Without definitions explaining the property and quality of the subject, human speech would be “dry” and uninteresting. Everything that has an attribute in sentences is conveyed using definitions. It is the description of objects that creates our knowledge about him and his attitude to him: a delicious fruit, a bitter experience, a beautiful person, a white and fluffy rabbit, etc. Similar explanations characterizing objects help to better understand them.
The concept of homogeneous members
For a greater disclosure of the content of the proposal or to enhance any part of it, homogeneous members of the sentences are often used. They answer one question and explain the same member of the proposal or relate to it. Homogeneous members are completely independent and are connected in the sentence either by enumerative intonation or by compositional unions. Rarely can they be connected by subordinate unions that convey the meaning of the concession or the reasons for what is happening.
For instance:
- The film was long (concession), although interesting.
- The first yellow leaf fell and lay softly on the grass (the “what did you do?” Leaf fell and lay down — homogeneous predicates defining the subject).
- In the pencil case were red, blue, black and green pens (uniform definitions characterize the subject).
- The meeting was sluggish and uninteresting (homogeneous circumstances characterize the quality of the subject).
All members of a sentence, both secondary and main, can equally be homogeneous. Difficulties in placing punctuation marks often raise doubts about their uniformity. To know when commas are needed and when not, you need to understand what distinguishes between homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions.
Definitions heterogeneous and homogeneous
Homogeneous are definitions that relate to one member of a proposal or that characterize it and answer one question. Commas are placed between the homogeneous definitions, since they describe an object from one side or list its varieties, for example:
- The first tulips bloomed in the flowerbed - red, yellow, pink and variegated (uniform definitions characterize the subject from only one side - by color).
- The bench was under a tall, thick oak tree and set to rest in its shadow (uniform definitions list the qualities of the supplement).
- Tall, brick houses were the hallmark of this area (definitions that are after the word being defined are usually uniform).
Inhomogeneous definitions give a description of an object from different angles, characterizing it by its various qualities.
This is what distinguishes homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions. Examples have shown that homogeneous are divided according to the characteristics and conditions that they characterize. Also they are characterized by enumerative intonation.
Inhomogeneous Definitions
By the method of expression of features and by place in the sentence, it is possible to separate homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions.
To heterogeneous include:
- Definitions that characterize or reveal the properties of an object from different angles. At the same time, its various qualities can be listed - shape, color, width, height, material, etc. For example: a long black scarf was wrapped several times around the neck (definitions indicate the length and color of the item).
- Definitions consisting of a combination of qualitative and relative adjectives. For example: a girl took off her red woolen mitt from her hand and stroked a kitten (“red” - a quality adjective that characterizes the color, “wool” - relative, indicating the material).
- Definitions represented by high-quality adjectives in different semantic groups. For example: his cheerful green eyes squinted (two qualitative adjectives characterize the word being defined from different angles).
Another feature that distinguishes between homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions (examples clearly demonstrate this) is the absence of enumerating intonation when they reveal their various properties in objects.
The main signs of uniformity
To determine what kind of definitions in a sentence belong to, one should know what particular attributes of an object they can characterize. The section “Homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions” (Grade 8) gives the main features indicating homogeneity:
- enumeration of the qualities of various objects: aspen decorated with yellow, purple and red foliage, birch - golden (definitions characterize foliage different in color);
- disclosure of the signs of an object, on the one hand, or a state: warm, quiet, unhurried rain rustled through the foliage (uniform definitions convey the state of rain);
- each following definition reveals or supplements the meaning of the previous one: every September, the forest transforms briefly, acquiring a special, bright, unique look (the following definition reveals the meaning of the previous one);
- between the definitions you can substitute a union and: on the table lay pencil, ink sketches (pencil and ink sketches);
- when they convey different signs of an object, united in a common context by a single property: inflamed red eyes (red due to inflammation);
- when they stand after the word being defined: we immediately looked at ourselves a furry, tall, slender tree (the word “Christmas tree” is defined), followed by definitions describing it);
- when this secondary member of the sentence is an adjective and the participle following it : the fragrant, toasted loaf was taken out of the stove.
Punctuation marks in a sentence are also distinguished by uniform and heterogeneous definitions. With homogeneous minor terms, they are always put.
Punctuation marks with uniform definitions
It is important to correctly determine whether or not to use punctuation when there are homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions in a sentence. A lesson (Grade 8) devoted to this topic gives the following examples of placing commas:
- When homogeneous definitions are expressed by a single adjective and the participle following it, a comma is placed between them: the son handed his mother a large bouquet of wildflowers that he had collected.
- When they list the signs of various objects, for example: red, yellow, orange, blue flowers painted by children on a gray fence, made it festive.
- When different properties of one subject are listed, indicating one of its properties: cold, hard balls of ice cream were of different colors.
- When all homogeneous definitions refer to the same word and you can make an alliance between them and: he answered with an honest, calm look (honest and calm look).
- When they are located immediately after the defined word: he saw the girl graceful, fragile, tender.
- When they list the synonymous properties of an object in a single context: a stormy, roaring, deafening storm erupted.
- When there are signs due to mutual dependence: strong, lingering rain (lingering because it is strong).
Commas are not put if homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions are separated by a conjugative union and. For example: red and yellow balls (uniform definitions); the house was large and stone (heterogeneous definitions).
Additional signs of uniformity and heterogeneity
In addition to the main ones, there are additional signs indicating that the definitions are homogeneous. This is characteristic of either poetic forms associated with the requirements of rhyme, or terminology. In such speech constructions, the definitions, even those standing after the subject they define, can be undetectable. For instance:
- Hello, clear autumn days.
- Winter late-ripe grapes.
- Electric bridge crane.
Homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions (exercises confirm this) can pass from one quality to another. For example, when one definition is faced by another, which makes up a single phrase with the subject: a long train.
A special kind of definition
A particular variety includes definitions that link explanatory relationships. In this case, it is easy to determine where the homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions are. The test for their difference consists in substituting the unions "namely" and "that is."
- A completely different, interesting time has come (another, namely interesting).
- The play received a new, original sound (new, that is, original).
Between homogeneous definitions connected by explanatory conditions, a comma is placed.
Note
As the rules show, they may have exceptions or notes, which confirms the study of the topic “homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions”. A lesson in grade 11 introduces students to a note on this topic. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions tend to change the meaning of a sentence, for example:
- New yellow taxis appeared on the streets of the city (the former were not yellow).
- New yellow taxis appeared on the streets of the city (the number of yellow taxis increased).
In the first example, the emphasis is that taxis in the city turned yellow. In the second, among the yellow taxis, new cars appeared.
Double punctuation
Depending on what intonation the speaker uses, in some phrases the definition following the first may not be uniform, but explanatory. For instance:
- New proven methods led to the result (before that there were no such methods).
- New, tested methods have led to the result (previous methods have not been tested).
In the second example, you can substitute the unions “that is” and “namely”, so a comma is put and the intonation changes.