Text 6 parts of speech

Task: read the text, translate it in written and answer the questions below.

1. As regards their function in the sentence, words fall under certain classes called parts of speech, all the members of each these classes having certain formal characteristics in common which distinguish them from the members of the other classes. Each of these classes has a name of its own — nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, numerals, etc. The division in the main goes back to the Greek and Latin grammarians with a few additions and modifications.

2. The parts of speech in inflectional languages are divided into two main groups, declinable, that is, capable of inflections, and indeclinable that is, incapable of inflections.

3. The declinable parts of speech fall under the three main divisions-nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Pronouns, numerals are a special class of nouns and adjectives. Verbals (Infinitive, Participle, and Gerund) are a class of words intermediate between, verbs on the one hand and nouns and adjectives on the other: they do not express predication, but keep all the other meanings and grammatical functions of the verbs from which they are formed.

4. Indeclinable words or particles comprise adverbs, prepositions conjunctions, and interjections. The distinction between the two classes is not entirely dependent on the presence or absence of inflection but really goes deeper, corresponding, to some extent, to the distinction between head-word and adjunct-word or form-word.

5. The main parts of speech are traditionally defined as follows. A noun is a word used for naming some person or thing. English noun has the grammatical category of number, case, but it hasn't got the category of gender. An adjective is a word used to qualify a noun. It has degrees of comparison but it has no plural inflections. A verb is a word used for saying something about some person or thing. The grammarians of the classical school distinguish such categories of the verb as tense and aspect, voice, mood.

1. What is the distinction between parts of speech based on?

2. What main groups are all parts of speech divided into?

3. What is the difference between them?

4. How can you define a noun, an adjective and a verb?

5. Do you remember the names of any parts of speech?

Text 7 russian language

Task 1: read the text and translate it into Russian.

Russian is a principal state and cultural language of Russia. Together with Ukrainian and Belarusian, the Russian language makes up the eastern branch of the Slavic family of languages. Russian is the primary language of the overwhelming majority of people in Russia. It is also used as a second language in other former republics of the Soviet Union. Russian was also taught extensively in those countries lying within the Soviet sphere of influence, especially in Eastern Europe, in the second half of the 20th century.

Russian dialects are divided into the Northern group (stretching from St. Petersburg eastward across Siberia), the Southern group (in most of central and southern Russia), and the Central group (between Northern and Southern). Modern literary Russian is based on the Central dialect of Moscow, having basically the consonant system of the Northern dialect and the vowel system of the Southern dialect. The differences between these three dialects are fewer than between the dialects of most other European languages, however.

Russian and the other East Slavic languages (Ukrainian, Belarusian) did not diverge noticeably from one another until the Middle Russian period (the late 13th to the 16th century). The term Old Russian is generally applied to the common East Slavic language in use before that time.

Russian has been strongly influenced by Church Slavonic. Since the 18th-century westernizing policies of Tsar Peter I the Great, by the languages of Western Europe, from which it has borrowed many words. The 19th-century poet Aleksandr Pushkin had a very great influence on the subsequent development of the language. His writings, by combining the colloquial and Church Slavonic styles, put an end to the considerable controversy that had developed as to which style of the language was best for literary uses.

The modern language uses six case forms (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative) in the singular and plural of nouns and adjectives and expresses both a perfective aspect (completed action) and an imperfective aspect (process or incomplete action) in verbs.

Task 2:translate the given words into Russian:

State and cultural language, to make up the eastern branch, the primary language, the overwhelming majority, former republics, sphere of influence, Russian dialects, the Northern group, to stretch from, the Southern dialect, the Central dialect of Moscow, the consonant system, the vowel system, European languages, Modern literary Russian, East Slavic languages, the Middle Russian, period Old Russian, to be applied to, Church Slavonic, to borrow many words, to influence on the subsequent development, the colloquial language, six case forms, the singular and plural forms, nouns and adjectives, a perfective aspect, an imperfective aspect, incomplete action.

Task 3:insert the following prepositions and learn them by heart.

Together … Ukrainian and Belarusian, makes … the eastern branch, used … a second language, lying … the Soviet sphere … influence, dialects are divided…, Modern literary Russian is based … ,the differences … these three dialects are fewer, not diverge noticeably … one… , Russian is generally applied …, had a very great influence …, put an end … the considerable controversy.

Task 4: what do the following expressions refer to?

Central dialect of Moscow, Church Slavonic, East Slavic languages, colloquial style, Western Europe, the Northern group, the Southern group, Slavic family of languages, the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe.

Task 5: translate into English:

1. Украинский и русский являются государственными и культурными языками Украины.

2. Русский и некоторые славянские языки составляют Индоевропейскую группу языков.

3. Подавляющее большинство языков России принадлежат к одной из четырех больших языковых семей.

4. Около 87 % населения России говорит на языках Индоевропейской группы.

5. Русские диалекты делятся на три группы: северный говор, южный говор и московский.

Task 6: put 5 questions to the text.