Perhaps it would be easier, but not too far-sighted. After all, there are still such words as “probably”, “unconditionally”, “possibly” and many others that cause a similar difficulty. And instead of asking the Internet every time you write these kinds of words, it’s easier to get familiar with the punctuation rules in such cases once and for all. Therefore, let's figure it out in order, whether commas are "undoubtedly" highlighted or not.
Punctuation and syntax
Russian punctuation primarily depends on the syntax. In simple terms, punctuation is the punctuation rule , and the syntax is what parts of the sentence in a particular case are parts of speech.
Accordingly, in order to understand when and how the word “undoubtedly” is highlighted by commas, as well as similar words, we must learn to distinguish what function it performs in a sentence.
“Sure” as part of the proposal
Morphologically, the word "undoubtedly" is an adverb (answers the questions: how, how, how much?). In a sentence, it can serve as part of a compound predicate:
“He was telling the truth, which was certain.”
Or be part of the definition, reinforcing the meaning of the adjective:
- I would really like to visit this undoubtedly interesting place.
Adverbs are also similar words ending in “but”: certainly, naturally, perhaps, probably, obviously, which can also be different members of a sentence.
For example, by circumstance:
- He loved her unconditionally.
Part of a compound predicate:
- What was possible yesterday, today became inaccessible to him.
- This behavior was natural for her.
“Sure” as an introduction
In Russian, an introductory word is understood to mean one that is part of a sentence, but does not consist in syntactic communication with its members. It gives an assessment on the part of the speaker, serves to express his attitude to the spoken. This attitude can be very different.
Strong speaker confidence:
“She certainly has great talent.”
Some degree of confidence:
“He will probably come later.”
Low confidence with some doubt:
“Perhaps it won’t rain today."
How to recognize an introductory word
Now let's focus on specific methods of how you can distinguish the opening word from other members of the sentence. An introductory word will always have the following characteristics:
1. It is not possible to ask a question from other members of the sentence to the introductory word.
- He loved her (how?) Unconditionally. (Circumstances, you can ask a question.)
“There certainly is something strange about her.” (Introductory word, no question asked.)
2. It can easily be replaced by a synonym without changing the meaning.
“I will certainly help you.” “Of course I will help you.”
3. The proposal will not suffer much, if you remove it altogether, the emotional component will disappear, but its main meaning will not change, and the structure will not be violated.
“She was undoubtedly right.” - She was right. (The meaning is saved.)
“She's right, which was certain.” - She was right, that was. (The sentence is incomplete and incorrect.)
How to mark "sure" commas
Now, summarizing all of the above, we can derive a rule based on which, “no doubt” will be highlighted with commas or not. As you can see from the examples, this word, like its ones, will always be highlighted with commas if they are introductory words. To determine whether this word is introductory or not, one must use the characteristics from the previous paragraph. It is desirable to remember them.
- My old neighbor has not gone outside for a long time. She is undoubtedly ill. (The question cannot be asked, it can be replaced by the synonyms “of course” or “unconditionally”, if “undoubtedly” is removed, the sentence remains intact in meaning. Conclusion: here is an introductory word - undoubtedly, commas are needed.)
Introductory word in different parts of a sentence
If “certain” in the middle of a sentence, commas must be placed on both sides. If it’s “undoubted” at the beginning of the sentence, you need one comma. It is the same as if it is at the end.
“Sure, I'll be there tomorrow.”
“I will certainly come tomorrow.”
“I will come tomorrow, no doubt.”
Other cases
Is “undoubtedly” separated by commas if it is not an introductory word? As mentioned earlier - no, if it is a question of allocation. However, this does not negate the fact that the word "undoubtedly" and the commas may appear next to the sentence. For example, in the case when the union requires it:
- It was certain that she would not agree to this adventure.
Rule Practice Exercises
As soon as we have examined this topic in detail, in the end I would like to suggest a little practice. Perhaps someone wants to consolidate knowledge and test themselves. Below is a small exercise on the rule of separation of introductory words. After the exercise, the keys to it are given.
Place missing punctuation marks.
1. Probably it was his brother - they were very much alike.
2. For a long time we circled through the forest in the dark, wading through branches, and of course, we eventually got lost.
3. Indeed, the sunset was at sea was incomparable.
4. Her unwillingness to make contact was evident.
5. Maxim, of course, is a good guy, but it’s painfully cocky.
6. Such a combination of circumstances was likely.
8. At the end of May, it may get colder.
9. Due to the large amount of precipitation, flooding is possible.
10. The landlord was obviously of a different opinion.
11. The new job really occupied him.
12. Were you not right at the last meeting?
13. We must not take risks - this is undeniable.
14. Over the past few years, she has apparently grown stout.
15. He faithfully served the king all his life.
16. Undoubtedly, she possessed an innate ability for foreign languages.
17. Katerina undoubtedly says everything very correctly.
18. He apparently realized that he had said something wrong.
19. It will take years to master this skill, which is absolutely certain.
20. That's why probably nothing comes of me.
21. The doctor thought clearly, not knowing what to answer.
22. It is likely that nothing will work out for us, but it's worth a try.
The keys
1. It was probably his brother - they were very much alike.
2. We circled the forest for a long time in the dark, wading through the branches, and, of course, eventually got lost.
3. Indeed, the sunset was at sea was incomparable.
4. Her unwillingness to make contact was evident.
5. Maxim, of course, the guy is not bad, but painfully cocky.
6. Such a combination of circumstances was likely.
8. At the end of May, it may get colder.
9. Due to the large amount of precipitation, flooding is possible.
10. The landlord was obviously of a different opinion.
11. The new job really occupied him.
12. You really were not at the last meeting?
13. We must not take risks - this is undeniable.
14. Over the past few years, she has apparently grown stout.
15. He faithfully served the king all his life.
16. Undoubtedly, she possessed an innate ability for foreign languages.
17. Katerina, undoubtedly, says everything very correctly.
18. He apparently realized that he had said something wrong.
19. It will take years to master this skill, which is absolutely certain.
20. That's why, probably, nothing comes out of me.
21. The doctor thought, obviously not knowing what to answer.
22. It is likely that nothing will work out for us, but it's worth a try.