In the Russian language they perform several functions. They replace intonation pauses and emphasis on key words, lowering/raising the voice characteristic of Depending on their purpose, they can be divided into several groups.

Marks at the end of a sentence

All punctuation marks have their own specific meaning. So, at the end of a sentence there is either a period, an ellipsis, and an exclamation point.

• A period is needed if the statement contains any message and is of a narrative nature: “Today it snowed heavily all day, from morning until late evening.”
• The ellipsis indicates that the thought expressed in the sentence is not finished and requires continuation: “Please tell me, could you…”.
• Question punctuation marks are used if the sentences contain the question: “Where do you still run?”
• Exclamatory - when the statement contains an incentive to do something or emotional intensity: “Sanya, how glad I am to see you! Come here!”

Signs within a sentence

Inside the sentence, you use your own punctuation comma, semicolon, colon and dash, and parentheses. In addition, there are also quotation marks that can open and close an independent statement, and are also located inside an already created one. We use a comma in the following cases:

• With homogeneous members of the sentence, separating them from each other: “Snowflakes above the ground are spinning softly, smoothly, measuredly.”
• When it serves as the boundary of simple sentences as part of a complex one: “Thunder struck and the rain poured down like a solid wall.”
• Punctuation marks for distinguishing participial and adverbial phrases: “Smiling, the boy kept talking and talking without stopping. His interlocutors, who laughed heartily, were very pleased with the boy.”
• If the sentence contains introductory words or “In my opinion, the weather should recover soon.”
• With conjunctions “but, a, yes and” and others, this punctuation mark is required: “At first I decided to go for a walk, but then I changed my mind.”

The list of punctograms, of course, is far from complete. To clarify it, you should refer to syntax textbooks.

The colon is placed according to certain rules:

• It is used with generalizing words: “Everywhere: in the rooms, in the corridor, even in the remote corners of the pantry and kitchen - multi-colored lights of garlands shone.”
• A colon is used to indicate explanatory relations within its parts: “My friend was not mistaken with the forecasts: heavy, low clouds were slowly but surely gathering in the west.”
• When speaking directly, we also must not forget about this punctuation mark: it separates the author’s words: “Coming close, the guy knitted his eyebrows threateningly and muttered: “Maybe we should go out?”

A semicolon is written if the sentence is complex, non-conjunctive, and there is no close connection between its parts or if each part has its own punctuation marks: “Meanwhile it got dark; lights flashed in the houses here and there, streams of smoke came out of the chimneys, the smell of cooking food.” .

A dash is also placed in non-union sentences or if the subject and predicate are expressed by a noun in the presence of the particle “this”, etc.: “Spring is the shine of the sun, the blue of the sky, the joyful awakening of nature.”

Each punctogram has a number of nuances and clarifications, so for competent writing you must regularly work with reference literature.

Punctuation marks in the modern Russian language, differing in their functions, purpose, and place of their placement in a sentence, enter into a certain hierarchical dependence. Depending on the placement in a sentence, punctuation marks are distinguished between the end and middle of a sentence - final and internal marks. All separating terminal marks - period, question and exclamation marks, ellipses - have greater force than internal marks.

The so-called internal punctuation marks - semicolon, comma, dash, colon, parentheses - are heterogeneous in their use. The most “strong”, hierarchically senior separating punctuation mark within a sentence is the semicolon. This sign, designating the boundaries of homogeneous members of a sentence or predicative parts in a complex sentence, is capable of conveying a meaningful pause in oral speech. The other four internal punctuation marks (comma, dash, colon, parentheses) differ in their informative load, functional range, and duration of pauses when “reading” them.

The hierarchy of their pause values ​​begins with a comma and ends with parentheses. The difference in content between the four internal punctuation marks under consideration is expressed, on the one hand, in the different volume of information load and, on the other, in the different degrees of specificity of the meanings that they can record in writing. Of these signs, the comma is the most polysemantic, the dash is somewhat narrower in meaning, the colon is noticeably narrower, and the most concrete sign in terms of content is the parentheses.

Consequently, the least degree of specificity of meaning is inherent in the comma and the greatest in parentheses. Thus, the hierarchy of increasing the degree of specificity of the meanings of the indicated four punctuation marks corresponds to the noted hierarchy of pausal values ​​and the hierarchy of their functional range. Based on the hierarchical dependence of punctuation marks, the features of their compatibility when found in a sentence are established. In some cases, punctuation marks are combined when they meet, in others, a sign of lesser strength is absorbed by a stronger sign. One of the two elements of a paired, separating sign may occur with a separating sign or with an element of another paired sign. An encounter with a separating sign is usually observed if the construction being distinguished is at the beginning or end of a sentence (the predicative part of a complex sentence) or on the border with homogeneous members. The meeting of elements of distinguishing marks occurs in cases where one distinguished syntactic construction follows another distinguished construction, for example, an isolated member, or a comparative phrase, or a participial part after another isolated member, a subordinate part after another isolated member, a subordinate part, an introductory or interpolated design, etc. Only a comma or a dash can be absorbed as part of a paired, highlighting sign. They are always absorbed by a period, a question mark, an exclamation mark, an ellipsis, a semicolon, a subsequent closing parenthesis, or subsequent closing quotation marks as marks of greater meaning. Symbols of the same name are also absorbed by one another: a comma by a comma, a dash by another dash, a closing bracket or quotation marks by another closing bracket or quotation marks. When a comma and a dash meet, different punctuation options are possible: these signs can be combined as equal in strength, or one of these signs can be absorbed by the other.

PRACTICUM ON PUNCTUATION

in tables and exercises

Study guide for students

Faculty of Philology

Volgograd

"Turn"

Akimova T.P., Kudryavtseva A.A.

Workshop on punctuation in tables and exercises: A textbook for students of the Faculty of Philology. – Volgograd: Peremena, 2007. - ... p.

The rules of Russian punctuation are presented in tables (with examples and exceptions) and exercises for them, aimed at improving the skills of correct punctuation.

For students of philological specialties.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this manual is to develop literate writing skills related to punctuation. First of all, it is intended for use in classes on the course “Workshop on Spelling and Punctuation.” The manual can also be used in preparation for an exam in this discipline, as well as for independent study by students who decide to improve their level of punctuation literacy.

The manual has a clear structure: the rules of Russian punctuation are distributed into 13 blocks, each of which includes theoretical information presented in the form of tables, as well as exercises aimed at consolidating the material being studied. In addition, the manual includes final control exercises, the implementation of which will ensure repetition and generalization of acquired knowledge and skills.

The didactic material of this manual is extracted from works of Russian literature, both classical and modern.

At the beginning of the manual, information about the principles of Russian punctuation and a summary index of punctuation rules are presented, and at the end there is a list of literature that can be used to study and consolidate the material being studied.

Principles of modern Russian punctuation

Term punctuation(Late Latin punctuatio, from Latin punctum - point) has two meanings:

1. System punctuation marks in the written language of any language, the rules of their use. Russian punctuation.

2. Placement of punctuation marks in the text. Wrong punctuation. Features of punctuation in the works of M. Gorky.

In the history of Russian punctuation, three main directions have emerged on the issue of its foundations and purpose: logical, syntactic and intonation.

According to logical direction, the main purpose of punctuation is “to indicate the division of speech into parts that are important for the expression of thought in writing.” Proponents of this concept note that, despite the fact that “the use of most punctuation marks in Russian writing is governed primarily by grammatical (syntactic) rules,” “the rules are still based on the meaning of the statement.” (F.I. Buslaev, S.I. Abakumov, A.B. Shapiro).

Syntactic direction in the theory of punctuation, which has become widespread in the practice of its teaching, proceeds from the fact that punctuation marks are intended, first of all, to make the syntactic structure of speech clear, to highlight individual sentences and their parts. (Ya. K. Grot).

Representatives intonation theories believe that punctuation marks serve “to indicate the rhythm and melody of a phrase, otherwise phrasal intonation” (L.V. Shcherba), that they reflect “in the vast majority of cases, not the grammatical, but the declamatory-psychological division of speech” (A.M. Peshkovsky) that they are needed “to convey the melody of speech, its tempo and pauses” (L.A. Bulakhovsky).

Despite the significant divergence of views of representatives of different directions, they all recognize the recognition communicative function punctuation, which is an important means of formatting written speech. Punctuation marks indicate semantic division of speech. Thus, the dot indicates the completeness of the sentence in the understanding of the writer; placing commas between homogeneous members of a sentence shows the syntactic equality of sentence elements expressing equal concepts, etc.

To a large extent, our punctuation system is built on a syntactic basis (cf. the formulation of most punctuation rules). This does not mean that punctuation copies the structure of the sentence, obeying it: the latter itself is determined by the meaning of the statement, therefore the starting point for the structure of the sentence and for the choice of punctuation marks is the semantic side of speech. Wed. cases of setting a punctuation mark that are not related to syntactic rules, for example, setting the so-called intonation dash: 1) I couldn't walk for a long time; 2)I couldn't walk for a long time. This example shows that our punctuation is also related to intonation.

There is often a discrepancy between punctuation and intonation (rhythmomelodics). Yes, in a sentence A pink woman's dress flashed in the dark greenery(Turg.) pause between the composition of the subject and the composition of the predicate (after the word dress) is not indicated in writing by any punctuation mark. On the other hand, in the sentence The boy carried some kind of bundle under his arm and, turning towards the pier, began to descend along a narrow and steep path(L.) after the conjunction and there is no pause, but in accordance with the existing rule a comma is placed here (in passing, it can be noted that the pause in this sentence is made before the conjunction And, but it is not marked with punctuation).

In some cases, punctuation marks are the main or only means of identifying semantic relationships that cannot be expressed in written text by grammatical and lexical means. Wed. placing a comma, a dash and a colon in the same non-union complex sentence: The youth left, the evening became boring(the sequence of phenomena is indicated); The youth left - the evening became boring(in the second part the consequence is indicated, the result of the action indicated in the first part); The youth left: the evening became boring(cause-and-effect relationships are identified, indicating the cause in the second part). Wed. also the placement or absence of commas in sentences in which the introductory words and members of the sentence are lexically the same: The doctor may be in his office. - The doctor may be in his office. Appropriate punctuation makes it possible to understand the role of definitions preceding the defined noun: clouds of thick, black smoke(definitions are homogeneous) - clubs thick black smoke(definitions are heterogeneous).

The Russian punctuation system has great flexibility: along with mandatory rules, it contains instructions that are not strictly normative in nature and allow for various punctuation options associated not only with semantic shades, but also with the stylistic features of the written text.

Punctuation is a set of punctuation marks and the rules for their use in written speech. Punctuation is mandatory; the meaning and use of punctuation marks are determined by the norm, the same for the writer and the reader. With the help of punctuation, the division of the text, its purposefulness, structure and main features of intonation are conveyed.

The first attempts to understand punctuation in Rus' are associated with the names of M. Grek, L. Zizaniya, then M. Smotritsky. M.V. Lomonosov in his “Russian Grammar” theoretically developed the issue of punctuation, gave a list of punctuation marks (“lowercase” marks) and outlined the rules for their use. Lomonosov formulated the basic principle on which the rules for arranging signs are based: this is the semantic side of speech and its structure. The rules were formulated in the most general terms, without detailed development, but the meaning of the signs was defined quite clearly. These meanings are not much different from the basic meanings of signs in modern punctuation, which indicates its stability and stability.

N. Kurganov, A. A. Barsov, N. I. Grech expanded Lomonosov’s general rules and gave more detailed characteristics of the meanings of individual signs and the rules for their placement. Further development of punctuation issues is associated with the names of A. K. Vostokov, I. I. Davydov, F. I. Buslaev and, finally, J. K. Grot, who summed up certain results of the research of previous authors. The basis of J. K. Grot’s punctuation is the logical division of speech, conveyed in oral speech by pauses and intonation. Groth sought to study the intonation of speech and pauses of various durations, corresponding to the logical division of speech. However, in practice, when formulating the rules for arranging signs, J. K. Grot took into account, first of all, the syntactic structure of the sentence and the semantic relationships between its parts.

An original solution to the issues of Russian punctuation is given in the works of A. M. Peshkovsky and L. V. Shcherba. The basis of punctuation for Peshkovsky is the rhythmic and melodic side of speech; he believes that punctuation reflects not the grammatical, but the “declamatory-psychological division of speech.” Shcherba also sees in “phrase intonation” the basis for arranging punctuation marks. However, he deepened Peshkovsky’s view of punctuation and tried to determine the essence of rhythmic melody, which expresses “the division of the flow of our thought” and “certain semantic shades.” In practice, analyzing the use of punctuation marks, Shcherba came to the conclusion that some of them are placed on a purely formal basis and sometimes even contrary to the meaning.

Subsequently, the development of issues in the theory of punctuation (taking into account its history) followed the path of identifying not one principle to the detriment of others, but a set of principles operating in the practice of printing. These are formal grammatical, semantic and intonation principles. Moreover, the greatest percentage of objectivity is contained in the first two principles. They are recognized as leading, which makes it possible to combine them terminologically into a single structural and semantic principle.

The principles of Russian punctuation are the basis of modern punctuation rules that determine the use of punctuation marks. The purpose of punctuation marks is to help transfer spoken speech into writing in such a way that it can be understood and reproduced unambiguously. Signs reflect the semantic and structural division of speech, as well as its rhythmic and intonation structure.

The changes that have occurred and are constantly occurring in punctuation concern not only the narrowing or, conversely, expansion of the functional meaning of individual characters, but also the emergence of new meanings or the loss of old ones. Modern punctuation reflects structure, meaning, and intonation. Written speech is organized quite clearly, definitely and at the same time expressively. The greatest achievement of modern punctuation is the fact that all three principles operate in it not separately, but in unity. As a rule, the intonation principle is reduced to the semantic one, the semantic one to the structural one, or vice versa, the structure of a sentence is determined by its meaning. It is possible to single out individual principles only conditionally. In most cases, they act inseparably, although in compliance with a certain hierarchy. For example, a period also marks the end of a sentence, the boundary between two sentences (structure); and lowering of voice, long pause (intonation); and completeness of the message (meaning). It is the combination of principles that is an indicator of the development of modern Russian punctuation, its flexibility, which allows it to reflect the subtlest shades of meaning and structural diversity.

Modern punctuation is distinguished not so much by a qualitative change in punctuation marks, the norms of their use, as by new general trends in the punctuation design of printed text, directly reflecting the syntactic transformations of the modern language, which are manifested, in particular, in the activation of expressive constructions, in the dynamic rhythmization of written speech in general.

The stylistic and expressive range of modern Russian punctuation is extremely wide. However, in their basic meanings and usage, punctuation marks are the same in different literary texts (scientific, official business, journalistic, artistic). This unity gives the rules of punctuation the necessary stability. The basis of this stability is the reliance on syntax.

The main purpose of punctuation is to indicate the semantic division of speech. Thus, placing a period indicates the completeness of the sentence from the point of view of the writer.

At the same time, punctuation marks serve to identify various shades of meaning inherent in individual parts of a written text. For example, placing a question mark at the end of a sentence indicates not only the division of speech, but also the interrogative nature of the sentence, its special type according to the purpose of the statement. The choice of sign between parts of a non-union complex sentence, conditioned by one or another understanding of the relationship between these parts, in turn serves as a means of identifying semantic relationships between them. Wed. placing a comma, dash and colon in the same text: The rider shouted, the horse rushed(sequence of two actions); The rider shouted - the horse rushed(in the first part the cause is indicated, in the second - the effect; or a rapid change from one phenomenon to another is noted); The rider shouted: the horse rushed(cause-and-effect relationships are identified, indicating the cause in the second part). The placement or absence of a comma between two definitions preceding the word being defined is associated with the understanding of these definitions as homogeneous or heterogeneous, for example: Her large, black eyes were especially expressive. -Her big black eyes were especially expressive.. Wed. also the placement or absence of a comma in definitions preceding the defined noun, depending on the presence or absence of additional adverbial shades of meaning, which is associated with the isolation or non-isolation of these definitions, for example: Tired to the last degree, the tourists could not continue their journey. - The excursionists, tired to the last degree, could not continue their journey.

Thus, in a number of cases, punctuation marks are the main or only means of identifying semantic relationships in a written text that cannot be expressed using grammatical and lexical means. Wed: The professor might be in his office right now. - The professor is now, perhaps, in his office(the syntactic role of the highlighted words is revealed only by means of punctuation). Forming, together with letters, the general graphic system of the language, punctuation marks perform special functions in it.

Punctuation in Russian is based largely on syntactic basis. However, this does not mean that punctuation reflects the syntactic structure of the sentence and is subject to it: the latter, in turn, is determined by the meaning of the statement, therefore the starting point for the structure of the sentence and for the choice of punctuation marks is semantic side of speech. Wed. cases of setting a punctuation mark that are not related to syntactic rules, for example, setting the so-called intonation dash: 1) I couldn't walk for a long time; 2) I couldn’t walk for a long time.

The above example shows that punctuation is related to intonation. However, in this case, there is no direct dependence of the first on the second: both serve as means of expressing the meaning of speech, with intonation performing this function in oral speech, and punctuation in written speech. There are quite frequent cases of discrepancies between punctuation and intonation (rhythmology). For example: 1) The greatest Russian poet Pushkin was the founder of the modern Russian literary language(the pause after the word Pushkin between the composition of the subject and the composition of the predicate is not indicated in writing by any sign); 2) He quickly entered the room and, seeing us, suddenly stopped(there is no pause after the conjunction, but according to existing syntactic rules we put a comma here). We should also not forget that intonation is one of the means of expressing syntactic relations, therefore the nature of the connection between punctuation and intonation follows from the general relations of punctuation and the syntactic structure of speech, which were discussed above.

The Russian punctuation system has great flexibility: along with mandatory rules, it contains instructions that are not strictly normative in nature and allow punctuation options necessary to express the semantic nuances and stylistic features of a written text. Wed. punctuation options associated with the isolation or non-isolation of phrases with words except, instead of, apart from, as a result of, in view of, thanks to and etc.

It should also be noted that most punctuation marks have multiple meanings (cf. the variety of uses of commas, dashes, colons and other signs). Even marks such as question marks and exclamation marks. are used not only at the end of a sentence to indicate its completeness and interrogative or exclamatory nature, but also in the middle of a sentence (although very rarely) after each homogeneous member, if it is necessary to show the dismemberment of the question or the emotional intermittency of speech, for example: Who is driving you away: is it destiny’s decision? Is it secret envy? Is it open anger?(L.); He rejected everything: laws! conscience! faith!(Gr.).

In the modern punctuation system of the Russian language, punctuation marks are functionally significant: they have generalized meanings assigned to them, fixing the patterns of their use. The functional significance of signs guarantees their reproducibility in similar semantic and grammatical conditions, their recognition when reading a text, understanding of its meaning, i.e. provides a manifestation of the social essence of punctuation.

According to their general functions, they primarily distinguish separating characters (period; question mark, exclamation mark, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, ellipsis) and separating signs (two commas, two dashes, parentheses, quotation marks). The function of a punctuation mark is also performed by a paragraph - writing on a new line.

Separating punctuation marks divide a written text into semantically and grammatically significant parts.

In terms of their functional qualities, they are similar comma, semicolon, period. These signs are used when listing syntactically equivalent units: homogeneous members of a sentence and parts of a sentence (comma, semicolon), individual sentences (period).

The qualitative proximity of these signs, i.e. their functional commonality makes it possible to use a comma, a semicolon and a full stop as a certain gradation system, if the difference in the degree of division of the text they indicate is taken into account. Wed: The Gulf of Bothnia was covered in ice. The tall pines crackled from the cold. The incessant wind blew dry snow off the ice(Paust.). - The Gulf of Bothnia was frozen; the tall pines crackled from the cold; a constant wind blew dry snow off the ice. - The Gulf of Bothnia was frozen in ice, the tall pines were crackling from the cold, and the incessant wind blew dry snow off the ice. The possibility of such replacements indicates the commonality of the qualitative potential of these signs. And at the same time, it is precisely this property of signs that makes it possible to use their “quantitative” difference: a decrease in the degree of semantic cohesion of the separated components of a statement - from a comma to a semicolon and to a period. It is these differences that make it possible to record larger, more basic parts of sentences and indicate the internal division of these parts. For example: The sky was heavy and gloomy; droplets of rain, barely visible to the eye, were constantly falling from it; the sad elegy in nature around me was emphasized by two broken and ugly willows and an upturned boat at their roots(M.G.). Despite their general functional significance, these signs turn out to be different in the strength of their action. That is why commas often appear between homogeneous members within a sentence, and semicolons - at the junction of complex sentences, respectively, periods - between sentences. Although, if the structure of homogeneous members of a sentence is particularly complicated, there may be a need to separate them with a more significant sign than a comma (semicolon position), and, on the other hand, in a complex sentence, commas will be quite sufficient signals of division if the structure of the complex sentence is transparent and not complicated internal secretions.

However, the obvious functional similarity of these signs does not mean their identity. For example, an experiment with the interchangeability of a comma and a semicolon with homogeneous terms connected by adversative relations fails. The semicolon is only appropriate when conveying enumeration relationships. Consequently, the semicolon, in comparison with the comma, is a sign of more limited use. A pattern emerges: in place of a semicolon you can always put a comma (such a sign may be less expressive, but is by no means erroneous), but not every comma can be replaced with a semicolon. The same is true with a period: a comma (albeit with some inconvenience for the perception of the text due to its excessive complexity) can replace a period and combine sentences into one complex one, but a period is not always able to qualitatively resemble a comma. Wed: At one time I seriously thought about becoming a sailor. But soon the dream of writing crowded out everything else(Paust.). - At one time I seriously thought about becoming a sailor, but soon the dream of writing crowded out everything else.

So, a comma, a semicolon, a period are lined up in a functionally united series, which represents a gradual ascent from a sign that minimally separates homogeneous syntactic units from each other (comma), through the sign of “average divisibility” (semicolon) to a sign dividing text into individual units of utterance (period). But such generalized similarity with quantitative difference does not at all mean semantic identity, which is revealed when identifying the unidirectionality of the interchangeability of signs: interchangeability is possible when directed from point to point with a semicolon and a comma and is not always possible when directed from a comma to a semicolon and to a period.

The ellipsis, along with the general separating function, has a number of specific, varied meanings, which most often reflect the emotional coloring of speech. This is a sign that conveys understatement, reticence, interruption of thought, often its difficulty, caused either by great emotional stress or other reasons, for example: “The star fell...” said Meyer, wrapping himself in his coat.(Ch.); “These are the things, my dear...” he began again, looking affectionately at the investigator.(Ch.); - And I left... I left wherever my eyes looked(Ch.); - What are you thinking about, honey? - About children, about you... about your life. I, Alyosha, have been through a lot. As you begin to remember, as you begin... My God! - She laughed(Ch.).

An ellipsis can convey the significance of what was said, indicate subtext, hidden meaning, and can emphasize illogicality. For example: This is how he [Manuel] I remember: a short man with a curly, thick, blue-black beard on an intelligent, thin face - alone on the field... And behind him shots were already heard - the shootout from the city center shifted to the airport territory...(Comm. Pravda); Rain... as punishment(Comm. truth).

The colon warns of further clarification and clarification. This function of the sign is revealed by different meanings: causality, justification, disclosure of content, specification of the general concept. For example: A bright day came: there was snow on the ground, the clouds melted in the sky, the sun appeared(Priv.); Garth turned his head to the window, and the premonition came true: calm and pale autumn stood over the city(Paust.).

The dash is a sign of very wide use. It means all kinds of omissions: omission of connectives in the predicate, omission of sentence members in incomplete and elliptical sentences, omission of adversative conjunctions. For example: The most terrible of the local winds is the Novorossiysk bora(Paust.); In addition, I had to send money to one aunt in Vladivostok, and the other to Kyiv(Paust.). The second function of the dash is semantic: conveying the meanings of condition, time, comparison, consequence, opposition and juxtaposition, in cases where these meanings are not expressed lexically; Ultimately, this is also the recording of peculiar omissions. For example: She remembered Winkler - a dead melancholy suddenly squeezed her heart and restored her strength(Paust.); Fighting alone won't turn your life around(N. Ostr.).

A dash can also be an indicator of “unexpectedness” - semantic, compositional, intonation; in such cases, the sign conveys the emotional intensity of speech (dynamism, sharpness, rapid change of events, etc.). For example: It seemed like one more minute - and the guards would rush to him(Paust.); And when there was another leap of dawn - the pale spot turned out to be the face of a man(Priv.).

As a formal delimiter sign, the dash is used, for example, when designing direct speech, when delimiting lines of dialogue: -Are you very tired, Efim? - I can't be tired, I have to work all day...(Priv.).

Question marks And exclamatory draw up appropriate proposals: - How quiet! The trees are like wax!(Priv.); Where have you seen such a clear sea? Nowhere! When did you live among such kind and honest people? Never!(Paust.).

Serves the purpose of highlighting significant parts of the text. The reasons for highlighting can be different, and therefore the specific functions of the paragraph are tied to the target setting of the text. For example, when delimiting lines of dialogue, a paragraph is a formal means of such delimitation. In a monologically organized text, a paragraph performs either a logical-semantic function (divides the text into logically and semantically - thematically - united parts), in which a sequential transition from one thought to another is recorded, or an expressive-emotional function, when the paragraph breaks the logical-semantic sequence statements, and then serves as a bright stylistic means of highlighting.

The specificity of paragraph division is determined by the target setting of the text itself, its compositional features, and in literary texts - also by the author’s modality.

Marks highlighting - commas, dashes, parentheses- highlight particularly significant parts in a sentence; special significance is manifested in additional semantic load (isolated members of the sentence), in a specific function (addresses, interjections, introductory words, phrases and sentences), in the transmission of additional messages (plug-in constructions). The difference in the degree of emphasis is emphasized by the choice of distinctive signs: according to the degree of emphasis, the signs form a gradational series from commas (lower degree) to dashes (medium degree) and, finally, to parentheses (the highest degree of emphasis, bordering on the complete exclusion of the construction from the sentence, for example , when making inserts to a paragraph, i.e. outside the sentence). Examples: Peasant horses, herded into the meadows at night, look wildly at the white stars of electric lanterns hanging in the distant forest, and snore with fear.(Paust.); Talkative old people live in the meadows - in dugouts and huts(Paust.); Peat extraction has already begun on some moshars (the Red Swamp and the Pilny Swamp)(Paust.).

Excretory signs differ not only in the degree of emphasis they convey, but also functionally. In the latter sense, only parentheses are unambiguous - they highlight only insertions, i.e. additional messages. As for commas and dashes, their functions are broader and more varied: they can convey various semantic, intonation and accent subtleties (especially dashes). For example: Snow has already fallen here, but it has just melted, and in the forest under the Christmas tree - you look - and there is a hare sitting(Paust.); All this summer I learned anew - by touch, taste, smell - many new words that had been known to me until then, but were distant and unexperienced.(Paust.); Most often, lightning occurs in July, when the grain is ripening. That’s why there is a popular belief that lightning “lights up the bread” - they illuminate it at night - and this makes the bread pour faster(Paust.); The evening dawn begins when the sun has already set beyond the edge of the earth. Then it takes possession of the fading sky, spills a multitude of colors across it - from red gold to turquoise - and slowly passes into late twilight and night(Paust.).

Quotation marks are also distinguishing marks. The general functional unambiguity of quotation marks (emphasis) does not prevent them from having a variety of particular meanings.

First of all, quotation marks highlight someone else's speech in the text - individual words belonging to another author, quotes, direct speech. For example: The boy said “watch the thunder”, and I remembered the words from Dante’s “Divine Comedy” that “the ray of the sun fell silent”(Paust.); People say about blind rain falling in the sun: “The princess is crying.”(Paust.).

The use of quotation marks can also be of a different type: words unusually used by the author are highlighted - for example, words that are rarely used, other-style words, used in an ironic sense, in the opposite meaning, with a double meaning, etc. For example: And what winged romance lives in all these frigates and barkantines, schooners and clippers, shrouds and yards, capstans and Admiralty anchors, “dog” watches, the ringing of bells and logs, the hum of machine turbines, sirens, stern flags, full storms, typhoons, fogs , dazzling calms, floating lighthouses, “deep” shores and “stubby” capes, knots and cables - in all that Alexander Green called “the picturesque work of navigation”(Paust.); And if you live according to the new law, then there can be no “suddenly”, there are reasons for everything(Priv.); And the deposit already appears in the hand of the eldest of the “entihs”(Priv.); The neighbors decided that the garbage man had gone crazy(Paust.).

Quotes serve as a means of highlighting various names - orders and medals, literary works, newspapers, magazines; enterprises, organizations; industrial products, car brands; plant varieties, etc. For example: Everything created by Prishvin: his first works - “In the Land of Unfrightened Birds” and “Kolobok” and the subsequent ones - “Calendar of Nature”, “Pantry of the Sun”, his numerous stories and, finally, the thinnest, as if woven from morning light, spring water and quietly speaking Ginseng leaves - all this is full of the beautiful essence of life(Paust.); He published under the pseudonym “Multatuli”. In Latin it means "Long-Suffering"(Paust.).

The general functions of punctuation marks, as well as more specific ones, implemented in the semantic and grammatical conditions of specific texts, create the basis for the individual use of punctuation marks. Such signs are associated with author's understanding written, they usually convey the emotional structure of speech and are included in the concept of “writer’s style.” The punctuation of outstanding masters of artistic expression is evidence of the richness of its stylistic possibilities.

The main principle of individual understanding of punctuation marks is not to forget their functional significance, but to use signs in new, unusual for them (from the point of view of normative rules) contextual conditions. For example, M. Gorky has a dash in positions where the rules provide for a comma or the absence of a sign (a dash after an address; a dash between the subject and predicate - a personal verb, when highlighting comparative phrases, etc.); dash at