Declination is the change of nouns in cases and numbers. What were they installed for? How to determine the declension of nouns? This article will tell about this.
Why are declination necessary?
If all scientific works related to the Russian language are combined in one single collection, then a multivolume edition will be obtained. So, maybe you should not overload linguistics with unnecessary concepts? Therefore, before answering the question of how to determine the declension of nouns, you need to understand what its essence and meaning are. It is this category that makes it possible to understand what ending should be put in a word when changing cases.
And if it is not difficult for adults to determine this, then children often find it difficult to resolve this issue.
How to determine the declension of nouns?
There are separate signs for this. The table below will help determine the declination. It contains the distinguishing characteristics of each of the three types of nouns.
Declination |
First | Second | Third |
Kind | The ending in the nominative case | Kind | The ending in the nominative case | Kind | The ending in the nominative case |
Female, male, general | -and I | Male | Zero | Female | Zero |
Average | ooh |
Country, young man, quiet | Day, sea (exception is the way) | Joy |
So, if you need to quickly determine the declination, the table will help you.
Are there any exceptions?
The division of all nouns according to declination is a fairly reasonable theory. But is everything so smooth? The question often arises of how to determine the declension of nouns that end in –me. And what to do with the exception word "path"? Now let's figure it out. There is such a thing as dissonant nouns. They got this name due to the fact that it is impossible to apply general norms to them due to their specificity. If these nouns are put in any cases, then you can notice that in certain cases they acquire the endings of different declensions. We denote all such cases. For example, nouns ending in –my (flame, burden, udder, time, name, banner, tribe, stirrup, seed and crown), as well as the words “path” and “child”, are referred to as divergent. In addition to them, in the Russian language there are also such words that have neither the plural nor the ability to change. Such expressions are called non-declining. Most of them are words borrowed from other languages. After reviewing the table below, you can easily understand this issue.
Declined Nouns |
Borrowed words with endings –and, ––, ––, ––; -a (only if it is shock); to consonant sound | Some abbreviations | Some geographical names | Surnames with endings -enko, -; -ago, -ovo, -s, -iago, -i; consonant sound (if called female); with emphasis on the last syllable |
Potpourri, cafe, kangaroo, metro; Role; Madame | UN, STSI | Sochi, Baku | Borisenko, Shevchenko; Zhivago, Blagovo, Black, Polish; Hugo, Diderot |
Such nouns can be used in any case, but at the same time they remain unchanged.