Before we delve into the question of what questions the definition in Russian answers, let's briefly examine what it is.
What Syntax does
The world around us consists of elementary particles, the language repeats this model: a word consists of sounds denoted by letters in letters, sounds are combined into morphemes, and those into words. Words make up phrases and sentences, being, in turn, the “smallest particles” of syntactic constructions. Syntax is a section of linguistics that studies how phrases and sentences are organized. In his “possessions”, parts of speech — nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs and others — receive their roles and purposes. There are only five roles in the "theater" of syntax: two main (subject and predicate) and three minor (circumstance, addition and definition). Answers questions and emphasizes each member of the proposal in his own way.
Meaning, questions, types and ways of expressing a definition
In the sentence, it characterizes the characteristic of the subject. Which one? Which the? Whose? - these are the questions the definition answers. It can be of two types: agreed and inconsistent. It depends on the type of connection with the word that it characterizes.
Definition agreed
In the proposal for this role may apply:
- Adjectives: affectionate kitten.
- Communion: cooling tea.
- Ordinary numerals: first flight.
- The quantitative numeral is "one": she is looking for one answer.
- Pronoun adjectives (except for her, him, them): my bonfire is melting in the fog.
- A noun that can vary in numbers: footprints of a hare.
There will be no doubt if we see how each of the listed parts of speech is likened to a defined word in number, case and gender (for singular), what it means and what questions it answers.
Definition inconsistent
It is associated with the word that characterizes in two ways: adjacency and control. Inconsistent definitions are expressed in the following parts of speech:
- Noun in the nominative case: Hotel California.
- A noun in indirect cases with a preposition: a staircase made of marble.
- A noun in indirect cases without an excuse: a sponge with a bow.
- Adjective immutable: Baroque building.
- An adjective of comparative degree: our city is more beautiful than someone else's.
- Adverb: bulging eyes.
- Undefined verb: danger of dropping out of school.
- The possessive pronouns “him, her, them”: to see his face, read her book, go into their house.
- Phraseologism: it is such that you can’t drive up to it on a crooked goat.
- Not a syntactic phrase: a man of average height, a child of about seven.
As you can see, in this case too, there is no doubt about what questions are answered by the definition expressed by the above tokens by means of control and adjacency. These are all the same questions: “which?” or "whose?"
What is an application?
This is a definition expressed by a noun that characterizes the subject with another word. This method makes our language richer and more expressive. Examples: a birch-candle grew on the porch; the child was baptized by father Athanasius; Vasnetsov, the great Russian painter, created at the turn of the century; Chekhov's play Cherry Orchard; I live in the city of Perm; My favorite publication is Novaya Gazeta.
What are stand-alone definitions
Separation refers to punctuation in writing and intonation in oral speech as some fragments of a sentence. Separate as definitions can:
- Communions and adjectives, if they are after the word being defined: the girl, dressed up and perfumed, stood in the doorway. In the night, sweet and languid, the nightingale sings.
- Communions and adjectives with dependent words after the word being defined: a forest, stitched with threads of the sun, beckoned me. The boy who ran out to meet me instantly disappeared around the corner.
Definitions that are placed before the defined word are not isolated: the dressed-up and perfumed girl stood in the doorway. The boy who jumped out to meet me instantly disappeared around the corner.
Homogeneous definitions are also distinguished as a general rule for homogeneous members, that is, if they refer to the same definable word, answer one question and are expressed in one part of speech.
A separate definition answers the questions that are characteristic of this minor member of the sentence, namely: “which?”, “Whose?”, “Which?”.
Summarize what was said
So, a definition is one of the minor members of a sentence. It can be expressed in different parts of speech and syntactic constructions. It is easy to remember which questions a definition answers, since it always indicates a sign of an object. Characterizing something, we describe a phenomenon or object in terms of what it is and whose.