence;
- indicate to which category by value the circumstance relates;
- to determine the part of the speech that expresses it, for example: Here we live well (here - the circumstance of the place, expressed by the adverb; well - the circumstance of measure and degree, expressed by the adverb).
Polysemy of the word
In developed language systems, there is such a thing as polysemy, or polysemy. It indicates that a word can have not one, but two or more lexical meanings. The Russian language refers precisely to such complex, multi-level entities. Polysemy is associated with such a phenomenon as imagery, expressiveness, paths. In light of this, another definition of circumstance can be given - not as a member of a sentence, but as a lexical unit. This word has the following shades of meaning: situation, state, conditions, situation, for example:
- The conditions under which the duel took place soon became public.
- With a detailed study of the crime picture, the investigator became aware of new details.
As you can see, the word is a noun and has a fairly extensive synonymous series. The expression “life circumstances” refers to the same category: a series of situations that entailed certain events, phenomena, actions.
Legal term
In jurisprudence, phrases also exist that include this token. In a certain context, they have the opposite meaning and form antonymic pairs. These are “extenuating special circumstances” and “aggravating circumstances”. The former in criminal law designate such phenomena that indicate that the offender is not as dangerous as he could be if they were not there. And, on the contrary, under aggravating circumstances, the guilt of the offender is considered in more serious aspects.