Students junior classes After a short explanation, teachers can easily determine which sentences contain homogeneous constructions. In the Russian language there are homogeneous members that perform the function of listing the types, properties or qualities of an object or action. However, if only this were the whole wisdom, then there would be nothing to teach beyond the 4th grade.
Similar constructions in the Russian language have many morphological manifestations and syntactic functions, which need to be familiarized with gradually. You should start with elementary rule, what it is.
Homogeneous members are word forms that answer the same questions and have a direct connection with the word they refer to.
The clearing was surrounded on all sides by centuries-old oaks, pines, and spruces. To the words “oaks”, “pines”, “firs” you need to ask a question from the phrase “was surrounded”. They are closely related. Since this is a predicate, for convenience and better understanding you can pronounce the whole grammatical basis. The clearing was surrounded by (what?) oaks, (what?) pine trees, (what?) spruce trees.
Sculptural images of rhinoceroses, giraffes, lions, crocodiles, antelopes and other animals that inhabited Africa were built into the walls of this gray castle-like house.
In prose literary texts there are often sentences with 2-3 rows of homogeneous members that depend on one or different words.
Mentally, we have already died many times from fever or from wounds for log walls fort, listening to the buzz of a single bullet, inhaling the smell of wet poisonous grass, looking with inflamed eyes into the black velvet sky, where the Southern Cross was burning. (K. Paustovsky).
Which parts of the sentence can be called homogeneous:
- main (subjects, predicates);
- secondary (definitions, additions, circumstances).
The main thing is that they remain equal and perform the same function, relate to the same member and respond to the same question:
- subject: “From the open window of spring, larks, nightingales, blackbirds, and cuckoos scattered in all directions. Older children, teenagers, schoolchildren and even kids gathered in the schoolyard.”
- predicates: “The trees groaned, bent, cracked and broke from the strong, powerful wind.”
- definition: “A bright, colorful picture opened before my eyes, consisting of red, yellow, blue, emerald patches.”
- additions: “It was scary place, a haven for thieves and beggars."
- circumstances: 1. The mother looked at her daughter joyfully, kindly, with tenderness. 2. Claudia admired Ivan’s courage, courage and endurance. 3. He walked, despite the fatigue and nervous shock he had experienced.
The last group is more expanded due to the many types of circumstances and ways of expressing them. There may also be separate homogeneous circumstances, expressed in such cases they consist of several words.
"Having finished reading last words and putting the letter aside, Afanasy began to think about a plan of action.”
Useful video: what are homogeneous members of a sentence?
Offers
The above-mentioned complicating words and phrases occur very often in sentences of varying complexity, dependence, subordination, etc. Simple sentences with homogeneous members are very common; with their help, they expand, clarify, and detail the space of descriptions. Everything spoke of the approach of autumn: cool sunrises, cold winds, withering grass. Under the bushes, near old stumps, near fallen trees, the brown caps of honey mushrooms glistened joyfully everywhere.
Complex sentences with homogeneous members can have two, three or several homogeneous rows:
- grammatical basics. 1. Sveta and Alena weeded the beds and watered the cabbage to free mom from the evening chores and give her the opportunity to relax in the company of her friends. 2. The river seethed, foamed, drove unusually high waves, and people standing on the shore rejoiced and admired its greatness.
- minor members. They are embedded in syntactic constructions regardless of the location of the stem and are separated from each other by words.
“Boris brought flowers and immediately put them in a vase, and Natasha set the table, laid out cutlery and napkins.”
It is important to know! Do not overload or complicate sentences. A complex sentence with 3-4 rows of homogeneous members is difficult to understand when reading.
Homogeneous members of a sentence: rules
Selection
How to emphasize when analyzing sentences that relate to one thing - the main thing. According to the established order, subjects are underlined by one line, predicates - by two parallel lines. Definitions are highlighted with wavy continuous lines, additions are highlighted with a dotted line, and circumstances are emphasized with a dotted line.
In this case, each word is highlighted separately.
Many schoolchildren know how to identify such members of a sentence without asking questions. Younger children can easily navigate sentences listing objects and phenomena. A clue is the presence large quantity words belonging to one part of speech, connected by non-union connections or coordinating conjunctions.
They characterize the main defined word on the one hand (by color, smell, location...).
What are homogeneous secondary members of a sentence, look in the table.
| Syntactic members | Questions answered | Underline | Examples |
| Main | |||
| Subject | Who? What? | Straight line | Maples, birches and even oaks were chipped by strong winds. |
| Predicate | What is he doing? (predicate), What will he do? Who is it? | Two straight parallel lines | The people were at first numb at the news of the victory, and then began to rejoice, sing, and dance. |
| Minor | |||
| Which? Whose? (varies by gender and number) | Wave | The factory offers wooden, metal, glass, and stone countertop options. | |
| Add-ons | Answer all questions about indirect cases. | Dotted line | Lena managed to look at the paintings, photographs and crafts in the closet in the apartment. Mothers anxiously asked about their sons, daughters, and simply about their acquaintances who were caught in the epicenter of the explosion. |
| Circumstances | Where? Where? For what? When? How? Why? | Dotted line | And in winter, and in summer, and in the puddles by the stream, my childhood will run. The car turned left, then right. |
It also shows what questions the homogeneous members of the sentence answer.
Examples of sentences with homogeneous members:
- Kira spoke German, English and Chinese well, but with a slight accent.
- When night descended on the earth, covering everything with wide black wings, the lights came on in the house and long, interesting conversations were held.
- Victor was reminded of the distant past by a children's swing, a sandbox, and a playground with a horizontal bar.
- The corida began in the morning and lasted until late at night, when torches, lamps, lanterns and small lamps were already lit.
Schemes for connecting homogeneous members
Functions in speech
Why are homogeneous members needed in a sentence? These syntactic components have enormous potential. They are designed to perform stylistic functions. In literature they are used as a means of depicting complete pictures from details. In contact with
In order to make it easier to convey to the listener the meaning of what was said, homogeneous members of the sentence are used in the Russian language. Compare: “The shady forest calls to the traveler. The shady forest beckons the traveler. The shady forest promises coolness.” Or the same thing, but presented in one sentence: “The shady forest calls, beckons the traveler and promises coolness.”
A sentence with homogeneous predicates, examples of which you will see in this article, helps to simplify the semantic load, while eliminating the need to pile up several syntactic structures in the text.
Features of the composition of simple sentences
You probably know what simple sentences differ from complex ones. The former have only one, which, as a rule, includes a subject and a predicate (or one of these members). And complex sentences can have two or more such stems.
But in addition to the above-mentioned ways of expressing thoughts in the Russian language, there are also so-called complicated constructions. That is, those that include, for example, homogeneous members. This means that a simple sentence with homogeneous predicates “This lecture is interesting and informative” is not entirely simple. In Russian grammar it will be considered complicated.
By the way, there is still a complication with introductory words or sentences, as well as isolations, appeals, etc. We will focus on the first version of complicated constructions.
Basic signs of homogeneity for members of a sentence
But before we start discussing homogeneous subjects and predicates, let's remember general rules, relating to all members of the sentence.
The main sign of homogeneity for both the main and secondary members of any sentence is that in this construction they will be equal, performing one syntactic function, referring to one member in the sentence and, accordingly, answering the same question.
Between them, regardless of the part of speech, there is either a coordinating or non-union syntactic connection, emphasizing their equality. The first is expressed, as a rule, using the intonation of enumeration, and the non-union connection is expressed only intonation.
What predicates can be homogeneous
And minor members, and in the Russian language, becoming a number of homogeneous ones, nevertheless can have dependent words(however, the same applies to minor members). For example: “The girl looked out the window and sighed.” In this sentence there are two homogeneous predicates (looked and sighed), but the first of them is extended by an addition (to the window), and the second has no dependent words.
Most often, all homogeneous members of a sentence - predicate, subject or others - belong to one part of speech, but there are also constructions in which they can belong to different grammatical classes, expressed by phraseological units or phrases.
For example, in the sentence “Andrey joked and laughed to tears,” the predicates are expressed by the verb (joked) and (laughed to tears), which does not prevent them from being homogeneous.
How a series of homogeneous members is grammatically arranged
To grammatically combine homogeneous members in a sentence, both enumerative intonation and conjunctions are used. The latter can be connective (and, yes), adversative (a, but), and also divisive (or, or). In the example “She either talks on the phone or runs to her friends,” the main member of the sentence is the predicate - connected by the disjunctive conjunction “or”. And in the example: “This boy is small but smart” connects them adversarial union"But".
Comma between homogeneous subjects and predicates
Main punctuation rule when writing homogeneous members of a sentence, a comma is placed between them in the absence of conjunctions. They are no exception homogeneous predicates. Examples “The rain whispered, lulled, evoked languor”, “Under the sun the drops sparkled, shimmered and seemed silver” confirm this.
But notice that in the second sentence, between two of the three predicates there is a coordinating conjunction “and”, which eliminates the comma. True, this is only possible if it is not repeated, otherwise you will have to pay attention to the subtleties.
When to use a comma in sentences with repeated conjunctions
In the construction “And his hands, and his face, and his clothes were covered with a thick layer of soot,” homogeneous subjects are connected by a repeated conjunction “and,” and this case already requires a comma to be placed between them.
In a situation where a union breaks homogeneous members into semantic pairs, each of them is taken as a single component from a homogeneous series: “Squeals and screams, laughter and the stomping of feet were heard through the open window and beckoned into the courtyard.”
Please note that homogeneous subjects and predicates in this construction are connected in different ways: the subjects “squealing and screaming”, “laughter and stomping” are collected in pairs, and there is a comma between them. And between the predicates “were heard” and “beckoned” there is a coordinating conjunction, so a comma is not needed there.
A comma is also placed in sentences where homogeneous members are connected by so-called double conjunctions (not only..., but also...; not so much... as...; if not..., then..., etc.).
Please note that in the sentence “The snow covered not only the lawn in front of the house, but also hung on the trees like a white blanket” and similar ones, the comma in the double conjunction is placed before its second part.
Comma in sentences with several rows of homogeneous members
A sentence with homogeneous predicates (you can see examples in the article) in some cases has several rows of homogeneous members. They must be distinguished from constructions where there is only one such row, and there are repeating conjunctions between homogeneous members.
In the sentence “In this house a cat and a dog lived peacefully and did not quarrel” there are 2 rows of homogeneous members (the subjects are “the cat and the dog”, as well as the predicates “they lived and did not quarrel”). They are united in pairs by the connecting conjunction “and”, but are not used in this construction.
Sentences with homogeneous predicates: examples of colons for the main members of a sentence
Sentences, regardless of the part of speech in which they are expressed, may contain words that have a general meaning and are equally related to each lexical unit from this series. For example, in the sentence “Fruits were piled on the counter in bright heaps: apples, pears, plums and peaches,” the generalizing word “fruit” carries a generic concept.
If a simple sentence with homogeneous predicates or other members of the sentence includes a colon after it. When reading, as a rule, there is a pause at this point: “Mom managed to do everything: cook dinner, do the laundry, wipe the dust and sing songs.”
By the way, the generalizing word always turns out to be the same member of the sentence as the homogeneous members associated with it, since they have the same syntactic function.
Examples of dashes for main parts of a sentence
If a homogeneous series ends with a generalizing word, then it is separated by a dash: “Milk, berries, and mushrooms - everything in the village seemed especially tasty.” “Her thin hands, curls at her temples, even the flowers on her dress - everything aroused delight and seemed beautiful” - homogeneous predicates here are separated from homogeneous subjects of a dash, since they are followed by a generalizing word.
Together with a generalizing word, an introductory word can also be used (that is, in one word, namely, somehow, etc.), then a comma is placed between them: “No fleeting glances, no sudden blush, no sighs - in a word, nothing did not escape his attentive eyes.”
Some cases when a dash is placed
A dash for homogeneous members can appear not only in the case of enumeration. So, if homogeneous predicates carry a sharp semantic opposition of one in relation to another or a sudden addition, a dash is placed between them: “I went out into the garden - and froze when I saw a squirrel on the roof of the gazebo.” The dash in such sentences emphasizes the surprise, the suddenness of the action: “The prince met Cinderella and immediately fell in love with her.”
By the way, if homogeneous members do not have unions with each other, but at the same time express opposition, they are also separated by a dash: “He is light - he is darkness, he is faith - he is unbelief.”
How to recognize heterogeneous and homogeneous predicates: examples
If words are used in a sentence to emphasize the multiplicity of objects, the duration of an action or its repetition, such members of the sentence belong to homogeneous ones.
Please note: “We sailed, sailed, sailed in a thick, impenetrable fog.” The predicate in the Russian language in this construction is considered as a single member of the sentence.
Parts of a compound predicate, which is expressed by a combination of verbs (I’ll go rest, let me look, take it and complain, etc.), cannot be homogeneous members. A construction with them cannot be considered as a sentence with homogeneous predicates.
Examples of sentences with phraseological units (neither give nor take, neither fish nor fowl, and laughter and sin, etc.) are classified according to the same criteria.
In Russian, there are often sentences with words that answer the same question and belong to the same part of speech.
The concept of a homogeneous member of a sentence
Such words in a sentence perform the same function, have equivalent meaning and are connected to each other by intonation and coordinating connection. Such members of a sentence in Russian are called homogeneous. Examples of homogeneous members of a sentence:
The old green poplars rustled, groaned, and moved alarmingly. In this sentence, the homogeneous members are predicates.
The green forest rustled incessantly, evenly. In this sentence, the homogeneous members are circumstances.
Let's analyze what the main features of homogeneous members are. Firstly, they all have the same involvement in the main word with which they are directly associated. There are exceptions in which homogeneous members of the sentence do not belong to this part of speech.
For example:
I like to walk slowly, with stops.
Punctuation: homogeneous members and connecting conjunctions
Connecting conjunctions in sentences with homogeneous members are most often represented by the conjunctions “and this, and that”, “and neither, and nor”, “also, too”, “not only..., but also”.
Before conjunctions that connect homogeneous members of a sentence, a comma should be placed in three cases:
1. With a dividing and single connecting union of homogeneous members of a sentence. For example:
1.1. Crucians and carps splashed in the pond.
1.2. In the pine forest you can see a woodpecker or a squirrel.
2. If conjunctions combine several pairs of homogeneous members of a sentence. For example: Uncle Vanya’s collection included many daggers and knives, guns and pistols, decorated with stones.
3. If homogeneous members are connected to each other by repeated unions, and thus form stable combination. For example: Aunt gave us a lot of multi-colored flags: red, green, and yellow.
Notes. It should be remembered that in some cases, combinations with double conjunctions and homogeneous members of the sentence can be confused. This is the most common mistake among students. Examples of sentences with combinations with double conjunctions:
I like to walk quietly in the forest, with stops.
Vivid examples of combinations with double conjunctions, which are often falsely attributed to homogeneous members of a sentence, are laughter and sin, neither fish nor fowl, etc.
Heterogeneity relations are often found in adjectives - a large leather bag, a small glass glass.
In sentences with homogeneous members, homogeneous words most often describe the dynamics of this action, the qualitative characteristics of one object. If homogeneous members have increased expressiveness, they form a series of epithets.
In some sentences we come across words that are repeated. It is important to know that they are not homogeneous members of the sentence. Example: Spring was waiting, nature was waiting. The word “waited” is repeated in this sentence two times solely to emphasize the importance of the upcoming event. Such and similar words are considered in Russian as one member of a sentence.
Simple sentences with a complex structure are diverse. They may contain:
1) homogeneous members;
2) separation;
3) introductory words and sentences and plug-in structures;
4) appeals.
Here we consider the complication of the sentence structure by homogeneous members.
§1. Homogeneous members of the sentence
Homogeneous members- these are members of a sentence associated with the same word and answering the same question. They have equal rights, do not depend on each other and are one and the same member of the sentence. They are connected to each other by a coordinating or non-conjunctive syntactic connection.
Coordinating connection expressed intonationally and with the help of coordinating conjunctions: single or repeated. The non-union connection is expressed intonationally.
I like ice cream.
I love ice cream, chocolate, cookies and cakes.
Laughing girls ran into the room.
(simple two-part extended sentence)
Cheerful, laughing, squealing, screaming girls ran into the room.
(a simple two-part extended sentence, complicated by homogeneous members)
Any member of a sentence can be expressed by a number of homogeneous members. Subjects, predicates, additions, definitions and circumstances can be homogeneous.
There were boys, girls and their parents in the hall.
(boys, girls and their parents- homogeneous subjects)
The girl is well-mannered and well educated.
(well-mannered and educated- homogeneous predicates)
I loved books, construction sets and cartoons.
(books, construction sets, cartoons- homogeneous additions)
We spent all our days in the forest or on the river.
(in the forest, on the river- homogeneous circumstances)
It was a clear, hot, truly summer day.
(clear, hot, summer - homogeneous definitions)
Most often, homogeneous members of a sentence are expressed by words of one part of speech, but such homogeneous members are also possible that are expressed by words of different parts of speech, phrases and phraseological units. That is, homogeneous members can be grammatically formatted differently.
The girl answered the exam smartly, intelligently, and in beautiful language.
(homogeneous circumstances expressed by adverbs smartly, smartly and noun phrase beautiful language)
Due to the sudden downpour, we were soaked to the skin and frozen.
(homogeneous predicates, expressed by phraseological units soaked to the skin and verb frozen)
Complication by homogeneous members can be introduced into a sentence in different ways and be differently arranged punctually.
Homogeneous members of a sentence, as mentioned above, form a combination of words based on the coordinating and/or non-union communications. If these are minor members of the sentence, then the connection with the words on which they depend is subordinate.
Homogeneous members in oral speech are designed intonationally, and in written speech punctuationally.
One sentence can have several rows of homogeneous members.
Masha, Seryozha and Petya were sitting around the table in the dining room and drawing.
(Masha, Seryozha and Petya- homogeneous subjects - 1st row of homogeneous members)
(sat and drew- homogeneous predicates - 2nd row of homogeneous members)
§2. Sentences with a generalizing word with homogeneous members
Rows of homogeneous members may have words with a general meaning that relate to all the words of the row. This generalizing words. The generalizing word is the same member of the sentence as the homogeneous members related to it.
Generalizing words are words that mean:
- generic and specific concepts:
The room contained simple furniture: old sofa, table, two chairs.
(general word - furniture);
- words: All, All, Always, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere and others, conveying the idea of universality:
Things were scattered everywhere: on the floor, on chairs, on the bed, on the table.
In a sentence, generalizing words can appear either before or after series of homogeneous members. Compare with the example above:
On the floor, on chairs, on the bed, on the table - things were scattered everywhere.
The punctuation of sentences depends on the place that generalizing words occupy.
§3. Distinguishing homogeneous and heterogeneous definitions
If several definitions refer to the same subject or object, this does not mean that you necessarily have a series of homogeneous definitions. There are also heterogeneous definitions. What is their difference?
Homogeneous definitions characterize an object on one side, according to one characteristic, for example, by size, color, shape, material. Heterogeneous definitions characterize an object from different angles, according to different characteristics.
A cheerful, loudly laughing girl ran into the room.
(cheerful, laughing- homogeneous definitions expressing mood, state)
A small girl laughing loudly ran into the room.
(small and laughing- heterogeneous definitions)
There were red, orange and yellow flowers in the vase.
(red, orange and yellow- homogeneous definitions denoting common feature- color)
There were large red fragrant flowers in the vase.
(large, red, fragrant- adjectives denoting different characteristics: color, shape, smell; these are heterogeneous definitions)
Definitions expressed by different parts of speech are also heterogeneous, for example:
At the end of November the first light snow fell.
(words first And easy refer to different parts speeches: first- numeral, easy- adjective; they do not form a series of homogeneous members)
Test of strength
Find out your understanding of this chapter.
Final test
Is it true that homogeneous members are members of a sentence associated with the same word and answering the same question?
Are homogeneous members of a sentence equal?
Is it true that homogeneous members are connected by a subordinating relationship?
Are sentences with several rows of homogeneous members possible?
Is the number of homogeneous members limited?
Is it true that homogeneous members cannot be connected by coordinating conjunctions?
What is the name of a word with a general meaning that homogeneous members can have?
- general word
- appeal
- circumstance
Is a generalizing word always the same member of a sentence as the homogeneous members related to it?
Dry yellow autumn leaves rustled underfoot..?
- homogeneous definitions
- heterogeneous definitions
What are the definitions in the sentence: The bushes under the window were covered with red, yellow, and orange leaves.?
- homogeneous definitions
- heterogeneous definitions
Incorrect punctuation is one of the typical mistakes allowed in written speech. The most complex punctuation rules usually include the placement of commas in sentences where there are heterogeneous or homogeneous definitions. Only a clear understanding of their features and differences helps make the entry correct and readable.
What is the definition?
This is a minor member of a sentence, denoting a sign, property or quality of an object denoted by a noun. Most often expressed by an adjective ( white scarf), participle ( running boy), pronoun ( our house), ordinal number ( second number) and answers the questions "which one?" "whose?". However, there may be cases of use as a definition of a noun ( checkered dress), a verb in the infinitive form ( dream of being able to fly), adjective in simple comparative degree (an older girl appeared), adverbs ( Hard boiled egg).
What are homogeneous members
Definition this concept is given in syntax and concerns the structure of a simple (or predicative part of a complex) sentence. Homogeneous members are expressed by words of the same part of speech and the same form, depending on the same word. Therefore, they will respond to general question and perform the same syntactic function in a sentence. Homogeneous members are connected with each other by a coordinating or non-union connection. It should also be noted that their rearrangement within a syntactic structure is usually possible.
Based on the above rule, we can say that homogeneous definitions characterize an object on the basis of common (similar) features and qualities. Consider the sentence: “ In the garden, white, scarlet, burgundy buds of roses that had not yet bloomed proudly towered over their fellow flowers." The homogeneous definitions used in it denote color, and therefore characterize the object according to the same characteristic. Or another example: " Soon, low, heavy clouds hung over the city sweltering from the heat." In this sentence, one feature is logically connected to another.
Video on the topic
Heterogeneous and homogeneous definitions: distinctive features
This question often causes difficulties. To understand the material, let’s take a closer look at what features each group of definitions has.
Homogeneous | Heterogeneous |
Each definition refers to one word being defined: " The cheerful, uncontrollable laughter of children was heard from all sides.» | The closest definition refers to the noun, and the second to the resulting combination: “ On this frosty January morning I didn’t want to go outside for a long time.» |
All adjectives are usually qualitative: “ A beautiful, new bag hung on Katyusha’s shoulder.» | Combination qualitative adjective with a relative or with a pronoun, participle, numeral: big stone castle, my good friend, third intercity bus |
You can insert a connecting conjunction AND: “ For the craft you needed white, red,(AND) blue sheets of paper» | Cannot be used with I: “ In one hand Tatyana had an old straw hat, in the other she held a string bag with vegetables» |
Expressed by one part of speech. Exception: adjective+participial phrase or inconsistent definitions coming after a noun | Refer to different parts of speech: “ We finally waited for the first light frost(numeral+adjective) and hit the road» |
These are the main features, knowledge of which will allow you to easily distinguish between sentences with homogeneous definitions and heterogeneous ones. This means using punctuation marks correctly.
In addition, when performing syntactic and punctuation analysis of a sentence, you need to remember the following important points.
Definitions that are always the same
- Adjectives next to each other characterize an object according to one characteristic: size, color, geographical location, assessment, sensations, etc. " At the bookstore, Zakhar purchased reference books on German, Italian, and French culture in advance».
- A group of synonyms used in a sentence: they call the same feature differently. " From early morning everyone in the house was in a cheerful, festive mood caused by yesterday's news».
- Definitions that appear after the noun, with the exception of terms such as grab overhead crane. For example, in A. Pushkin’s poem we find: “ Three greyhounds are running along a boring winter road" In this case, each of the adjectives refers directly to the noun, and each definition is logically highlighted.
- Homogeneous members of a sentence represent a semantic gradation, i.e. designation of the characteristic in increasing order. " The sisters, overwhelmed by a joyful, festive, radiant mood, could no longer hide their emotions».
- Inconsistent definitions. For example: " He entered the room briskly A tall man in a warm sweater, with shining eyes, a bewitching smile».
Combination of a single adjective and participial phrase
It is also necessary to dwell on the next group of definitions. These are adjectives and participial phrases used side by side and related to the same noun. Here, punctuation depends on the position of the latter.
Definitions that correspond to the scheme “single adjective + participial phrase” are almost always homogeneous. For example, " In the distance, dark mountains towering above the forest could be seen" However, if the participial phrase is used before the adjective and refers not to the noun, but to the entire combination, the rule “punctuation marks for homogeneous definitions” does not work. For example, " Yellow leaves swirling in the autumn air smoothly fell onto the damp ground.».
One more point needs to be taken into account. Consider this example: “ Among the dense, spreading fir trees, darkened in the twilight, it was difficult to see the narrow path leading to the lake" This is a sentence with isolated homogeneous definitions expressed by participial phrases. Moreover, the first of them is located between two single adjectives and clarifies the meaning of the word “thick”. Therefore, according to the rules for the design of homogeneous members, they are distinguished in writing by punctuation marks.
Cases when a comma is not required but is preferred
- Homogeneous definitions (examples of these can often be found in fiction) denote different, but usually accompanying each other, causal features. For example, " At night,(you can insert BECAUSE) Long shadows from trees and lanterns were clearly visible in the deserted streets" Another example: " Suddenly, deafening sounds reached the old man’s ears,(BECAUSE) terrible thunderclaps».
- Sentences with epithets that give a diverse description of the subject. For example, " And now, looking at Luzhin’s big, pale face, she... was filled... with pity"(V. Nabokov). Or from A. Chekhov: “ Rainy, dirty, dark autumn has arrived».
- When using adjectives in figurative meaning(close to epithets): “ Timofey's large, fishy eyes were sad and carefully looked straight ahead».
Such homogeneous definitions - examples show this - are an excellent means of expressiveness in a work of art. With their help, writers and poets emphasize certain significant details in the description of an object (person).
Exceptional cases
Sometimes in speech you can find sentences with homogeneous definitions, expressed by a combination of qualitative and relative adjectives. For example, " Until recently, old, low houses stood in this place, but now there are new, tall ones." As shown this example, in such a case, two groups of definitions are distinguished, relating to one noun, but having the opposite meaning.
Another case concerns definitions interconnected by explanatory relationships. " Completely different sounds, alien to the boy, were heard from open window " In this sentence, after the first definition, the words “namely”, “that is” would be appropriate.
Rules for placing punctuation marks
Here everything depends on how homogeneous definitions are related to each other. Commas are used in non-union connections. Example: " A short, wrinkled, hunchbacked old woman was sitting on a chair on the porch, silently pointing to the open door." If there are coordinating conjunctions (“usually”, “and”), punctuation marks are not needed. " Women in white and blue homespun shirts peered into the distance, hoping to recognize the horseman approaching them." Thus, these sentences are subject to punctuation rules that apply to all syntactic constructions with homogeneous members.
If the definitions are heterogeneous (their examples are discussed in the table), a comma is not placed between them. The exception is sentences with combinations that allow for double interpretation. For example, " After much debate and reflection, it was decided to resort to other proven methods" In this case, everything depends on the meaning of the participle. A comma is used if “namely” can be inserted before the word “verified”.
Conclusion
Analysis of all of the above leads to the conclusion that punctuation literacy in to a greater extent depends on knowledge of specific theoretical material on syntax: what is a definition, homogeneous members of a sentence.