- •Grammatical structure of the english language
- •§ 1. Languages may be synthetic and analytical according to their grammatical structure.
- •§ 3. However, the structure of a language is never purely synthetic or purely analytical. Accordingly in the English language there are:
- •§ 4. Owing to the scarcity of synthetic forms the order of words, which is fixed in English, acquires extreme importance: The fisherman caught a fish.
- •§ 5. One of the marked features of the English language is the extensive use of substitutes. A word substitute saves the repetition of a word in certain conditions. Here belong one, that, do.
- •General classification of the parts of speech
- •§ 4. Morphological composition of nouns.
- •§ 3. The noun has certain syntactical characteristics.
- •§ 5. Classification of nouns.
- •§ 6. The category of number.
- •§ 7. The category of case.
- •§ 1. General notion.
- •§ 2. The use of the indefinite article with class nouns.
- •§ 5. With nouns of material used in a general sense, when a certain material as such is meant, no article is used.
- •§ 8. When abstract nouns are used in a general sense, no article is used.
- •§ 18. The use of the indefinite article with nouns in set expressions.
- •Use of articles with proper nouns
- •§ 12. Names of persons.
- •§ 13. Geographical names.
- •§ 14. Names of hotels, ships, newspapers and magazines.
- •§ 15. Names of cardinal points.
- •§ 16. Names of months and days.
- •§ 17. The use of articles with nouns modified by proper nouns.
- •§ 21. The use of articles with predicative nouns.
- •§ 22. The use of articles with nouns in apposition.
- •§ 23. Class nouns used in address take no article.
- •§ 24. Place of the article.
- •§ 25. Ways of expressing the meaning of the English articles in Russian.
- •Special difficulties in the use of articles
- •§ 26. The use of articles with the nouns day, night, morning, evening.
- •§ 27. The use of articles with names of seasons.
- •§ 28. The use of articles with the nouns school, college, bed, prison, jail.
- •§ 29. The use of articles with the noun town.
- •§ 30. The use of articles with the names of meals.
- •§ 31. The use of articles with names of languages.
- •Use of articles with nouns modified by certain adjectives, pronouns and numerals
- •§ 32. Most.
- •§ 33. Few, a few, the few; little, a little, the little.
- •§ 34. Two, the two; three, the three, etc.
- •§ 35. The second, a second.
- •§ 36. Another, the other.
- •§ 37. Last, the last.
- •§ 38. Next, the next.
- •§ 39. A number, the number.
- •§ 2. The adjective has the following morphological characteristics:
- •§ 3. Spelling rules.
- •§ 4. The adjective has the following syntactical characteristics: In a sentence the adjective may be used as an attribute or as a predicative.
- •§ 5. Morphological composition of the adjective.
- •§ 6. Classification of adjectives.
- •§ 7. Grammatical characteristics of qualitative adjectives.
- •§ 8. Grammatical characteristics of relative adjectives.
- •§ 9. Substantivized adjectives.
- •The pronoun
- •§ 2. Classification of pronouns.
- •§ 3. Personal pronouns.
- •§ 4. Possessive pronouns.
- •Conjoint forms of possessive pronouns
- •Absolute forms of possessive pronouns
- •§ 5. Reflexive pronouns.
- •§ 6. Reciprocal pronouns.
- •§ 7. Demonstrative pronouns.
- •§ 8. Interrogative pronouns.
- •§ 9. Relative pronouns.
- •§ 10. Conjunctive pronouns.
- •§ 11. Defining pronouns.
- •§ 12. Indefinite pronouns.
- •§ 13. Negative pronouns.
- •The numeral
- •§ 2. Cardinal numerals.
- •§ 3. The functions of cardinal numerals in a sentence.
- •§ 4. Ordinal numerals.
- •§ 5. The functions of ordinal numerals in a sentence.
- •The words of the category of state
- •§ 2. As regards form the words of the category of state have the prefix a-: ablaze, afire, aflame, afoot, afraid, asleep, awake, etc.
- •§ 3. They are mainly used in the function of a predicative.
- •§ 4. Words of the category of state can be modified by adverbs of degree:
- •The adverb
- •§ 1. The adverb is a part of speech which expresses some circumstances that attend an action or state, or points out some characteristic features of an action or a quality.
- •§ 2. As to their structure adverbs are divided into:
- •§ 3. Some adverbs have degrees of comparison.
- •§ 4. According to their meaning adverbs fall under several groups:
§ 33. Few, a few, the few; little, a little, the little.
Few means ‘мало’, it has a negative meaning.
A few means ‘несколько’, it has a positive meaning.
The few means ‘те немногие (которые)’.
He was a very good man. There are few like him in the world
today. (Abrahams)
He left after a few moments. (Dreiser)
You need not fear to hear the few remaining words we have to say. (Dickens)
Little means ‘мало’, it has a negative meaning.
A little means ‘некоторое количество’, it has a positive meaning.
The little means ‘то небольшое количество (которое)’.
We can’t go skiing today. There is too little snow.
We have a little time. Let us take a walk in the garden.
Don’t waste the little time you have.
§ 34. Two, the two; three, the three, etc.
Two means ‘два’.
The two means ‘оба, те два’.
Two students entered the room.
The two friends travelled together.
The two books you lent me proved very interesting.
§ 35. The second, a second.
The second is an ordinal numeral meaning ‘второй’.
The second attempt proved more successful than the first.
A second means ‘another, one more’.
Having eaten the gruel, Oliver asked for a second portion.
In the third, a third, the fourth, a fourth etc. we see the same difference in meaning.
He made an experiment which proved his theory. He made a second, a third, a fourth experiment with the same results.
A second time means ‘once more’.
I rang the bell, but nobody answered it, so I had to ring a second time.
§ 36. Another, the other.
The pronoun another has two meanings:
(а) ‘какой-либо другой’.
Give me another pen, I don’t like this one.
(в) ‘еще один’.
I am thirsty; I should like another cup of tea.
The other means ‘определенный другой’.
There are two books here, take one and I’ll take the other.
§ 37. Last, the last.
Nouns modified by the adjective last are always used with the definite article except in the expressions last month, last year, last week, last summer (winter, autumn, spring).
The last word remained with George.
Last summer, in Switzerland, he was quite well. (Voynich)
§ 38. Next, the next.
Next means ‘будущий’ when referring to time: next month, next week.
The next means ‘следующий’: the next room, at the next lesson.
Next time means ‘в следующий раз’.
We shall discuss this matter next time.
In reference to time viewed from the past both next and the next mean ‘следующий’.
We spent a fortnight in Kiev. The next week was spent in Odessa (or: Next
week was spent in Odessa).
§ 39. A number, the number.
A number of means’ ‘many’. It is rendered in Russian by много, ряд.
The number means ‘число, количество’.
His father and a number of his cronies were in the dining-room. (Dreiser)
The number of mistakes he makes is startling.
THE ADJECTIVE
The adjective is a word expressing a quality of a substance.
§ 2. The adjective has the following morphological characteristics:
Most adjectives have degrees of comparison: the comparative degree and the superlative degree.1
1 Some adjectives have no degrees of comparison (see § 7).
The comparative degree denotes a higher degree of a quality.
She is taller than her sister.
My box is smaller than hers.
The superlative degree denotes the highest degree of a quality.
She is the tallest of the three sisters.
Her box is the smallest of all our boxes.
(The noun modified by an adjective in the superlative degree has the definite article because the superlative degree of the adjective always implies limitation.)
Adjectives form their degrees of comparison in the following way:
(a) by the inflexion ‑er, ‑est (synthetical way);
(b) by placing more and most before the adjective (analytical way).
Monosyllabic adjectives usually form their comparatives and superlatives in the first way, and polysyllabic adjectives in the second way.
The following polysyllabic adjectives, however, generally form their comparative and superlative degrees inflexionally:
1. Adjectives of two syllables which end in ‑y, ‑ow, -er, ‑le.
-
happy
happier
(the) happiest
narrow
narrower
(the) narrowest
clever
cleverer
(the) cleverest
simple
simpler
(the) simplest
2. Adjectives of two syllables which have the stress on the last syllable:
-
complete
completer
(the) completest
concise
conciser
(the) concisest
Some adjectives have irregular forms of degrees of comparison, e. g.:
-
good
better
(the) best
bad
worse
(the) worst
many, much
more
(the) most
little
less
(the) least
far
{farther
further
(the ){farthest
furthest
old
{older
elder
(the){oldest
eldest