Simple rules. Putting punctuation marks correctly

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K. G. Paustovsky in the book "Golden Rose" told such a story. In his youth, he worked in the Odessa newspaper "Sailor". The writer Andrei Sobol collaborated with this newspaper at that time. One day he brought his story to the editor - "torn, confused, although interesting in terms of the topic and, of course, talented." It was impossible to print it in this form. Undertook to help the proofreader of the newspaper Blagov. He promised to “go over the manuscript,” but not to change a single word in it. The next morning, Paustovsky read the story. “It was transparent, cast prose. Everything became convex, clear. There was no shadow left of the former crumpledness and verbal confusion. At the same time, not a single word was really thrown out or added.

You guessed, of course, what happened? Yes, the proofreader simply placed all the punctuation marks correctly, and especially carefully - periods and paragraphs. And that's it.

The fact is that punctuation marks have a special function in written speech - semantic. With their help, the writer expresses certain meanings and shades, and the reader perceives and understands these meanings and shades. And since all writers act as readers and vice versa, punctuation marks are the same for all literate native speakers of the Russian language. According to the linguist A. B. Shapiro, any rule about punctuation marks is, as it were, a point of agreement between the writer and the reader.

Now, when Internet users constantly communicate in writing, there is an increasing need to convey messages accurately and concisely, and it is punctuation that helps the author to "pack" the information in the text in the most understandable way.

What, besides school rules, do you need to know about punctuation marks in order to be adequately understood? Actually not so much.

In its own way roles in writing all punctuation marks are divided into three groups: signs endings, dividing and excretory. These names are "speaking".

Termination marks ( dot, exclamation point, question mark, ellipsis) are placed at the end of sentences, complete them.

separator characters ( comma, semicolon, colon, dash) - separate semantic segments inside the sentence from each other (homogeneous members, parts of a complex sentence), they are placed on the border these semantic segments, share them.

And punctuation marks ( two commas, two dashes, brackets, quotes) allocate one semantic segment within another or within a sentence. Stand out on both sides (if they stand in the middle of a sentence) participial and participle phrases, single participles, appeals, introductory words and sentences). By the way, if you know this, you will never put only one comma in participial turnover: it must highlight commas, which means there should be two of them, on both sides - at the beginning and at the end.

Finally, test yourself. Determine the function of the punctuation marks in this sentence. Once (it was, I think, in 2003) I received a strange letter: it was in a crumpled yellow envelope, without a return address, handwritten, illegible.

Answer. In this offer end sign- dot; separating marks- commas between homogeneous members of a sentence and a colon between parts of a non-union complex sentence; highlight marks- two commas highlighting the introductory word seems, and two parentheses that mark an interstitial sentence.

Punctuation marks play an important role in the perception of written text. You can't argue with that. Let's take an example - the phrase "Execution cannot be pardoned", which changes the meaning to the opposite depending on where the comma is. Properly placed punctuation marks are a guarantee that the text will be clear to whom it was addressed. However, even we, who successfully graduated from high school (I passed by here), often experience difficulties with punctuation.

Many people remember from school that a comma is always placed before "what". Speaking of punctuation marks, the word "always" is best avoided. For example, a union can occur as part of expressions that are integral in meaning (they are also called indecomposable combinations), and then putting a comma in front of it would be a mistake. That’s right, for example: get what you need, do what you want, have something to do, do it right, appear as if nothing had happened, achieve at all costs, don’t go where you shouldn’t, spend the night where you have to, the picture is a miracle how good , work that is necessary.

In a complex sentence, a comma is always needed before the union "what"! Not always! And here the word "always" is better to forget. Yes, a comma is placed before the union that attaches the subordinate clause. For example: Some slacker wrote that there is love on earth. Or: Wait for the yellow rains to make you sad. But if the subordinate clause consists of only one allied word, there is no comma before it: We are going to meet, but we don’t know yet when. The girl did not come on a date and did not even explain why.

More about the difficulties that await in complex sentences. They may also have this: one main clause has several subordinate clauses. In this case, the same rules apply as for homogeneous members. If the clauses are not connected by unions, a comma is placed between them: How do I want to come up with a means so that happiness is ahead, so that at least for an hour I can return to childhood, catch up, save, hug to my chest ... And if there is a non-repeating union between the clauses and, the comma is not put neither before nor after. An example of this rule was in the text of the Total Dictation - 2016 and led to a large number of errors. And rightly so: It was clear that the troops needed a truce and that the only opportunity to declare it could be the Olympic Games ...

And if between the parts of the sentence is not the union "what", but the union "and"? Such sentences are called compound sentences. As a general rule, a comma is placed before the union in them. For example: Gold rusts and steel decays. But even here there are pitfalls. So, we do not put a comma if the complex sentence includes interrogative or exclamatory sentences: To whom are these texts addressed and what is their meaning? How ridiculous he is and how stupid his antics! A comma will also be a mistake if two simple sentences in the complex have a common secondary member: From a long sitting, his legs numb and his back hurts.

There are no conjunctions in a complex sentence. A complex sentence, between the parts of which there are no unions, is called unionless. The punctuation marks in it depend on the meaning of the phrase. For simple enumeration, a comma is placed. If the second part explains, reveals the content of the first part, indicates the reason for what was said above, a colon is necessary. If the second part, on the contrary, contains a consequence, a result, a conclusion from what was said in the first part, we put a dash. Compare: She married him, he began to earn more (a simple enumeration of events). She married him: he began to earn more (she decided to become his wife because he began to earn more). She married him - he began to earn more (the growth of his income was the result of marriage).

When do you need a sign before "how"? A comma is placed before the union "how" if it attaches a subordinate clause: I remember how I first came to this city. A comparative turnover with a union stands out, such as: Like a straw, you drink my soul; The air is clean and fresh, like a baby's kiss. But you don't need to use a comma if the conjunction how means "as", for example: I'm telling you this as a linguist (= "I am a linguist", there is no comparison here). A comma is not put even if the turnover with the union as part of the predicate or is closely related to it in meaning, for example: The son did not call, and the mother was sitting on pins and needles (without turnover with as a predicate it does not make sense here).

How is everything in simple sentences? A simple sentence (one where there is only one grammatical basis) can be complicated by introductory words and plug-in sentences, participial and adverbial phrases, clarifying, explanatory and connecting constructions ... And here is the time to name punctuation reference books, where all these constructions are written in detail. The most complete is D. E. Rosenthal's reference book "Punctuation". And, of course, indispensable for all those who write the complete academic reference book "Rules of Russian Spelling and Punctuation" edited by V. V. Lopatin.

Introductory words. Introductory words are distinguished by commas, many people remember this: Onegin, I was younger then, I think I was better ... Less often they recall another rule: if the introductory word is at the beginning or at the end of a separate turnover, then it is not separated from the turnover by any punctuation mark: This the film was shot in some Soviet city, it seems in Riga. This film was filmed in some Soviet city, in Riga, I think.

Words that are erroneously separated by commas. It must be remembered that such words and combinations as literally, as if, in addition, are not introductory and are not distinguished by commas, because, in the final analysis, it is unlikely, like, even, as if, as if, moreover, meanwhile, for sure. However, the word raises many questions. Remember: if it is at the beginning of a sentence or between parts of a sentence and is used as a union but, the comma after it is erroneous: It is difficult to remember all these rules, but it is necessary. Or: This conversation can be continued for a long time. However, it's time for us to have lunch. However, the introductory word can only be in the middle of the sentence: It's time for us, however, to have lunch.

Why do many of these rules not pass in school? School textbooks really do not talk about all the punctuation rules. There is nothing to worry about, because biology lessons do not provide all the information known to academicians, and school physics lessons do not prepare doctors of physical and mathematical sciences. The same is true with Russian language lessons: the task of the school is to provide basic information about the Russian language and spelling, and not to prepare professional editors and proofreaders. To become a specialist in the field of the Russian language, you need to study further - as well as to master any other profession.

Worst punctuation mistake ever. It's a comma inside the address. From school, almost everyone remembers that appeals are separated by a comma: Hello, Yura! Hello mother! Good evening, Ivan Petrovich! And they put a comma in such a place, for example: Dear Ivan Petrovich! Dear Katya! But the comma here is a mistake, because the words respected, dear, beloved, etc. are part of the appeal. That's right: Dear Ivan Petrovich! Dear Katya! But: Good evening, dear Ivan Petrovich! Dear Katya, I love you - in these examples, the whole appeal is separated by a comma, dear Ivan Petrovich and dear Katya.

Helping to structure the written text. Their use is regulated by punctuation rules that are specific to each language. They are not always easy to learn, so there are a lot of mistakes in this section. So, when learning foreign languages, very few programs include punctuation. However, this section is no less important than grammar or spelling, although it is only needed in So what are the punctuation marks?

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The main punctuation units in any language are the period, comma, and question and exclamation marks. With their help, you can correctly express your thought, although not always with sufficient accuracy. In total, ten icons are used in modern Russian: in addition to those already mentioned, these are a dash and a colon, which will be discussed separately. In addition, these are brackets and quotes that have a separator function. Also, the ellipsis, which ends the thought, and the semicolon, which play the same role, but within the same sentence.

As you can see, the list is small, but each of the listed punctuation units has its own purpose. Sometimes they are interchangeable, but more often they are not.

Classification

There are several options for separating punctuation units. First, on the basis of pairing. That is, in the case of setting one punctuation mark, it is necessary to supplement it with a second one. Parentheses, quotation marks, as well as double commas and dashes can be classified as paired.

According to the second classification, all punctuation marks can be divided into 3 categories. For example, these:

1. Selection marks. They are intended to mark the boundaries of various syntactic constructions and isolation. It is to this category that paired signs belong. They allow you to clearly structure the proposal and see its significant parts.
2. Department signs. They mark the boundary between independent sentences, including as part of complex structures. In addition, they indicate the type. This includes everything that was not included in the first paragraph.
3. Sometimes a red line is highlighted separately. It denotes a change in topic or a new twist in a story or discourse.

Functions

It may seem that in the modern world punctuation is already an atavism. As a rule, sentences can be distinguished even without dots, and even without commas, it is most often clear what is at stake. What can we say about other signs that are much less common? And yet, it is extremely difficult to do without them.

First, they allow you to make mental pauses and delimit phrases without turning the text into a meaningless jumble of letters and words. Secondly, they convey a huge number of different shades - uncertainty, half-assertion, etc. Without such a powerful tool as punctuation, this would be very difficult to achieve. In addition, it would be extremely difficult to understand official documents, agreements and contracts without punctuation marks. A comma placed in the wrong place can completely change the meaning of the whole sentence - and this is not a joke.

So the role of punctuation marks is important, no matter how their opponents argue the opposite. After all, many linguists are of the opinion that any unnecessary introductions to a language simply don't stick, while the meaningful parts are retained anyway. And then, the famous "execution cannot be pardoned" - this is just one example, but in fact there are thousands of them. Any punctuation mark is an important part of a sentence that should not be neglected.

History of origin and development

It is difficult to imagine how one can do without punctuation, but the current situation has developed relatively recently, and perhaps the development of this language section is still ongoing. Nevertheless, it is very interesting to observe how the origin and development of punctuation took place.

The most ancient punctuation mark is a dot, which is found in ancient Russian written monuments. But its use was not regulated in any way, and the location on the line was different - not at the bottom, but in the middle. The rules of its production became more similar to modern ones around the 16th century.

The comma became widespread approximately in the 15th century. Its name comes from an obsolete verb meaning stop, delay. In this case, the word "stammer" will be the same root. And the most observant will notice one more thing. For example, the fact that "punctuation" etymologically goes back to the same root.

Most of the other signs were introduced into wide use before the 18th century. Lomonosov, Karamzin and many other prominent scientists contributed to their popularization. The modern punctuation rules of the Russian language were adopted in 1956 and are still in effect.

Correct use of punctuation units

Putting punctuation marks is not always easy. At the end of a sentence, there are four options to choose from, and even within a phrase ... It's no wonder that so much time is devoted to the study of punctuation. Remembering all the rules, perhaps, will be somewhat difficult, but the main ones are simply necessary.

Commas: correct usage

Since this sign is the most common, it is not surprising that it accounts for the most problems. A comma is a sign that separates simple sentences from complex ones. It is also used in enumerations, to highlight introductory constructions, applications, to separate participial, adverbial and comparative phrases, and for many other purposes. To list them all, perhaps, is quite difficult, since this is a huge part of the school curriculum. However, keep in mind that the comma also always sets off the treatment. Punctuation marks require careful attention to themselves, and neglecting the rules for their placement for a native speaker is, first of all, disrespect for one's own person.

Direct speech and dialogue

It is this topic that causes the greatest difficulty for both schoolchildren and adults. And if there are fewer problems with the dialogue, because dashes are simply put before each line, then punctuation marks in direct speech become just a stumbling block, especially if introductory words are still used.

In order to properly format this part of the text, you need to know that the replica itself, along with its own punctuation marks, is highlighted with quotation marks. If introductory words are used, then a comma is used instead of a period, which in this case is taken out of the statement. Interrogative and always saved. As for the design of the author's words, it depends on the articulation of the replicas. If they are a single sentence interrupted by an explanation, then it is written with a small letter and is separated with a dash and a colon. Only one pair of quotes is put - at the beginning and at the end of direct speech. It probably sounds a little confusing in theory, but it's easy to figure it out in practice.

Using dashes and colons

Grammar in the Russian language implies the existence and this means the demand for the above punctuation marks. Their purpose is about the same, and they both can be replaced by a comma, which, however, will not convey the desired shades.

A colon is necessary if the next part or even a whole simple sentence more fully reveals the meaning of the previous one, adds details, etc. A dash - in the reverse situation. Of course, they have other functions, but it is also a fairly large part of the school curriculum, which deserves detailed consideration.

Differences in punctuation of Russian and European languages

When studying our native language, we do not always think about what punctuation marks exist in foreign dialects, and whether they have the same function. Of course, the rules of punctuation are also different, but we are not talking about them now.

Spanish is a prime example. Interrogative and exclamatory sentences are highlighted more noticeably in it, because the corresponding signs are placed not only at the end, but also at the beginning of phrases, so they are paired along with quotation marks or brackets.

By the way, in English, you can often find a dash instead of an ellipsis at the end of direct speech. And the Greeks can put [;] instead of a question mark. It's hard to guess without knowing. So it is not always worth thinking about the rules that the Russian language sets. Punctuation marks and how they are used are different everywhere.

Oriental languages

Japanese and Chinese remain true to tradition despite European influences. So, the point looks like a circle and is sometimes placed in the center of the line, and sometimes in the same way as a regular one. This was done to avoid confusion, since the European sign could be mistaken for part of the last hieroglyph.

There are also two types of commas: regular and teardrop. The first, for example, separates simple sentences as part of a complex one, and the second - homogeneous members.

Little-known punctuation marks

It may seem that the above list is more than exhaustive. But, oddly enough, this is not the case. So, what are the punctuation marks that few people know about, and they are practically not used? A little more than a dozen of the most famous are distinguished:

• Interrobang. This combination of a question mark and an exclamation mark in one unit looks exotic, but interesting. Of course, it is easier and more familiar to write "?!", especially since the meaning will be the same, but supporters of the introduction of interrobang believe that it looks more representative in writing.
• Rhetorical It was in use for about 20 years at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. In fact, it is a mirror image of the usual question mark.
• Asterism. Previously, the chapters or their parts were separated from each other by this very sign, which is three asterisks arranged in the form of a triangle. But quite a long time ago they were replaced by the same asterism, but located in the form of a straight segment.
• ironic sign. It may seem that it is too similar to rhetorical, although it is smaller, located above the line and has a completely different function, as the name implies. It was invented in the 19th century.
• Love sign. Its function is also obvious from the name, and it itself is a combination of two interrogatives, mirrored to each other, with one dot.
• Consent sign. It is a combination of two exclamations with one dot. Expresses a show of goodwill or greeting.
• Confidence sign. Performs the function of emphasizing a strong opinion regarding the stated statement. It is an exclamation mark with a short horizontal line through it.
• Interrogative comma. It is used to emphasize interrogative intonation within a single sentence. By analogy with it, there is an exclamation point.
• Sarcastic sign. It is a kind of snail with a dot inside and is protected by copyright. It is used to emphasize separately that the sentence it follows contains sarcasm.
• Snark sign. It can also be typed on a regular keyboard, since it's just a dot followed by a tilde - [.~]. It is used to show that the sentence it follows is not to be taken literally and has a hidden meaning.

Quite an interesting set, but for many it seems redundant. And although the role of some of these signs seems to be necessary, language eventually displaces inappropriate and unused things from itself. This is probably what happened in this case.

However, natural languages ​​are far from the only discipline that has the concept of punctuation. However, this topic requires separate consideration. It would be much more appropriate to consider the influence of modern trends on punctuation.

Punctuation and netiquette

Since communication on the Internet initially most often implies informality, some simplification and disregard for the rules of the Russian (and not only) language are quite natural. There was even a concept of network etiquette, which includes the question of how to punctuate.

So, for example, a period at the end of a long dialogue is a sign that the interlocutor wants to close the topic. In other cases, it looks rude and cold. A large number of exclamation points means, depending on the context, violent negative or positive emotions. An ellipsis can show despair, thoughtfulness, melancholy, and some other shades of mood that can hardly be called positive. The arrangement of commas in network communication is rarely the subject of serious reflection, because the goal is to convey the essence to the interlocutor, and the design of thought in this case is secondary. Nevertheless, it is impossible to neglect the placement of question marks - this is bad manners.

Although these rules are different from the general ones, they are easy to remember. And, of course, it must be taken into account that they do not concern business and official correspondence, which must be drawn up correctly and competently. The punctuation mark is a powerful tool that must be used carefully.

General information

In russian language 10 punctuation marks. They play an important role, allow you to correctly understand written speech, provide the writer and reader with an unambiguous understanding of the meaning of the statement and the emotional nuances of the sentence. In general, without punctuation marks, the text would be a collection of words. They have a varied range of uses. At first glance, it is difficult to understand their staging, but you can learn this, you just need to know the punctuation rules.

Functions of punctuation marks

1.Meaning-distinctive(they help to correctly convey the meaning of the statement; without a punctuation mark, the phrase would remain incomprehensible; it gives an unambiguous meaning to the phrase; without them, the text would be equivalent (equal) to an obscure set of characters; they help us make sure that we are understood unambiguously)

2.Intonation-expressive(punctuation at the end of the sentence indicates the purpose of the statement (message, question or motivation to action) and the intonation of the speech, since Z.P. also place emotional accents: admiration, dissatisfaction, joy, surprise, etc.).

Types of punctuation marks

1.Completion signs(dot, question and exclamation marks, ellipsis, combination of characters: question mark with exclamation point; question mark with ellipsis; exclamation point with ellipsis). Meaning of use: a) help to indicate the completeness, completeness of a phrase, expression; b) unambiguously convey the meaning of the statement (narration about something, a question addressed to someone, an incentive to act), i.e. indicate intonation, place emotional accents: admiration, discontent, joy, surprise, etc.

2.Separation marks(comma, colon, semicolon, dash). Meaning of use: help to place semantic accents on a word or phrase in a sentence.

3.Emphasis marks(comma, quotation marks, brackets, dash). Meaning of use: help to place semantic accents on a word or phrase in a sentence.

Essay Sample

Period and ellipsis are important punctuation marks in written speech

The period and ellipsis are important signs of written speech. A period is one of the signs of completion; it denotes the intonation of the end of a statement and is placed at the end of a declarative sentence that expresses a complete thought. Without this sign, we would not pause between statements, and therefore would not understand where one thought ends and another begins. The dot indicates the intonation of the end. An ellipsis can also end a phrase, but the function of a punctuation mark is different. Arguing on any topic, telling about something, the author of the speech, sometimes, does not dare to express his thought completely, he is silent about something. An ellipsis is needed to express this understatement and reflection. However, it can be combined with both question and exclamation marks. In the first case, the author asks about something, in the second he expresses emotions (surprise, joy, etc.). In addition, it happens that this sign is also used inside a sentence when quoting
someone's statement is incomplete. We put ellipsis in place of missing words.
Let's look at an excerpt from the text. Drawing his hero, the author describes his speech (sentence No. 24), pays special attention to his voice (sentence No. 25), the manner of communicating with people. Having spoken, N. Heinze completes his thoughts, which are narrative sentences, so at the end we see dots. Talking about the impression Berseniev made on those around him, the writer cites the words of some of them as an example: “How can I tell you ... I don’t know ... but he is charming.” The dots here are no coincidence. With its help, it is emphasized how women reflect, try to understand what the hero attracted to himself. Yes, and N. Heinze himself, immersed in his thoughts, wonders what is the charm of Berseniev: “In his mind? .. In his eyes? .. Or in his voice? ..” These questions he, thinking, asks himself, but not immediately ready to answer them, and therefore here the ellipsis is combined with a question mark.
So, dot and ellipsis are important signs of written speech.

1. What is punctuation?!

Punctuation (from lat. dot - punctum cf. lat. - punctuatio) is a system of punctuation marks that is available in the writing of any language, as well as a set of rules for their placement in writing.

Punctuation contributes to the visibility of the syntactic and intonational structure of speech, highlights both the members of sentences and individual sentences, thereby facilitating oral reading.

Punctuation system in Russian

The Russian modern punctuation system has been formed since the 18th century. on the basis of achievements in the theory of grammar, including the theory of syntax. The punctuation system has some flexibility: along with mandatory norms, it contains indications that are not strict and allow options that are related both to the meaning of the written text and to the peculiarities of its style.

Historically, in Russian punctuation, among the questions about its purpose and foundations, 3 main areas stood out: intonational, syntactic and logical.

Intonation direction in the theory of punctuation

Adherents of the intonation theory believe that punctuation marks are needed to indicate the melody and rhythm of the phrase (Shcherba L.V.), which mainly reflects not the grammatical division of speech, but only the declamatory-psychological one (Peshkovsky A.M.).

Although representatives of different directions have a strong divergence of positions, they all recognize that punctuation, which is an important means of designing a written language, has its communicative function. With the help of punctuation marks, the division of speech according to meaning is indicated. So, the dot indicates the completeness of the sentence, as the writer understands it; the placement of commas between homogeneous members in a sentence indicates the syntactic equality of these elements of the sentence, which express equal concepts, etc.

logical direction

Theorists of the semantic or logical direction include F.I. Buslaev, who said that “... punctuation marks have a double meaning: they contribute to clarity in the presentation of thoughts, separating one sentence from another or one part of it from another, and express the sensations of the speaker’s face and his relationship to the listener. The first requirement is satisfied by: comma (,), semicolon (;), colon (:) and period (.); the second - signs: exclamation (!) And interrogative (?), ellipsis (...) and dash (-) ".

In modern writing, the semantic understanding of the basis of Russian punctuation (German punctuation is close to it, but English and French diverge from it) was expressed in the works of Abakumov S.I. and Shapiro A.B. The first of them notes that the main purpose of punctuation is that it indicates the division of speech into separate parts that play a role in expressing thoughts during writing. Although he goes on to say that for the most part the use of punctuation marks in Russian writing is regulated by grammatical (syntactic) rules. But he believes that "the rules are still based on the meaning of the statement."

Shapiro A.B. argues that the main role of punctuation is the designation of a number of semantic shades and relationships that, due to their importance for understanding a written text, cannot be expressed by syntactic and lexical means.

2. Why do we need punctuation in Russian?

Understanding why punctuation is needed contributes to competent writing and ease of expression. Punctuation is needed to facilitate the reading of the text, with its help, sentences and their parts are separated from each other, which allows you to highlight a specific thought.

Considering punctuation marks, one cannot ignore their function in the Russian language.

Having started a conversation about why punctuation is needed, it is necessary to clarify what punctuation marks exist, since there are many of them and each plays its role. Punctuation can be used in the text - both for the purpose of separating several different sentences, and within one sentence.

A dot - separates sentences and symbolizes a neutral intonation: "Tomorrow I will go to the theater." Used in abbreviations: “i.e. - that is".

Exclamation mark - serves to express emotions of admiration, surprise, fear, etc., separates sentences from each other: "Hurry, you must be in time!". Also, an exclamation point is highlighted within the sentence of the appeal itself, the intonation is accentuated: “Guys! Please don't be late for class."

Question mark - expresses a question or doubt, one sentence separates from another: “Are you sure that you did everything right?”

Within a sentence, punctuation also plays a prominent role. But without understanding why punctuation is needed, we will not be able to clearly express our thoughts and write an essay, because without the correct selection of parts, the meaning will be lost.

The following punctuation marks are used within sentences:

Comma - divides the sentence into parts, serves to highlight individual thoughts or appeals, separates the constituent simple ones from each other in a complex sentence. “I don’t really care what you think about it” is a complex sentence. “Schi, mashed potatoes with chop, salad and tea with lemon were served for dinner” - homogeneous members in the sentence.

Dash - they denote pauses, replace missing words, also denote direct speech. "Healthy nutrition is the key to longevity" - here the dash replaces the word "it". “What time can you come tomorrow? the cashier asked. “About three,” Natalya answered her. - direct speech.

Colon - used to focus on what follows; delimits parts of one sentence, explaining each other, interconnected; direct speech separates from the words of the author, or the beginning of the enumeration is indicated in this way. “The buffet sold delicious pies with different fillings: with apples, with potatoes, with cabbage, with cheese, with boiled condensed milk and jam.” - enumeration. Direct speech: "Without looking into her eyes, he said:" Do not hope, I will never return to you "and quickly walked away."

Semicolon - used in sentences that have a complex structure, in which there is already little comma to separate parts. “It was a feeling of warmth and light that brought happiness and peace, made the world a better place, filling the soul with joy; the first time these feelings visited me here many years ago and since then I always strive back to experience them again and again.

Understanding why punctuation is needed, you will be able to competently and clearly express your thoughts when writing, emphasize what needs to be emphasized, and by doing this in accordance with the rules, you will show the readers of your writings that you are a literate person.

Knowledge of punctuation rules is carefully checked when passing the GIA exams (state final certification), because this knowledge cannot be dispensed with. And indeed, only the correct use of punctuation will allow you to understand you correctly in any correspondence.

3. Principles of Russian punctuation

The principles of Russian punctuation are the foundations of modern punctuation rules that govern the use of punctuation marks. It must be remembered that the purpose of punctuation marks is to help transfer sounding speech to a letter in such a way that it can be understood and reproduced unambiguously. Signs reflect the semantic and structural articulation of speech, as well as its rhythmic and intonational structure.

It is impossible to build all the rules on one principle - semantic, formal or intonational. For example, the desire to reflect all the structural components of intonation would greatly complicate punctuation, all pauses would have to be marked with signs: My father // was a poor peasant; Over the forest // the moon has risen; Grandfather asked Vanya // to chop and bring firewood, etc. The absence of signs in such positions does not make it difficult to read texts, reproduce their intonation. The formal structure of the sentence is not reflected by signs with full sequence; for example, homogeneous writing series with a single and: Signs are associated with everything: with the color of the sky, with dew and fog, with the cry of birds and the brightness of starlight (Paust.).

Modern punctuation relies on meaning, structure, and rhythmic-intonational articulation in their interaction.

4. Punctuation marks in Russian

punctuation punctuation Russian writing

Punctuation marks are graphic (written) signs needed to divide the text into sentences, to convey in writing the structural features of sentences and their intonation.

Russian punctuation marks include: 1) a period, a question mark, an exclamation point - these are the signs of the end of a sentence; 2) a comma, a dash, a colon, a semicolon - these are signs for separating parts of a sentence; 3) brackets, quotation marks ("double" signs) highlight individual words or parts of a sentence, for this, a comma and a dash are used as paired characters; if the highlighted construction is at the beginning or at the end of the sentence, one comma or dash is used: I was bored in the village like a locked up puppy (T.); In addition to rivers, there are many canals in the Meshchersky region (Paust.); - Hey, where are you, mother? - And there, - home, son (Tv.); 4) special sign ellipsis, "semantic"; it can be placed at the end of a sentence to indicate the special significance of what was said, or in the middle to convey confused, difficult or excited speech: - What is dinner? Prose. Here is the moon, the stars ... (Ostr.); - Father, don't cry. I will also say ... well, yes! You're right... But your truth is narrow to us... - Well, yes! You... you! How did ... you formed ... and I'm a fool! And you ... (M.G.).

Combinations of signs convey a special, complex meaning. Thus, the use of interrogative and exclamatory marks together forms a rhetorical question (i.e., a reinforced affirmation or denial) with an emotional overtone: Who among us has not thought about war?! Of course, everyone thought (Sim.); Scoundrel and thief, in a word. And marry such a person? Live with him?! I'm surprised! (Ch.). The combination of different meanings can be achieved by combining a comma and a dash as a single sign: A black rider passed, swinging in the saddle - horseshoes carved two blue sparks from a stone (M.G.); Above the forest, the sky cleared up - the pale sun poured down on the gray bell towers of Beloomut (Paust.) - grammatical uniformity, the enumeration is transmitted by a comma, and with the help of a dash the significance of the consequence-result is emphasized. More often they can be placed side by side, each according to its own rule, for example, a dash in a non-union complex sentence after a comma that conveys isolation: cf. particle-bundle is)”, and the invocation is separated by commas.

Variants of the use of punctuation marks are provided for by punctuation rules. If different signs are allowed, then usually one of them is the main one, i.e. he is given an advantage. So, plug-in designs are distinguished, as a rule, by brackets: A few days later, the four of us (not counting the all-seeing and ubiquitous boys) became so friends that the four of us went almost everywhere (Paust.). It is allowed to highlight the insert with the help of two dashes: And in the middle of May there was a thunderstorm and such a downpour that along the street - it was not even, but sloping - a whole river of yellow water rolled rapidly (S.-Ts.). For brackets, this use is the main one, and for a dash, it is one of many and secondary.

Variants of the use of signs are provided for by the rules for the design of complex non-union sentences, for example, when explaining or motivating, a dash is used instead of the main colon sign: Separation is illusory - we will be together soon (Ahm.). When separating definitions and applications, dashes can be used along with commas: The sea - gray-haired, wintery, inexpressibly gloomy - roared and rushed behind thin sides, like Niagara (Paust.); Colored autumn - the evening of the year - smiles lightly at me (March.). It is possible to single out separate definitions and applications with two signs - a comma and a dash - at the same time: A calm, courageous whistle flew - ocean, in three tones (Paust.). Options for setting signs are also allowed by some other rules (in particular, a comma and a semicolon in a complex non-union sentence, a comma and an exclamation mark when addressing, an exclamation mark and an interrogative with an exclamation point in a rhetorical question, etc.).

Variation also appears in the possibility of using or not using signs in some other cases, for example, some introductory words are inconsistently highlighted: indeed, in fact, first of all, predominantly; they can be distinguished together with the attached noun.

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