The participle and the words related to it (depending on it) represent an adverbial turnover. As in the case with, the placement of commas in adverbial phrases has its own subtleties.

Our starting point will be the general rule: “Adverbial phrases on both sides are separated by commas.” But what should you consider besides this?

* If in a sentence two homogeneous (that is, relating to the same verb) participial phrases are connected by the conjunction “and” (as well as other coordinating or disjunctive phrases - “or”, “either”, etc.), then by analogy with others homogeneous members sentences around “and”, “or” and others similar unions no commas are used. The same applies to single gerunds and participial phrases. “He approached the house, dreaming of rest and thinking about the future dinner.” However, remember, this rule applies only to those cases where the adverbial phrases / gerunds refer to the same verb. If we are talking about different verbs, commas will be placed: “He approached the house, dreaming of rest, and, thinking about the future dinner, opened the door.”

* “Only” and “only” that come before the participial phrase are, as a rule, included in it, that is, a comma is placed before these words.

* A participle phrase is not isolated if it is included in a subordinate clause and has the word “which” as a dependent word (the same is true for a single participle). “Each of us has our own fears, without repelling which we will not be able to free ourselves.”

* If the participial phrase is adjacent to the conjunctions “a”, “and” and other similar ones, then in order to understand whether to put a comma before or after the conjunction, determine whether it is included in the phrase or not. So, if the conjunction belongs to the participial phrase, then, as a rule, when mentally removing the latter from the sentence, the remaining conjunction violates the structure of the phrase. This is especially true for the conjunction “a”. If, when the turnover is removed, the role of the conjunction in the sentence does not change, then it is not included in the turnover.

Compare:

“For a long time she couldn’t choose shoes to match the dress, but when she chose stiletto sandals, she was very happy.” -> The phrase “She couldn’t find the shoes to match the dress for a long time, but she was very happy” doesn’t look entirely logical.

“For a long time she couldn’t choose shoes to match the dress and, having taken stiletto sandals, she realized that they fit perfectly with the outfit.” -> The phrase “She couldn’t find shoes to match the dress for a long time and realized that they [the sandals] fit perfectly with the outfit” is quite consistent.

* Phraseologisms with gerunds (such as “without closing your eyes”, “rolling up your sleeves”) are not separated by commas.

* If there is an intensifying particle “and” between the verb and the phrase immediately following it, the phrase is not separated by commas. “I can solve my financial problems without taking out loans.”

* Commas are also not needed if the participle expresses not an additional action, but a shade of the main one, which we discussed in detail in the article about the isolation of single participles. Similar structures can represent a whole revolution.

Let us remember that “despite” and “despite” are prepositions, and they are written with “not” together (while the participial phrases “despite” / “despite” are written separately). Prepositions are also words such as “thanks to”, “after”, “starting”, etc. At the same time, of course, we should not forget that there are “similar” participles. Compare: “Thanks to his tips, I passed the exam” (preposition), “Thanks to his tips, I handed him a bottle of cognac” (gerund). Some of the phrases with similar prepositions are also isolated, but according to their own rules, and not according to the rules for the isolation of participial phrases.

Ever since school, many people have retained the idea that, unlike participles, participles are always separated by commas, regardless of the presence of dependent words and place in the sentence. In fact, this idea is not entirely correct - the separation of gerunds and participial phrases has its own characteristics. Within the framework of this article, we will consider the isolation (and non-isolation) of single gerunds. Read about it in the corresponding article.

General rule this is - single gerunds are isolated (set off with commas on both sides) if they express an additional action, and are not isolated if they express a shade of the main action. For example:

* “She opened the door, laughing” (two actions - “when she opened the door, she laughed”).

* “He walked along the road slowly and listened to the birds singing” (“slowly” is a connotation of the main action).

First of all, such shades become gerunds, which, in principle, have practically lost their verbal meaning and are perceived more like adverbs - “silently”, “slowly”. The situation is more complicated with those participles that are isolated or not isolated depending on the context. For example, “She opened the door laughing.” This participle can be seen as a connotation of an action (how exactly did she open the door?) or as an independent action (when she opened the door, she laughed). Accordingly, a comma will or will not be placed depending on the meaning that the author puts into the sentence.

The following can serve as a kind of hint when deciding to place a comma: as a rule, shades of action are expressed by gerunds coming immediately after the verb. However, they can be replaced with an adverb or a noun with a preposition. For example, “without stopping” - “without stopping”, “without haste” - “without haste”, “smiling” - “with a smile”. Some sources also indicate that participles ending in “-a” and “-o” are more often shades, while those with “-v” and “-vsh” are additional actions.

Participles separated from the verb are often isolated.

Compare:

* “She greeted smiling.”

* “She greeted with a smile.”

* "Smiling, the girl in beautiful dress handed him the ball.”

Now let's pay attention to some subtleties regarding the placement of commas with isolated gerunds. In particular, if two homogeneous (that is, relating to the same verb) single gerunds are connected by the conjunction “and” (as well as “either”, “or”, etc.), then commas are not placed around this conjunction - by analogy with homogeneous members of the sentence. For example, “By running and doing pull-ups, she quickly got into shape.” The same applies to the isolation of the participle phrase and the solitary participle. Separated in relation to the entire phrase, these members of the sentence are homogeneous among themselves (for this participle they must necessarily refer to the same verb).

Also, commas are not placed if the conjunction “and” connects an adverb and a gerund referring to the same verb - such members of the sentence are also considered homogeneous (plus, such gerunds often express shades of action). For example, “He answered quickly and without thinking.” In this case (by analogy with homogeneous members of a sentence), if there is no connecting conjunction or there is a conjunction “a” or “but,” then a comma should be placed between the adverb and the gerund: “He answered quickly, without thinking.”

If a gerund begins a subordinate clause and has the word “which” as a dependent word, then this gerund is not isolated. The same is true if the gerund has other dependent words. “I dream of such a dress, when I find it I will feel like a queen.”

As many people know, the participial phrase has the meaning of an additional predicate, therefore it is isolated and separated by commas. This usually does not cause difficulties for students. However, there are cases when the participial phrase does not need to be isolated. We will now consider these cases in more detail.

1. Participial phrase(most often this is a turn with the meaning of an adverbial manner of action) does not denote an additional action, but on the contrary, being closely connected with the predicate, it itself becomes the semantic center of the statement. In this case, it cannot be removed or moved without distorting or losing the meaning of the sentence.

He stood with his neck slightly craned, sad and thoughtful(the main thing is that he didn’t just stand, but stood with his neck slightly stretched).

She usually read with her head bowed and the tip of her tongue sticking out.(the point is how she read, not what she read at all).

This exercise must be done while sitting on the floor.(the point is exactly how this exercise is performed).

2. The participial phrase is a phraseological unit.

The boy hurried headlong to call the rescuers for help.

The printer worked tirelessly.

After receiving the news, the girl spent the night without closing her eyes.

Here are some of these phraseological units: carelessly, barely taking a breath, scream without taking a breath, rush with your tongue hanging out, lie staring at the ceiling, sit with bated breath, work with your sleeves rolled up, rush around without remembering yourself, listen with your ears hanging open, etc.

Some adverbial phraseological combinations act as introductory phrases, then they are isolated.

To be honest, the exercise could have been done much better.

Apparently, you can already hit the road.

3. When there is an intensifying particle I before the participial phrase.

It was possible to report this without starting to quarrel.

A humble person remains humble even after defeating a strong enemy.

You can go home without waiting for the exam result.

4. If the participial phrase is broken by the word included in subordinate clause or as part of simple sentence. This usually applies to subordinate clauses with a conjunctive word which. Also similar cases can be found in some poetic texts.

There was a door to the left, through which it was possible to get into the dressing room.

Jim Jarmusch's new film was released yesterday, and after watching it it is not difficult to understand his creative growth.

Raven, perched on the spruce tree, was just about ready to have breakfast, but became thoughtful... (I. A. Krylov).

But Shibanov, keeping his slavish loyalty, gives his horse to the governor (A.K. Tolstoy).

5. A gerund may lose its verbal meaning, then it is not separated by commas. Usually in such cases it can be omitted without affecting the meaning of the sentence.

The post office is located not far from Vosstaniya Square.

Universities have been accepting applicants under new rules since the end of last year

You can start the task starting from tomorrow (the word starting can be omitted, the structure and meaning of the sentence will not change).

However, if the turn with the word starting is not associated with the concept of time or serves to clarify, clarify, then it is isolated.

Everything seemed suspicious to us, starting with his intonation

Captain since Crimean War, participated in all military operations except Japanese(the word starting cannot be omitted, the structure and meaning of the sentence will change).

Revolutions based on And depending on in most cases they are not included in the participial construction and are not isolated.

The assignment is based on your wishes.

We will act according to the circumstances.

6. The participial phrase appears together with the usual non-isolated circumstance and they are homogeneous. In this case, the participial phrase is not separated by commas.

We will teach you how to solve examples and problems with ease and without resorting to reference books.

The boy ran quickly and without looking back.

The second lieutenant answered inwithout embarrassment.

However, in in this case isolation is possible if the author wants to put a semantic emphasis or give a passing explanation.

A little guilty and sobbing, mother psaid goodbye to Alyosha.

In the dark sky, tired and not sparkling, yellow droplets of stars appeared (M. Gorky).

As you can see, not everything is simple with punctuation marks in adverbial verbs, but we hope our explanations helped you. If something remains not entirely clear, you will always find help from our tutors!

Good luck to you and a beautiful, competent, understandable Russian language!

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A circumstance is a minor member of a sentence that denotes a sign of an action or other characteristic. The circumstances are explained by predicates or other members of the sentence. When parsing a sentence, circumstances are emphasized dotted line(dash, dot, dash). Circumstances must be separated by commas in three cases. Let's look at each of them in turn.

First case

Circumstances in sentences can be expressed in four parts of speech:

adverb, for example: The janitor gets up early;

adverbial participle or participial phrase, for example: The men, seeing the landowner, took off their hats;

infinitive, for example: Everyone went outside (why?) to clear the snow;

In addition, the circumstance can be expressed by an expression that is integral in meaning, for example: It rained for two weeks straight.

It is necessary to remember that It is necessary to highlight with commas the circumstances that are expressed by the participle or participial phrase. Compare: He sat leafing through a magazine and was bored And He was sitting on a bench. In the first sentence the circumstance leafing through a magazine stands out, since it is expressed by an adverbial phrase, and in the second, the circumstance on the bench is not isolated, since it is expressed by a noun with a preposition.

Second and third cases

According to their significance, circumstances are divided into the following main groups:

circumstances of a place that answer the questions WHERE? WHERE? WHERE? For example: We entered (where?) into the city;

circumstances of time that answer the questions WHEN? SINCE WHEN? UNTIL WHEN? HOW LONG? For example: We waited for them for about two hours;

circumstances reasons that answer the questions WHY? WHY? FOR WHAT REASON? For example: I could not speak from fatigue;

circumstances of the goal that answer the questions WHY? FOR WHAT? FOR WHAT PURPOSE? For example: In the sanatorium everything is prepared for the treatment of vacationers;

circumstances of the manner of action and degree, answering the questions HOW? HOW? TO WHAT EXTENT? For example: I got a little thoughtful or My father did not let me go one step;

circumstances conditions that answer the question UNDER WHAT CONDITION? For example: With effort you can achieve success;

circumstances of the assignment that answer the question DESPITE WHAT? For example: The street, despite the frost, was crowded;

circumstances of comparison that answer the question HOW? For example: Her head is shorn, like a boy's.

In the classification of circumstances by meaning, one of the eight types are circumstances of comparison: they answer the question HOW? and begins with the conjunctions AS, AS WELL or AS IF. For example: She had long hair, soft like linen. In some textbooks and reference guides, circumstances of comparison are also called comparative phrases. It is necessary to remember that circumstances of comparison in sentences are separated by commas.

Another type of circumstances that must be separated by commas are the circumstances of the assignment. Such circumstances answer the question DESPITE WHAT? and begin with the preposition DESPITE (or, less commonly, despite). For example: On the streets, despite bright sun, the lights were on.

So, you should remember three cases when circumstances need to be separated by commas:

if they are expressed by an adverbial phrase,

if they represent comparative turnover,

if they begin with the preposition DESPITE.

Look at the examples again. Sparks swirled quickly in the heights.(Lermontov) She suddenly disappeared, like a bird scared out of a bush(Lermontov). Despite unforeseen difficulties, the work was completed on time.

This rule has several important notes:

The adverbs STANDING, SITTING, LYING, SILENTLY should be distinguished from gerunds. RELUCTANTLY, JOKINGLY, WITHOUT LOOKING, PLAYING. They were formed due to the transition of words from the category of gerunds to adverbs. The circumstances expressed in such words are not isolated. For example: He stood silently.

Circumstances expressed by phraseological units are also not highlighted, for example: They worked with their sleeves rolled up or I spin around all day like a squirrel in a wheel.

In addition to the circumstances of the assignment, which are always distinguished, circumstances expressed by nouns with derived prepositions THANKS, ACCORDING TO, CONTRARY, IN VIEW, CONSEQUENCE, can optionally be isolated, for example: Thanks to good weather, we swam in the river all summer. Usually such circumstances are isolated if they are common and come before the predicate.

Exercise

In two weeks_ our employee will return from vacation.

Peter went to the library to prepare for the exam.

Running out to the podium, he quickly spoke.

Overtaking a truck, the car drove into the oncoming lane.

Despite the danger, the captain ordered to continue moving.

For the sake of victory_ they are ready to do anything.

The wet steps turned out to be slippery like ice.

The port will be closed_ in case of strong wind.

It was dark, only two stars, like two rescue beacons, sparkled on the dark blue vault (Lermontov).

- Flies_ headlong! Almost knocked me off my feet! - muttered the old woman.

On the side of the jacket_ like an eye_ stuck out gem(M. Bulgakov).

The old woman, despite her advanced age, sees and hears perfectly (A. Chekhov).

Having gone through difficult trials, he managed to preserve his human dignity (M. Sholokhov).

The stove was humming like a fire (M. Bulgakov).

He answered the investigator's questions reluctantly.

The boat dived like a duck and then, flapping its oars, as if with wings, jumped out on the surface (M. Lermontov).

Having grabbed the German major and a briefcase with documents, Sokolov gets to his people (M. Sholokhov).

Having experienced a strong shock, he fell asleep like the dead.

Everywhere and in everything he tried to emphasize his superiority, considering himself well-mannered and humane (A. Fadeev).

And then hundreds of small incendiary bombs were sprinkled on the fires like grains on freshly plowed ground (K. Vonnegut).

There are quite a few people in this world who are lonely by nature, who, like a hermit crab or a snail, try to retreat into their shell (A. Chekhov).

Some kind of bastard, Siberian-looking stray cat emerged from behind a drainpipe and, despite the blizzard, smelled the Krakow cat (M. Bulgakov).

For a long time he struggled with his guess, taking it for a dream of an imagination inflamed by food supplies, but the more often the meetings were repeated, the more painful the doubts became (M. Saltykov-Shchedrin).