When is the semicolon in the sentence?The answer to this question is not as simple as it might seem. Russian grammar is considered one of the most complicated because of such rules. In this article we will try to answer the question posed and consider all possible variants of the statement in the sentence of this punctuation mark.
Semicolon: rules
This punctuation mark is placed between two orseveral independent proposals, which are joined together into one without auxiliary unions. In this case, the probability of stating a point with a comma increases if these sentences are common and inside have commas.
Examples:
"In the meantime, the tea was drunk, long agothe harnessed horses froze in the cold; month faded flickering in the west and was preparing to plunge into gloomy clouds, sitting on distant mountains, like pieces of a torn curtain. "
"Around all stiffened in an autumn dream, through the gloomy haze barely visible under the mountains are broad fields, they are cut by the Volga, spread over it and melted in the fog."
When is a semicolon in compound sentences?
Complicated (SSP) called sentences,connected with each other by means of a coherent connection. The parts from which such proposals consist are considered equal, that is, independent of each other.
So, we found out which sentences are compound. But when should I put a semicolon? So, this punctuation mark is appropriate in the following cases.
First, if the independent proposals that make up the BSC are linked by the unions "however," "but", "nevertheless," "all the same," and so on.
Examples:
"I only had blue paint, but despite this fact, I planned to portray the autumn hunt."
"It would seem that she had absolutely no need to go to him, and he was not very happy with her, but she came and lived with him for weeks, and sometimes much more."
Note! Before the union "a" our punctuation mark is placed only in the event that the sentences that it unites have within a few commas and are considerably distributed.
Example:
"It seemed to me that he began to cry; after all, you need to tell you that Vitka was a stubborn boy, and it happened that you couldn’t knock out any tears from him, even when he was younger."
Secondly, if it were possible to put an end between the proposals that are part of the BSC, if they were not connected by the unions “yes” (meaning “and”) and “and”.
Example:
"She was reading a book, thinking about what she was reading,pausing to listen to Nina Arkadyevna, who was chatting tirelessly; and at the same time, the various pictures of the future life together and the economy, without any connection, seemed to her inner view. "
Sentences with common homogeneous members
Now let's talk about when to put a dot withcomma in a sentence with common homogeneous members. Typically, such punctuation marks are placed when the homogeneous terms within themselves have one or more commas.
Example:
"In the dark, vaguely presented all the samevague outlines of objects: in the distance there is a blue-black wall, the same spots on it; beside me, the croup of a horse, which, wagging its tail, opened its mouth wide; the back of a horse in white Circassian, on which a whitish pistol head in a self-made holster could be seen and a rifle swaying in a dark case; the light of a cigarette illuminating a reddish mustache, a beaver collar and a leather-gloved hand. (L.N. Tolstoy).
"People were here from stanitsas and from farms and cities,detained on suspicion that they were Soviet workers, partisans, communists, Komsomol members; people who insulted German uniforms by word or deed; people who have hidden their Jewish roots; people arrested for not having documents, and simply because they are people. ” (A. A. Fadeev).
Complex sentences
When is a semicolon in a sentence?This punctuation mark is placed between subordinate (common), if they are not connected by a union, and they are subordinated to one main thing. This rule becomes mandatory if there are other subordinate clauses within subordinate clauses.
Example:
«Разница в том, что, вместо насильной воли, uniting them in school, they independently threw mothers and fathers and fled from their homes; that there were also those who already had a rope around their necks and who, instead of a gloomy death, saw real life, and life in all their rampant rampage; that there were those who, according to a long-standing and noble custom, could not keep a penny in their pockets ”. (N.V. Gogol).
Specifying the boundaries between sentences
Продолжаем описывать случаи, когда ставится точка with a comma in the sentence. If the semantic component requires the reader to see exactly the boundary between the group of sentences and individual sentences, the semicolon is placed between:
- several independent offers;
- several subordinate clauses relating to a single main.
Example:
"In that garden there were a huge number of crows, theirnests covered the tops of the trees, they circled around them and cawed loudly; sometimes, especially in the evening, they would take off as many as hundreds, raising others and making noises; sometimes one of them will fly over from one tree to another, and everything will calm down again ”. (A.I. Herzen).
Transfers
We looked at which sentences put a semicolon, now let's talk about transfers.
Наш знак препинания ставится после рубрик transfers. But only if these rubrics cannot make independent sentences, but at the same time are fairly common, and within them any other punctuation marks have already been put.
Example:
"Because of this use of mines, the following requirements were placed on them:
- so that the mine that accidentally detached and freely floating on the surface of the water could not harm the ship sailing past it;
- so that at the time of installation of the barriers the mines did not surface, thus indicating to the enemy the places of the barrage;
- increased safety when installing mines (Academician Krylov).
Thus, a semicolon can be placed both in complex sentences and in the enumeration of something.
