Isolation of circumstances expressed by nouns

1. Circumstances of concession expressed by nouns with a preposition despite, are separated: 1) Despite the difference in characters and the apparent severity of Artyom, the brothers loved each other deeply. (BUT.); 2) The next morning, despite the owners' begging, Daria Alexandrovna got ready to go. (L. T.); 3) The day was hot, bright, radiant, despite the occasional rain. (T.)

2. Isolation of other circumstances expressed by nouns with prepositions is not mandatory. Isolation depends on the intentions and goals of the author, as well as the prevalence or non-prevalence of the circumstances and their place in the sentence. More common circumstances are isolated more often than less common ones; circumstances occurring at the beginning or middle of a sentence (before the predicate) are isolated more often than those at the end of the sentence: Due to the lack of a room for those arriving at the station, we were given overnight accommodation in a smoky hut. (L.) But: He didn’t go to the cinema due to lack of time. Circumstances isolated in this way are closer in meaning to subordinate clauses.

Most often, the following circumstances are isolated: 1) circumstances of reason with prepositions thanks to, according to, in view of, as a result of or with prepositional combinations for the reason, by chance, for lack of, due to etc.: I went by postal service, and he, due to heavy luggage, couldn't follow me. (L.); 2) circumstances of the condition with prepositional combinations in the presence, in the absence, provided, etc.: Yacht racing, subject to favorable weather, will take place next Sunday; 3) the circumstances of the concession with the pretext contrary to: Our parking lot is in Kamrang Bay, contrary to the expectations of many, dragged on. (New-Pr.)

§1. Separation. General concept

Separation- a method of semantic highlighting or clarification. Only minor members of the sentence are isolated. Typically, stand-outs allow you to present information in more detail and draw attention to it. Compared to ordinary, non-separated members, segregation sentences have greater independence.

The distinctions are different. Vary isolated definitions, circumstances and additions. The main members of the proposal are not isolated. Examples:

1. Separate definition: The boy, who had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position right on the suitcase, shuddered.
2. Isolated circumstance: Sashka was sitting on the windowsill, fidgeting in place and swinging his legs.
3. Isolated addition: I heard nothing except the ticking of the alarm clock.

Most often, definitions and circumstances are isolated. Isolated members of the sentence are highlighted in oral speech intonation, and in writing - punctuation.

§2. Separate definitions

Separate definitions are divided into:

• agreed upon
• inconsistent

The child, who had fallen asleep in my arms, suddenly woke up.

(agreed separate definition, expressed by participial phrase)

Lyoshka, in an old jacket, was no different from the village children.

(inconsistent isolated definition)

Agreed Definition

The agreed separate definition is expressed:

• participial phrase: The child who was sleeping in my arms woke up.
• two or more adjectives or participles: The child, well-fed and satisfied, quickly fell asleep.

Note:

A single agreed definition is also possible if the word being defined is a pronoun, for example:

He, full, quickly fell asleep.

Inconsistent definition

An inconsistent isolated definition is most often expressed by noun phrases and refers to pronouns or proper names. Examples:

How could you, with your intelligence, not understand her intention?

Olga, in her wedding dress, looked extraordinarily beautiful.

An inconsistent isolated definition is possible both in the position after and in the position before the word being defined.
If inconsistent definition refers to a defined word expressed by a common noun, it is isolated only in the position after it:

The guy in the baseball cap kept looking around.

Definition structure

The structure of the definition may vary. They differ:

• single definition: excited girl;
• two or three single definitions: girl, excited and happy;
• a common definition expressed by the phrase: a girl excited by the news she received...

1. Single definitions are isolated regardless of the position relative to the word being defined, only if the word being defined is expressed by a pronoun:

She, excited, could not sleep.

(single isolated definition after the word being defined, expressed by a pronoun)

Excited, she could not sleep.

(single isolated definition before the word being defined, expressed by a pronoun)

2. Two or three single definitions are isolated if they appear after the word being defined, expressed by a noun:

The girl, excited and happy, could not fall asleep for a long time.

If the defined word is expressed by a pronoun, then isolation is also possible in the position before the defined member:

Excited and happy, she could not fall asleep for a long time.

(isolation of several single definitions before the word being defined - pronoun)

3. A common definition expressed by a phrase is isolated if it refers to the defined word expressed by a noun and comes after it:

The girl, excited by the news she received, could not fall asleep for a long time.

(a separate definition, expressed by a participial phrase, comes after the word being defined, expressed by a noun)

If the word being defined is expressed by a pronoun, then the common definition can be in a position either after or before the word being defined:

Excited by the news she received, she could not sleep for a long time.

She, excited by the news she received, could not sleep for a long time.

Separate definitions with additional adverbial meaning

Definitions preceding the word being defined are separated if they have additional adverbial meanings.
These can be both common and single definitions, standing immediately before the defined noun, if they have an additional adverbial meaning (causal, conditional, concessional, etc.). In such cases, the attributive phrase is easily replaced subordinate clause reasons with union because, subordinate clause conditions with conjunction If, subordinate assignment with the union Although.
To check the presence of an adverbial meaning, you can use the replacement of the attributive phrase with a phrase with the word being: if such a replacement is possible, then the definition is separated. For example:

Severely ill, the mother could not go to work.

(additional meaning of reason)

Even when she was sick, the mother went to work.

(additional value of concession)

Thus, various factors are important for separation:

1) what part of speech the word being defined is expressed by,
2) what is the structure of the definition,
3) how the definition is expressed,
4) whether it expresses additional adverbial meanings.

§3. Dedicated Applications

Application- This special kind definition expressed by a noun in the same number and case as the noun or pronoun that it defines: jumping dragonfly, beauty maiden. The application could be:

1) single: Mishka, the restless one, tortured everyone;

2) common: Mishka, a terrible fidget, tortured everyone.

An application, both single and widespread, is isolated if it refers to a defined word expressed by a pronoun, regardless of the position: both before and after the defined word:

He is an excellent doctor and helped me a lot.

Great doctor, he helped me a lot.

A common application is isolated if it appears after the defined word expressed by a noun:

My brother, an excellent doctor, treats our entire family.

A single non-widespread application is isolated if the word being defined is a noun with explanatory words:

He saw his son, the baby, and immediately began to smile.

Any application is isolated if it appears after a proper name:

Mishka, the neighbor's son, is a desperate tomboy.

An application expressed by a proper name is isolated if it serves to clarify or explain:

And the neighbor’s son, Mishka, a desperate tomboy, started a fire in the attic.

The application is isolated in the position before the defined word - a proper name, if at the same time an additional adverbial meaning is expressed.

The architect from God, Gaudi, could not conceive an ordinary cathedral.

(why? for what reason?)

Application with union How is isolated if the shade of the reason is expressed:

On the first day, as a beginner, everything turned out worse for me than for others.

Note:

Single applications that appear after the word being defined and are not distinguished by intonation during pronunciation are not isolated, because merge with it:

In the darkness of the entrance, I did not recognize Mishka the neighbor.

Note:

Separate applications can be punctuated not with a comma, but with a dash, which is placed if the application is especially emphasized by voice and highlighted by a pause.

Soon New Year- children's favorite holiday.

§4. Standalone Add-ons

Objects expressed by nouns with prepositions are distinguished: except, besides, over, except for, including, excluding, instead of, along with. They contain inclusion-exclusion or substitution values. For example:

No one except Ivan knew the answer to the teacher's question.

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§6. Isolation of comparative turnovers

Comparative turnovers are distinguished:

1) with unions: How, as if, exactly, as if, What, how, than etc., if relevant:

• simile: The rain poured down as if from a sieve.
• similes: Her teeth were like pearls.

2) with a union like:

Masha, like everyone else, prepared well for the exam.

Comparative turnover is not isolated, If:

1. are of a phraseological nature:

It stuck like a bath leaf. The rain was pouring down like buckets.

2. the circumstances of the course of action matter (the comparative phrase answers the question How?, often it can be replaced with an adverb or noun in the like:

We're walking in circles.

(We walk(How?) like in a circle. You can replace noun. in etc.: all around)

3) turnover with the union How expresses meaning "as":

It's not a matter of qualifications: I don't like him as a person.

4) turnover from How is part of a compound nominal predicate or is closely related to the predicate in meaning:

The garden was like a forest.

He wrote about feelings as something very important to him.

§7. Separate clarifying members of the sentence

Clarifying members refer to the word being specified and answers the same question, for example: where exactly? when exactly? Who exactly? which one? etc. Most often, clarification is conveyed by isolated circumstances of place and time, but there may be other cases. Clarifying members can refer to the addition, definition, or main members of the sentence. Clarifying members are isolated, distinguished by intonation in oral speech, and in written speech by commas, parentheses or dashes. Example:

We stayed up late, until nightfall.

Below, in the valley stretched out in front of us, a stream roared.

The qualifying member usually comes after the qualifying member. They are connected intonationally.

Clarifying members can be introduced into a complicated sentence:

1) using unions: that is, namely:

I'm getting ready for Unified State Exam assignment C1, that is, for the essay.

2) also words: especially, even, in particular, mainly, For example:

Everywhere, especially in the living room, was clean and beautiful.

Test of strength

Find out your understanding of this chapter.

Final test

1. Is it true that isolation is a way of semantic highlighting or clarification?

2. Is it true that only minor members of the sentence are separated?

3. What can be separate definitions?

   • common and not common
   • agreed and uncoordinated

4. Are isolated definitions always expressed by participle phrases?

5. In what case are definitions standing before the word being defined isolated?

   • if an additional adverbial meaning is expressed
   • if no additional adverbial meaning is expressed

6. Is it correct to think that application is a special type of definition, expressed by a noun in the same number and case as the noun or pronoun that it defines?

7. What prepositions are used in prepositional-case combinations, which are separate objects?

   • about, in, on, to, before, for, under, over, before
   • except, besides, over, except for, including, excluding, instead of, along with

8. Is it necessary to separate gerunds and participial phrases?

9. Is it necessary to separate circumstances with a pretext? despite?

In contact with

In the Russian language there is such a thing as isolation, which is a way of clarifying and highlighting certain words in a statement. Only minor members of a sentence have the ability to be isolated, and thanks to this feature they are endowed with greater independence, unlike non-isolated ones. Such words are used to present information in more detail and highlight certain part statements. Definitions, additions and circumstances may be separate. This article will focus specifically on the circumstance and its features.

Special circumstances

First, you need to determine how an isolated circumstance differs from an ordinary one. To do this, you should remember the definition of this member of the sentence. So, a circumstance is a member of a sentence that plays a secondary role and can be expressed as a prepositional-case construction, phraseological unit, participle or phrase and infinitive. It can indicate an action performed by a person or object, the method, purpose, condition and place of action, as well as the attribute of the object about which we're talking about in a sentence. The circumstance answers great amount questions such as: where? Where? where? Why? For what? in spite of what? under what condition? An isolated circumstance, just like a simple one, can have huge number meanings, but in writing it is distinguished by commas, and in oral speech by intonation. For example: Stumbling, she could barely stay on her feet. Despite the tension, it was a beautiful day.

Participles and participial phrases

An isolated circumstance in a sentence can be expressed as a single gerund or have dependent words. In writing, such a circumstance is always highlighted with commas on both sides. It can be used regardless of the location of the grammatical basis in the sentence. For example:

• Lying on the bed, she looked at the ceiling.
• She sat in the garden, enjoying the fresh air.
• She was running around the shops, looking for a suitable outfit.

Quite often in a sentence you can find a homogeneous isolated circumstance or, in other words, several simple participles in one sentence, and they can refer to different predicates. For example:

• Laughing and jumping, she, inspired, rushed towards the wind.



Non-isolated participles

It is worth noting that circumstances expressed by gerunds or phrases may not be isolated in such cases:

1. If the participle has the meaning of an adverb. For example: Natasha closed the door and sat motionless(equivalent to the adverb motionless). The exceptions are: introductory phrases with an adverb meaning like: frankly speaking, in fact, noting in passing and others. For example: Actually, I came to talk.
2. If a gerund is part of a stable phrase or phraseological unit, it is not isolated and does not stand out in writing in any way. For example: I rush headlong towards the meeting.



Prepositional case form

Circumstances that are expressed by prepositional-case forms of nouns are isolated for semantic emphasis, explanation or specification. Most often, such an isolated circumstance is used to indicate a place, time or manner of action and depends only on the semantic load. When pronounced, it is distinguished by intonation, and when written, by commas. Wherein syntactic connection with the predicate is weakened, but along with the meaning of time, the reason for the action or in spite of what it happened is indicated. For example:

• Ivan, after receiving a decisive refusal, went home and did not leave the room for a long time, locking himself away from everyone.
• With the approach of the enemy, the boy’s gaze not only did not become more serious, but became more frivolous.

Along with case forms of nouns, expressed only by semantic load, there are often isolations using prepositions or prepositional combinations, such as: due to, despite, in spite of, thanks to, due to, as a result of, provided, in case and so on. For example:

• Despite wanting to go with him, she refused.
• Despite the rain, they went for a walk.



Punctuation marks in isolated circumstances

Sentences with isolated circumstances can cause some difficulties when written, since it is quite difficult to correctly place punctuation marks in them. And most schoolchildren, when writing down such statements, make a lot of mistakes. However, the main thing here is to learn a few simple rules, knowing which difficulties when writing a proposal can be avoided.



Punctuation rules

1. The participial phrase is always, regardless of its location in the sentence, separated by commas on both sides. (For example: She ran out into the street without putting on a hat; shuddering from the cold. He went inside the house; the girls, laughing and quietly talking, passed by unnoticed.)
2. If an adverbial phrase is used next to a conjunction, it is separated from it by a comma. Neither conjunctions nor allied words are included in it. (For example: She smiled at her friend and, jumping over the puddle, ran home.) The only exception here can be the conjunction “a”, placed before the participial phrase. In this case, the union may be included in the turnover. (For example: you need to understand what the meaning of life is, and having understood this, convey it to others.)
3. If there are several adverbial phrases following each other in a sentence, then punctuation marks between them are placed in the same way as with homogeneous members. (For example: He approached, staggering and holding the lady by the elbow with one hand, and slowly waving an umbrella with the other.)
4. If participial phrases in one sentence refer to different predicates, then each of them is separated by commas separately. (For example: Pushing the door with his foot, he jumped into the street and, not paying any attention to passers-by, rushed away.)



Exercises to reinforce the material

To consolidate the acquired theoretical knowledge, you should Special attention devote to practical exercises. That is why in school course A huge number of hours are devoted to the Russian language to consolidate such a complex topic. So, first you should learn to isolate isolated circumstances from the context orally, relying only on intonation, and then move on to written tasks. Sentences in which students are asked to read expressively, and then place commas according to intonation and explain why this punctuation mark should be there, are ideal for this. In this way, the child will learn to apply the learned punctuation rules in practice. After children learn to identify participial phrases and prepositional-case forms of nouns as isolated circumstances, the task can be complicated by offering statements with conjunctions or allied words for analysis. It should be noted that before proceeding with the definition of isolated circumstances, it is necessary to highlight the grammatical basis in the sentence. Further, the task can be complicated by presenting the children with complex compound sentences with several grammatical stems and homogeneous isolated circumstances.

The opinions of linguists about what a gerund is are divided. Some believe that it refers to a special form of the verb, others suggest that it is an independent part of speech. We will support the second option.

The participle represents independent part speech. It contains the signs of an adverb and a verb, shows when, why and how an action is performed by a predicate verb, and has an additional effect. If the participle in a sentence is not alone, but has words dependent on it, then this set of words is called an adverbial phrase. The article will tell you how and when to separate gerunds in a sentence.

What is separation?

In Russian, the concept of isolation is a way of clarifying and highlighting a certain set of words in a sentence. Only members of a sentence that are secondary can be isolated; this is how they differ from non-isolated members. Isolations are necessary so that the reader can more accurately understand the described picture of the action taking place. Not only lonely gerunds, but also participle phrases can be isolated.

Examples of single gerunds

If an isolated adverbial clause does not have dependent words in the sentence, then it is called a single gerund. When writing a sentence, this part of speech is always highlighted with commas on both sides.

The location of the gerund in a sentence can be anywhere. Here are examples of correctly separating single gerunds with commas:

1. Staring, she could not utter a word.
2. When I returned, I found my sister at home.
3. Without training, you cannot achieve success in sports.

Accordingly, the following gerunds were highlighted with a comma:

• staring;
• having returned;
• without training.

In the letter you can find several repeated participles. They are called homogeneous. At the same time, they are separated by commas and separated by this punctuation mark as separate parts of speech. Examples of such sentences:

1. Laughing, humming and spinning, Natasha hurried to her first date.
2. Chuckling and winking, Pasha closed the door.
3. She was silent, angry, but cowardly.

Homogeneous gerunds in a sentence can refer to different predicates. For example: Playing and laughing, she, inspired, rushed towards her dreams.



Separating single gerunds with commas

Isolation of single gerundial participles occurs in the following cases:

1. If the gerund plays the role of the second predicate in a sentence. Preserves the meaning of the verb. Indicates the condition, cause or time of an action, but not its image. Having run away, Marina lost her purse. After the holiday, the guests left without calming down.
2. If in your mind you can check the sentence by replacing the gerund with a verb, or make a complex one from a simple sentence. When Marina ran away, she rubbed her purse. The guests, although they did not calm down after the holiday, left.

Isolation of single gerunds does not occur if:

1. A single gerund has lost its verbal meaning or has a close connection with the predicate. Masha ran into the room without knocking. Zhenya climbed down from the tree silently and slowly.
2. If gerunds are circumstances of the manner of action and they cannot be replaced by verbs. Zhenya got down silently and took his time.
3. If a single gerund can be replaced with a noun. Masha ran into the room without knocking.

Identification of single gerunds depending on their location in a sentence

The separation of gerunds may not occur if they are at the beginning or end of the sentence, but in the middle they are separated by commas. Let's compare two sentences:

1. Tanya tried on the slippers slowly.
2. On the way, slowly, Tanya admired the flowers.

In the first sentence, the participle is not separated by commas, since it is represented by a circumstance of the manner of action. It can be replaced with the word “leisurely”.

In the second sentence, the gerund represents the adverbial reason (“since I was in no hurry”).



How is an adverbial phrase formed?

If a sentence contains a part of speech that answers the questions “by doing what?”, “by doing what?” and called a gerund, with dependent words, then this set of words is usually called a participial phrase.

In a sentence, this phrase always performs the function of an adverbial circumstance and relates to the verb, as it denotes an additional action. Additional actions are performed by the same person, phenomenon or thing that performs the main actions.

Examples of participial phrases

The separation of gerunds and participial phrases occurs regardless of where they stand in relation to the predicate verb. For example:

1. All day long, dark clouds walked across the sky, first revealing the sun, then covering it again.
2. Walking next to his mother, the baby looked at her in surprise and fascination.
3. Joy, while bringing happiness to some people, gave others inescapable grief.
4. I looked at the sunrise without taking my eyes off.
5. The baby, following his mother's hand, made the same movements.



What do you need to remember when using gerunds and participial phrases in a sentence?

The basic rules for using participial phrases when writing text are as follows:

1. Expressed by a predicate verb, the main action and the additional action, expressed by the participial phrase, must relate to one person, object or phenomenon.
2. Most often, the isolation of circumstances expressed by gerunds and participial phrases is used when writing a one-part, definitely personal sentence, as well as with a verb in the imperative mood.
3. If the sentence is impersonal in the infinitive, then it is also possible to use the participial phrase.
4. The isolation of gerunds and the isolation of circumstances are one and the same, since the gerund expresses a sign of circumstance in a sentence.

In what cases are gerunds and participial phrases not separated by commas?

Isolation of circumstances expressed by gerunds and participial phrases is not carried out if:

1. Circumstances are connected by the conjunction “and” with a non-isolated circumstance or predicate. She hated him and accepted his signs of attention. Dasha played noisily and screamed with joy.
2. Circumstances come closer to adverbs. They lose their additional meaning and acquire the value of a sign of action. This:
• gerunds that have become phraseological units (without closing your eyes, rolling up your sleeves, headlong, opening your mouth, and others). For example: Petya worked carelessly. But, rolling up her sleeves, she washed her hands in the bath. It should be remembered that phraseological introductory phrases (apparently, in other words, in fact, others) are separated by a comma.
• participles that carry the main semantic load. Without them, the predicate does not fully express the thought. This part of speech usually comes after the predicate. The “adverbiality” of these gerunds is obvious in sentences where there is a group of homogeneous members - gerunds and adverbs. For example: He answered me without embarrassment and frankly. Without being embarrassed- this is a gerund, and frankly- adverb.

Commas do not separate gerunds containing dependent word“which” in all its variations. He wanted to get rid of the letter, reading which he recalled his recent grief.



What should we distinguish from gerunds?

Isolating gerunds, many do not think that these could be adverbs or prepositions.

The following adverbs are distinguished:

• happily;
• sneaking;
• joking;
• silently;
• sitting;
• standing;
• lying down and others.

The gerunds that are the same as these words retain an additional effect. This occurs during formation and connection with other gerunds. Anya rode standing all the way. He will do this job jokingly (easy). These sentences use adverbs.

Standing at the top, Anya looked down. All the way, having fun and playing, Yana did not close her mouth. In these sentences, commas separate the participial phrase in the first sentence and homogeneous participles in the second sentence.

Prepositions include: starting from, based on. Commas are not used, since the adverbial part can be removed from the sentence and its meaning will not change. It's been snowing since night (it's been snowing since night).



Isolation of participles and gerunds: what is the difference?

Participial and adverbial phrases perform different functions in a sentence and have the following morphological differences:

1. A participial phrase or single participle refers to the word (noun or pronoun) being defined. The gerund or participial phrase is closely related to the predicate verb. In this case, the participle changes according to numbers, gender, cases, has a complete and short form, and the gerund is an unchangeable word form.
2. The participial phrase and the participle serve as a definition in a sentence, and the gerund and participial phrases act as various circumstances.
3. Participles and gerunds are distinguished by suffixes. Participles have suffixes such as -ush-(-yush-), -ash-(-yash)- -vsh-, -sh- y active participles and - om-(-em-), -im-- -enn-, -nn-, -t- for the passive. While gerunds have the following suffixes: -a-, -ya-, -uchi-, -yuchi-, -v-, -lice-, -shi-.



1. If a sentence contains a conjunction next to an adverbial phrase, they are separated by a comma. Unions are not included in circulation. For example: He smiled at his friend and, jumping over the puddle, ran home. The exception is the conjunction “a”, which comes before the participial phrase. In this case, it is included in circulation. For example: A person needs to understand what the meaning of life is, and having understood this, he will tell others.
2. If a sentence consists of several participial phrases or single participles, then commas are placed between them as when listing homogeneous members of the sentence. For example: She approached, staggering and holding her friend by the shoulder with one hand and holding the other on her belt.
3. If one sentence contains several participial phrases relating to different predicates, then each of them is separated by commas. For example: Pushing the gate with his foot, he ran out onto the road and, not paying attention to the people, rushed away.
4. The participial phrase is always separated by commas on both sides.

Isolating participles will not cause problems if you learn to correctly identify this part of speech in any sentence.

How to help your child consolidate the material he has learned?

After the child has studied the theoretical material, he should be encouraged to consolidate it with practical exercises.

Initially, children must work orally with sentences and learn to find participial phrases and single gerunds in them. After this, students should be asked to write sentences and place them. In addition, the child must explain his choice in placing commas.



After children have mastered simple sentences, you can give them sentences with conjunctions and allied words. At the same time, before finding an adverbial phrase or a single participle, the grammatical basis should be highlighted.

Complicate the task with complex compound sentences that have several grammar basics and homogeneous participial phrases.

A circumstance is a minor member of a sentence that denotes a sign of an action or other feature. The circumstances are explained by predicates or other members of the sentence. At parsing sentences of circumstance are underlined with a dotted line (dash, dot, dash). Circumstances must be separated by commas in three cases. Let's look at each of them in turn.

First case

Circumstances in sentences can be expressed in four parts of speech:

adverb, for example: The janitor gets up early;

participle or participial phrase, for example: The men, seeing the landowner, took off their hats;

infinitive, for example: Everyone went outside (why?) to clear the snow;

In addition, the circumstance can be expressed by an expression that is integral in meaning, for example: It rained for two weeks straight.

It is necessary to remember that It is necessary to highlight with commas the circumstances that are expressed by the participle or participial phrase. Compare: He sat leafing through a magazine and was bored And He was sitting on a bench. In the first sentence the circumstance leafing through a magazine stands out, since it is expressed by an adverbial phrase, and in the second, the circumstance on the bench is not isolated, since it is expressed by a noun with a preposition.

Second and third cases

According to their significance, circumstances are divided into the following main groups:

circumstances of a place that answer the questions WHERE? WHERE? WHERE? For example: We entered (where?) into the city;

circumstances of time that answer the questions WHEN? SINCE WHEN? HOW LONG? HOW LONG? For example: We waited for them for about two hours;

circumstances reasons that answer the questions WHY? FROM WHAT? FOR WHAT REASON? For example: I could not speak from fatigue;

circumstances of the goal that answer the questions WHY? FOR WHAT? FOR WHAT PURPOSE? For example: In the sanatorium everything is prepared for the treatment of vacationers;

circumstances of the manner of action and degree, answering the questions HOW? HOW? IN WHAT DEGREE? For example: I got a little thoughtful or My father did not let me go one step;

circumstances conditions that answer the question UNDER WHAT CONDITION? For example: With effort you can achieve success;

circumstances of the assignment that answer the question DESPITE WHAT? For example: The street, despite the frost, was crowded;

circumstances of comparison that answer the question HOW? For example: Her head is shorn, like a boy's.

In the classification of circumstances by meaning, one of the eight types are circumstances of comparison: they answer the question HOW? and begins with the conjunctions AS, AS WELL or AS IF. For example: She had long hair, soft like linen. In some textbooks and reference books, comparison circumstances are also called comparative turnover. It is necessary to remember that circumstances of comparison in sentences are separated by commas.

Another type of circumstances that must be separated by commas are the circumstances of the assignment. Such circumstances answer the question DESPITE WHAT? and begin with the preposition DESPITE (or, less often, despite). For example: On the streets, despite the bright sun, lanterns were burning.

So, you should remember three cases when circumstances need to be separated by commas:

if they are expressed by an adverbial phrase,

if they represent comparative turnover,

if they begin with the preposition DESPITE.

Look at the examples again. Sparks swirled quickly in the heights.(Lermontov) She suddenly disappeared, like a bird scared out of a bush.(Lermontov). Despite unforeseen difficulties, the work was completed on time.

This rule has several important notes:

The adverbs STANDING, SITTING, LYING, SILENTLY should be distinguished from gerunds. RELUCTANTLY, JOKINGLY, WITHOUT LOOKING, PLAYING. They were formed due to the transition of words from the category of gerunds to adverbs. The circumstances expressed in such words are not isolated. For example: He stood silently.

Circumstances expressed by phraseological units are also not highlighted, for example: They worked with their sleeves rolled up or I spin all day like a squirrel in a wheel.

In addition to the circumstances of the assignment, which are always distinguished, circumstances expressed by nouns with derived prepositions THANKS, ACCORDING TO, CONTRARY, IN VIEW, CONSEQUENCE, can optionally be isolated, for example: Thanks to good weather, we swam in the river all summer. Usually such circumstances are isolated if they are common and come before the predicate.

Exercise

In two weeks_ our employee will return from vacation.

Peter went to the library to prepare for the exam.

Running out to the podium, he quickly spoke.

Overtaking a truck, the car drove into the oncoming lane.

Despite the danger, the captain ordered to continue moving.

For the sake of victory_ they are ready to do anything.

The wet steps turned out to be slippery like ice.

The port will be closed_ in case of strong wind.

It was dark, only two stars, like two rescue beacons, sparkled on the dark blue vault (Lermontov).

- Flies_ headlong! Almost knocked me off my feet! - muttered the old woman.

On the side of the jacket_ like an eye_ stuck out gem(M. Bulgakov).

The old woman, despite her advanced age, sees and hears perfectly (A. Chekhov).

Having gone through difficult trials, he managed to preserve his human dignity (M. Sholokhov).

The stove was humming like a fire (M. Bulgakov).

He answered the investigator's questions reluctantly.

The boat dived like a duck and then, flapping its oars, as if with wings, jumped out on the surface (M. Lermontov).

Having grabbed the German major and a briefcase with documents, Sokolov gets to his people (M. Sholokhov).

Having experienced a strong shock, he fell asleep like the dead.

Everywhere and in everything he tried to emphasize his superiority, considering himself well-mannered and humane (A. Fadeev).

And then hundreds of small incendiary bombs were sprinkled on the fires like grains on freshly plowed ground (K. Vonnegut).

There are quite a few people in this world who are lonely by nature, who, like a hermit crab or a snail, try to retreat into their shell (A. Chekhov).

Some kind of bastard, Siberian-looking stray cat emerged from behind drainpipe and_despite the blizzard_ I smelled the Krakow one (M. Bulgakov).

For a long time he struggled with his guess, taking it for a dream of an imagination inflamed by food supplies, but the more often the meetings were repeated, the more painful the doubts became (M. Saltykov-Shchedrin).