Unions do not change, do not designate objects and phenomena, are not members of a proposal, you cannot ask questions, but without them our language is unthinkable. After all, they bind individual words into a single sentence, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into large texts.
Union as part of speech
The ranks of unions perform different service functions in speech, but all of them are intended to reveal semantic relations between the components of a sentence and independent parts of speech (numerals, verbs, nouns, adverbs, verb forms, pronouns) and are divided into several categories. Classify the ranks of the unions table or list.
Classification of unions by rank
Ranks of unions in structure:
- simple, one-word words: "or"; "a"; "and"; "However"; "but";
- compound, consisting of several words: "while"; "not only but"; "as if"; "in order to"; "in order to".
Ranks of unions by origin:
- non-derivatives that formed independently, and not from another part of speech: "however"; "or";
- derivatives that are formed from other parts of speech: "which"; "what"; "also"; "thanks."
Ranks of unions for use:
- non-repeating (or single): "same", "but", "a", "but", "however";
- repeating, they are repeated in the sentence at least twice: "yes ... yes"; "and ... and"; "or either"; "or or";
- two-component (or double), they consist of two components that connect the homogeneous parts of the sentence: "not only ... but also"; "hardly ... how"; "not so much ... how much"; "if not ... then others."
Composing and subordinate unions
Ranks of unions by value, that is, by the way of interconnecting different parts of a sentence, include categories of compositional unions and subordinate ones. Composing unions connect homogeneous, equivalent components of a sentence. Subordinates - express relationships between unequal components. Such unions not only show which part of the proposal is in a subordinate state, but also reveal the circumstances and cause-effect relationship of the events described in the text.
Ranks of Writing Unions
- Opposing unions contrast the parts: "however"; "but"; "a"; "Yes". Examples:
a) We planned to fix the crane in an hour, and spent the whole day.
b) Andrew is very tired, but continues to walk stubbornly. - Connecting unions list or connect equivalent parts of a sentence: "and": "not only ... but also"; “yes” (in the meaning of the union and); "how ... so":
a) I bought milk, a cup, a spoon and coffee.
b) We collected not only mushrooms, but also berries. - Graduation (or comparative) unions show the gradation of the semantic load of two equivalent parts of the sentence: "not only ... but also"; "both ... and"; "if not ... then":
a) I love both borsch and hodgepodge.
b) Zina is not only kind, but also smart. - Separation unions mutually exclude or separate parts: “either”; "or or"; "not that ... not that"; "or"; "or":
a) You must finally choose: either me or him.
b) Unclear weather: either rain or fog.
- Explanatory unions specify, reveal the main part of the sentence: “like that”; "both ... and"; "namely":
a) We will go to Penza itself, that is, another 150 kilometers.
b) He carried a bouquet of various wildflowers, namely: forget-me-nots, dandelions, daisies. - Connecting unions add new information to the main part, strengthen its content: "as well"; “yes and”; "and that"; "and then":
a) And they didn’t argue with me, and even then they could not convince me.
b) He swims well, and runs perfectly.
Ranks of subordinate unions
- Explanatory unions explain the relationship between the components of complex sentences: “like”; "to"; "as"; "what":
a) Catherine decided not to tell her husband yet that she had bought an expensive dress.
b) We bought a lot of strawberries to bake the original cake. - Contingent unions indicate the circumstances of the event, which are described in a complex sentence.
• Circumstances of the time: “barely”; "when"; "just"; "till":
a) It is nice when there are loving people nearby.
b) As soon as I entered the clearing, I immediately found the boletus.
• Circumstances of the place: “where”; "Where"; "from":
a) Let's go to Alushta, where the sea splashes.
b) He went down to the basement, from where strange sounds were heard.
• Purpose circumstances: “in order to”; "to"; "in order to":
a) Refused all starchy foods to lose weight.
b) He was ready to do anything to please her.
• Circumstances of the reason: “since”; "for"; "because"; “because”, “because”, “as a result of which”:
a) Viti's hands were scratched, as he recently got a playful kitten.
b) I saw the approach of a thunderstorm from afar, since I lived on the 27th floor.
• Circumstances of the investigation: “so”:
a) It was noticeably colder, so I had to get a warm jacket.
b) Because of the cyclone, all flights were canceled, so we went by train.
• Comparison: “as if”; "like"; "as"; "similar to":
a) The seller looked at me like a fierce enemy.
b) It is cold in July, like October outside the window.
• The circumstances of the concession: “let it go”; "though"; "despite the fact that"; "for free":
a) He did not insist, although he was sure of his innocence.
b) Lyuba went for a walk with her son to the beach, despite being tired in the service.
The ambiguity of unions
Unions are ambiguous, sometimes one union can belong to different categories of unions and perform several functions. For example, the union “when” can express the circumstance of time: “we left the house when it got dark”, and the circumstance of the condition: “it is difficult to agree when there is no desire to listen to the interlocutor”. The union "yes" can be connecting: "brave and daring," and opposing: "you see, but you can’t catch it." The union “how” in different sentences expresses the circumstances of comparison, time, conditions, and the union “what” has comparative, causal, and investigative meanings. But the most universal is the union of “and”, which can perform many functions: connecting, enumerating, narrative, adversarial, concessive and others.