Comma before or letter. Before "or" there is a comma
You can select three most dangerous alliances, when meeting with which you need to be especially careful: and, yes (meaning And ), or. And if they appear alone, then you need to keep your eyes open.
Moreover, unions or, yes (meaning And ) are not as common as the conjunction And. This union is truly omnipresent. Try to experiment: open any text (fiction, journalistic, scientific) and find a page on which there is not a single conjunction And . You will have to work hard, spend a lot of time, and it is unlikely that your search will be crowned with success.
If you encounter a dangerous alliance, this is a signal: "Danger! Take your time! Think!”
So, we see: we have a sentence in which we need to place punctuation marks. What should you do first? Right! Determine how many grammatical stems there are. If a sentence is simple, it has one punctuation mark; if a sentence is complex, it has another.
“Non-dangerous” conjunctions and allied words are creatures that carry a poster: “We demand a comma! (or some other punctuation mark)". For example, a, but, so that, what, which, because, therefore, if etc.
But “dangerous” unions shout that they special, so for them There are separate rules for punctuation!
Let's try to put these rules together to make the work easier for all of us studying Russian.
The first group is complex sentences. Second group - simple sentences with homogeneous members(subjects, predicates, additions, definitions, circumstances). Each group has its own list of punctuation rules for “dangerous” conjunctions.
Let's look at them in order.
When the sentence is complex
The rule for placing a comma in a complex sentence is very simple: if the sentences have some common grammatical or semantic elements, a comma between simple sentences is not placed before a single “dangerous” conjunction.
Such common elements could be:
1) Common minor member of a sentence.
At Ivan Ivanovich's large expressive tobacco-colored eyes and a mouth somewhat similar to the letter Izhitsa. (N.V. Gogol)
Who has big eyes? At Ivan Ivanovich's. Whose mouth looks like the letter Izhitsa? Also from Ivan Ivanovich. The general addition applies equally to both the first sentence and the second.
Be careful! The minor part of the sentence really should be general!
Compare. At the pier, loaders slowly do their work, and huge liners smoothly sail into the ocean.
You might immediately think that at the pier– common minor member. But then it turns out that the liners are sailing into the ocean at pier, but this is not so: the liners are sailing from pier, and the movers do their job at pier. There is no common minor term, so a comma is necessary.
2) General subordinate clause.
If it didn't rain, all the greenery would have dried up long ago and the earth would have been covered in wrinkles and cracks.
3) General main sentence.
Swallow said goodbye to Thumbelina, as soon as the sun warmed up and the earth melted.
If a “dangerous” union repeats itself, then no common members of the sentence are important - the comma is still placed.
There was once a taiga here, And there were bears And the centuries-old mighty trees rustled.
The conjunction is repeated, therefore, despite the presence of a general circumstance here, simple sentences are separated by commas.
When the sentence is simple
The rule for placing a comma with homogeneous members is also simple: a comma is not placed if the conjunction is single; if a “dangerous” conjunction is repeated, a comma is necessary.
Examples:
1. Pines grew in the forest And birch trees
2. Grew up in the forest And pine trees, And birch trees
3. Pines grew in the forest, And birch trees And aspen.
4. Pines grew in the forest And birch, aspen And oaks.
Is it that hard to remember? When there are examples, diagrams and rules before your eyes, probably not. But sometimes there are sentences in texts in which punctuation marks can cause difficulties.
1. The temptation to put an unnecessary comma is especially great in cases where homogeneous members of a sentence, connected by a “dangerous” conjunction, are not side by side, but are separated by other words. The more words like this, the more you want to put a comma. And if we have a poetic text in front of us, then the intonation also pushes us to insert an extra comma.
Look at the following sentences and think about where you would like to put a comma.
1.
A messenger rides with a letter
AND finally arrived.
2.
The moon moved across the darkness
From cloud to cloud And mound
Illuminated with an instant brilliance.
(A.S. Pushkin)
Punctuation marks are placed correctly, commas are not needed.
2. Pairs of homogeneous members can be homogeneous and heterogeneous.
Compare the two sentences.
In summer And in winter, in the rain And in hail, at night And During the day they go to save people.
Pairs of homogeneous adverbials refer to one member of the sentence - the predicate, and therefore are separated by a comma.
Serbian writers And poets carefully And carefully collected And recorded in villages And folk songs and fairy tales.
All pairs of homogeneous members refer to different members of the sentence and are heterogeneous in relation to each other, therefore they are not separated by commas.
3. There can be several “dangerous” conjunctions in one sentence, so you need to find out what work each conjunction does, then put punctuation marks.
AND the heart beats in ecstasy,
AND rose again for him
AND deity and inspiration
AND life, and tears, and love. (A.S. Pushkin)
Before us is a complex sentence, simple sentences are connected by a conjunction And; in the second part we see homogeneous subjects with a repeating conjunction And.
In the grammar of the Russian language there are cases when we, without hesitation, quickly and accurately place punctuation marks, for example, a comma before adversative conjunctions A And But. However, there are times when you need slowness and attentiveness and you need to think about how the sentence is structured, what the semantic relationships of the parts are, and only then place punctuation marks. Don't forget the Russian proverb: If you hurry, you will make people laugh.
Good luck in learning Russian!
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Conjunctions are one of the most difficult topics that students encounter. Teachers spend a long time trying to explain what this part of speech is and how to handle it.
So, conjunctions are an independent part of speech that connects two sentences with each other. But it's not that simple.
After all, there is one more thing that absolutely every person needs to know: which conjunctions are preceded by a comma.
Rules for placing commas before conjunctions in Russian
According to the rule, a comma is placed before all conjunctions in complex sentences.
But there are some nuances.
If there are particles in front of the union "only", "only", "exclusively"(and others similar to them) you can safely skip the comma. She's not needed there. As, for example, in this sentence:
“I only smiled when I was sure no one was watching.”
You can also skip the comma when there are words before the conjunction such as “especially”, “that is”, “namely”, “in particular”(and others similar to them). For example, take the following sentence:
“There was always a desire to live in his eyes, especially when he saw me.”
Cases when a comma before “and” is not needed
Let's list these points:
- A conjunction connects homogeneous members of a sentence:
“I equally loved peaches, grapes, and apricots”;
- There is a common minor term:
“Lizonka could easily discern the makings of a great artist and ability for music”;
- Several interrogative sentences are combined:
“Where did you see him and what did he say?”;
- Several impersonal sentences are connected:
“You need to add salt and sprinkle the dish with pepper.”
Depending on the meaning, a complex conjunction can be divided into several parts and separated by commas. For example:
- “Lisa didn’t show up for work, because overslept (emphasis on the event itself)”;
- “Lisa didn’t show up for work because overslept (emphasis on the reason).”
Some conjunctions always break apart and are separated by commas. For example: “such as”, “more than”, “better than” and others (a comma before “not that” and “not that” is not needed).
A complex conjunction is separated by a comma if:
- Before the conjunction there is a particle “not”;
- The conjunction is preceded by intensifying words and other particles;
- The first part of the conjunction is included in the homogeneous members of the sentence.
A comma is not needed when a complex conjunction comes before the main clause.
Examples of placing commas before some conjunctions:
- "I wanted to buy or red, or black, or white sneakers, but my father chose green ones, and I had to agree”;
- "You looked at me like that as if I betrayed you and gave you to the wolves”;
- "Clouds have covered the sky, And the sun was no longer visible";
- "I loved him, But he never loved me";
- “Misha has always been kind, A Gosha was his complete opposite”;
- “He used to hit me hard, That's why I never respected him";
- “Kostya was tall, and Also brown-eyed";
- « I loved him no matter what for already knew him inside and out”;
- "I didn't see How she fell, but I heard her scream”;
- "I've seen better than him, Although no, there has never been anyone better than him”;
- "You motivate me to be better than yesterday, better than an hour ago";
- "I didn't love anyone because your own mother";
- "I wanted to scream but still I held back because it didn’t make any sense”;
- "Every child changes as the world will know";
- « Considering that this task was difficult, you can safely be proud of yourself”;
- “I didn’t think about anything at all. before got into an accident";
- "Thank you friends and family for what they didn’t abandon me in a difficult situation”;
- "Not dollars, namely rubles! – I repeated to Olga”;
- "I'll do it, only if will you give me permission";
- “He was too stubborn; than he didn’t want to change, there was no question of our future together”;
- « Not only that he can’t read, so he also speaks poorly”;
- "I never blamed her, even despite the fact that she left when I was five”;
- "I didn't like honey while you adored him";
- "I decided not to do anything to don’t embarrass yourself once again”;
- “You are different, you are a welcome guest in his house, regardless of weather, mood, condition";
- "I remember every minute of my life since got into an accident";
- "I was not really stupid, but strange";
- "Because I was an only child, I grew up selfish”;
- "I'm surprised, however, no less than you, this is frightening, but today your absent-mindedness is especially frightening”;
- “We've been through a lot; about what it happened that it was better for no one to know”;
- "You're so sweet What I want to touch you and keep you in dust on a shelf, but you’re not good for anything more”;
- "You would have had to leave anyway, otherwise I would hurt you too much";
- "I love you, as if birds love the heights of heaven";
- "I miss, as well as did you miss me once";
- "I weighed more than enough";
- “If you really want to give up everything, That why are you holding on to me”;
- "I will only smile in the event that and you will";
- “I will definitely do everything, after I’ll rest”;
- “Your plans are delightful; in order to to fulfill them, we don’t need to buy anything more”;
- "I liked it equally How yellow, So and blue color";
- "After such words, How "“darling”, “dear”, “sweet”, I feel needed and loved”;
- “I respected Nastya, after all She always kept her word."
Conclusion
Conjunctions are a tricky part of speech. You need to be careful and careful with her. That is why this topic deserves special attention.
There are a number of words in the Russian language (for example, introductory words) that require commas to separate them; Obviously, it is precisely this fact that influences the consciousness of the writers in this case and makes one doubt whether the word “what” is separated by commas, whether a comma is placed before “what” or “after”. But these issues are solved much more simply and in a completely different way. The essence of the rule is not that it is necessary to somehow punctuate the word “what” - it simply requires signs between the parts of a complex sentence.
The word “what” is separated by commas
On both sides
Can there be a comma after "what"? Yes, but this is not related to the conjunction itself or the conjunction word. It’s just that after it there is something that in itself requires commas: an introductory construction, a separate phrase, etc. The comma before “what,” which separates parts of a complex sentence, is not affected in any way.
- He was surprised that, having noticed the charming Sonya, his acquaintances were trying to quickly sneak away. (after “what” is an adverbial phrase)
- Ignat agreed that it looked like we wouldn’t have time to get to the city today. (after “what” is an introductory word)
Before the word
Why do commas even appear in the word “what”? “What” is a conjunction or pronoun, often acting as a connective word. It connects parts of a complex sentence. And in this case, except for rare exceptions, which are discussed below, a comma is required. The sign is always placed before the conjunction - this is the answer to the frequent question “Is a comma placed before the “what” or after?”
- He didn't tell me what was in the envelope.
- We thought he had already returned from a trip abroad.
No comma needed
Is there always a comma before “what” or not?
1. Usually a comma is used, but there is an exception. We are talking about complex sentences with homogeneous subordinate clauses connected by the conjunction “and”. These are sentences in which the main clause is joined by two (sometimes more) subordinate clauses that are similar in meaning. They answer the same question, although they may be joined by different unions. If there is an “and” between them, then a comma is not placed before the second conjunction.
- He told me what happened in the office and what he thought about it. (told you about what?)
- The child quickly understands what actions it is better not to do and what happens if the prohibition is violated.
2. Sometimes the combination with the conjunction “what” is not a subordinate clause; then the comma is not needed. This is not difficult to check: without the part of the phrase with the conjunction “that,” the sentence loses its meaning.
- They will always find something to ban.
- He has something to say.
3. Of course, there is no need to break stable expressions like “just now” with a comma.
- The film has just started.
- We will never back down!
4. Compound conjunctions can be formalized with commas in different ways; it depends on the author's intention: whether the comma is placed before the entire construction or in the middle.
- He was late because he overslept again.
- He was late because he overslept again. (but if before the conjunction there are words like “exactly”, “only”, etc., a comma must certainly be before “that”: He was late precisely because he overslept)
Is there a comma before "or"? You will find the answer to this question in the materials of this article. You'll also learn whether to use commas before "what" and "how."
General information
Surely you know that a conjunction is the auxiliary part of speech. Thanks to it, a connection is formed between individual sentences in the text, its parts or words. However, not everyone knows when a comma is placed in front of them and when not. In order to master this information, we present to your attention a few basic rules.
When is a comma placed before “or” and when not?
The conjunction "or" is a disjunctive conjunction. Sometimes it is preceded by a comma and sometimes not. Let's look at both cases in more detail:
Now you know when a comma is placed before “or” and when it is not. The presented rules will help you correctly compose a letter or any text.
Other unions
It should be especially noted that problems with punctuation arise not only when using the conjunction “or”, but also when using the words “what” and “how”. Let's consider these cases in more detail.
When should you not put a comma before "what"?
When is a comma used?
When should you put a comma before "as"?
A comma is placed before “how” in 3 cases:
- If this conjunction is included in expressions that are close in their role to introductory words: as a rule, as a consequence, as an exception, as now, as always, as now, as on purpose, as for example. Let's give an example: “In the evening, as if on purpose, a snowstorm began,” “This, as a rule, does not happen very often,” “He, as always, was late for the meeting.”
- If all parts are connected by this union. Let's give an example: “We watched the water flow for a long time,” “They watched the coals smolder in the fire for a long time.”
- If the sentence contains a circumstance that is expressed beginning with this conjunction. Let's give an example: “The boy’s voice rang like a bell,” “The girl sang like a nightingale.”
Important to remember!
If any sentence continues after the turn with this conjunction, then it must be isolated. For example: “He watched the water flow for a long time, unable to tear himself away from such a spectacle.”
When should you not use a comma?
Sentences with such a conjunction are not separated by commas in 5 cases:
Important to remember!
The presented word can be used as a compound conjunction “both... and”, “since” and phrases “since”, “since”, etc. In these cases, a comma should not be used. Let us give examples: “All the windows both in the palace and in ordinary houses are open,” “He did not take food with him and now he greatly regretted it, since he was already hungry.”
Attention, TODAY only!
- Is a comma necessary before "as"? Is there a comma before the word “how” or not?
The problem of literacy today worries many. There are fewer people who can write without errors than we would like. Punctuation causes particular difficulties for people, as it is very easy to make a mistake.
People often ask the question of when a comma is placed before “and”, since this rule can be difficult to understand. In practice, everything is a little simpler than it might seem at first glance. There are some basic rules for putting a comma before "and" and, of course, there are exceptions to them.
Rules for placing a comma before "and"
If "and" joins two simple clauses, a comma is usually necessary. You can check this rule very simply: if you can divide a sentence into two simple ones and neither of them loses its meaning, a comma is needed.
For example, the sentence: “It was sunny and there was a light breeze” can easily be divided into the sentences: “It was sunny” and “There was a light breeze.” Please note: the meaning of the sentences has not been lost.
However, if two simple sentences have a word in common, there is no need to use a comma. The verification of this rule is similar to the previous one: when a sentence is divided into parts, the meaning of at least one of them will be lost. For example, the sentence: “Yesterday it was sunny and there was a light breeze.” If we divide it into parts: “Yesterday it was sunny” and “There was a light breeze,” the meaning of the first sentence will be completely preserved. But at the same time, part of the meaning of the second sentence will be lost, since it is no longer clear when this happened. To ensure that the meaning is not lost, the sentences would need to be divided into “Yesterday it was sunny” and “Yesterday there was a light breeze.” In such examples, when parts of a complex sentence have a common word, a comma is not placed before “and”.
A comma is also needed in cases where the conjunction “and” is repeated several times in a sentence. Example: “It was sunny and there was a light breeze.”
Also, a comma is not placed before “and” in exclamatory, imperative and interrogative sentences. In our case, an example would be: “Was it really sunny and a light breeze blowing?”
A comma is not placed before “and” in sentences that contain an explanatory part of a complex sentence or a common introductory part for two sentences. For example: “Spring has come, so it was sunny and there was a light breeze.”
Another exception is nominative sentences, that is, those that express the existence of a certain phenomenon or object. For example: “Sunny and light breeze.”
Using these rules, you can easily figure out whether a comma is necessary in your sentence. It is important to understand and clearly identify for yourself the rules when a comma is placed before “and”, and based on this knowledge you will be able to identify other cases in which it is not necessary to put it.