Word order in a sentence, intonation, logical stress. Direct and reverse order of words in a sentence

In most sentences of the Russian language there is a usual, straight word order. In direct word order, the given, known, theme precedes the new, unknown, rheme. Direct word order (also called objective) is accepted in most stylistically neutral statements, where an extremely accurate, exhaustively objective statement of facts is necessary, for example, in scientific texts and official business documents.

When solving special semantic and stylistic problems in expressive and emotionally charged statements, it is used reverse (subjective) word order in which the rheme precedes the topic. For subjective word order, it is necessary to change the place of phrasal stress, which falls on the beginning or middle of the sentence: Gloomy and gloomy Sergey Timofeevich. And how could he be different? Joyless were the last years of his life before meeting Turkina(I SK.). IN this proposal using subjective word order ( inversions) the judicial speaker manages to create a psychological characteristic of the defendant.

The actual division of any sentence is determined by its formal structure, lexical content and semantic organization. For each type of sentence, there is a neutral word order, which involves placing phrasal stress at the end of the sentence and expresses the semantic division of the sentence into topic and rheme. With a neutral word order, the grammatical, semantic and actual divisions usually coincide. Inversion(change in neutral word order) is usually a means of actual division, in which phrasal stress, falling at the end of the sentence, highlights semantically important syntagms or syntagma; in this case, the grammatical division of the sentence does not coincide with its semantic and communicative organization. Cases of shifting the place of phrasal stress serve as a stylistic device that distinguishes a given sentence or statement in the general context as a whole.

Norms formal business style, which includes legal texts, require direct word order in a sentence. It obeys some general rules.

The subject of a sentence usually precedes the predicate, for example: The prosecutor opened a criminal case against Sidorin under Article 113 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation; Semenyuk committed theft of materials in the amount of 2 thousand rubles. If there are adverbial words at the beginning of a sentence, then the subject is usually placed after the predicate: On January 11, 2000, a fire occurred at the Rospromtorg warehouse; A criminal case was opened into the theft.

The agreed definition usually always appears before the word being defined: mild punishment, grievous bodily harm, dangerous injury. Isolated definitions appear after the words they define, for example persons under the influence of alcohol; a quarrel that arose while drinking alcohol; crime qualified under Art. 107 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation; transaction made under duress.

The order of words in constructions with several definitions depends on the morphological nature of these definitions. Definitions expressed by pronouns precede the word being defined and all definitions expressed by other parts of speech: these extreme measures, his careless handling of fire, their unspecified alibi, her outstanding criminal record and etc.

If with one defined word there are two definitions, expressed by qualitative and relative adjectives, then the qualitative adjective is used first, then the relative, because a relative adjective is more closely related to the word it defines: serious bodily injury, dangerous knife wound, severe traumatic brain injury, new criminal case.

Heterogeneous definitions expressed by relative adjectives are arranged depending on the logical gradation of concepts assigned to these words: definitions expressing narrower concepts precede definitions denoting broad concepts: Bryansk Regional Court, Moscow City Bar Association, Sovetsky District Council of People's Deputies.

Uncoordinated definitions are found in the position after the word being defined: expert opinion, commission for minors, board for civil cases, investigator for particularly important cases.

The complement usually follows the control word: count on justice, resignation letter, bring charges, file a lawsuit. If a sentence has several complements with one control word, then the direct complement, i.e. an object expressed by a noun in the accusative case without a preposition precedes all other objects: write a letter of resignation, make a statement about what happened. If the sentence has an indirect object with the meaning of a person, which is expressed by a noun in the dative case, then it is placed before the direct object, denoting the object to which the action is directed: report to management about the events, inform the police about the impending terrorist attack.

In a sentence, the direct object can have the same form as the subject. The means of distinguishing the members of a sentence in this case is the word order: the subject comes first, the direct object comes last, for example: The court applies the law. However, in some cases, ambiguity and ambiguity arise in such constructions. In a sentence Motorcycle hit bicycle subject motorbike, expressed by the nominative case of a noun, formally coincides with the direct object bike, expressed noun in the accusative case without a preposition, resulting in semantic ambiguity. To avoid such ambiguity arising from formal coincidence grammatical forms, it is necessary to change the grammatical structure. In this sentence it would be appropriate to use the passive phrase: Bicycle hit by motorcyclist.

The circumstances of the manner of action, measure and degree, purpose, place and time usually come before the predicate. The circumstances of place, time and purpose are usually determinants, i.e. free distributors of the entire sentence, therefore they most often occupy preposition (stand at the beginning of the sentence), and if there is a time circumstance in the sentence, then it usually precedes all the others: November 2, 2002 near the store on the street. Uritsky, theft of alcoholic beverages in the amount of 5,037 rubles was committed; On March 30, 1999, defendant Gulyaev died suddenly.

Let us emphasize once again that the rules of word order in a sentence must be strictly observed in book speech, especially in official business texts, since violations of direct word order contradict the basic requirements for such texts - strict objectivity, accuracy and clarity of content.

IN colloquial speech, journalistic and artistic texts can use reverse (subjective) word order, in which the rheme precedes the topic. Changing the usual, direct order of words in a sentence to create expressively meaningful contexts is called inversion. Inversion is an important rhetorical device, a means of expressive syntax used in fiction (prose and poetry) and journalism.

As a means of speech expressiveness, inversion is also used in judicial oratory. The brilliant Russian lawyer F.N. Plevako skillfully used the technique of inversion in his speeches: “ Russia had to endure many troubles, many trials during its more than thousand-year existence... Russia endured everything, overcame everything”; “The last day has come. She was preparing for something terrible.”. The preposition of the object in these sentences contributes to the accentuation of part of the utterance.

The most common case of inversion is the postposition of an agreed definition. Most often, the agreed definition is placed after the word being defined in colloquial speech; The tendency towards colloquialism explains many cases of inversion in judicial oratory, for example She saved this money from her work for years. Or: Kitelev / in a drunken stupor / started a fight(see: Ivakina N.N.S. 237).

A means of strongly semantically emphasizing a circumstance is to place it at the beginning of a sentence: She was worried like a mental patient; Working in the laundry, he asks every minute if Lukerya has come, if she has seen the drowned woman. Almost unconsciously, under the heavy weight of a pressing thought, she betrays herself(A.F. Koni).

Thus, inversion (reverse word order) has rich stylistic possibilities and is effective means verbal expressiveness of the statement.

Direct, reverse (inverted) types of word order

The problem of direct and reverse types word order inevitably affects the opposition of objectivity/subjectivity that is organically associated with it, which leads to the need for their parallel consideration.

The identification of these oppositions in the category of word order is based on two common traditions of studying word order - “Greenberg” and “Prague”. The first is based on the assumption that every language has a neutral, basic, unmarked word order. Another tradition is associated with the work of Czech linguists and explains word order by “pragmatic” statuses “theme/rheme”

According to V. Mathesius, the objective word order is one in which the initial part of the sentence is taken as the starting point (the topic of the sentence), and its end is taken as the core of the utterance (rheme), in in this case thought moves from the known to the unknown. In subjective word order, the core comes first, and then the starting point of the sentence.

The definition that LES gives to these oppositions is as follows:

With an objective word order, the arrangement of sentence members corresponds to the movement of thought, the subjective word order expresses the emotions and intentions of the speaker.[Mathesius 1967: 239-246]

Direct word order is such an arrangement of the components of a sentence that is generally accepted, the most widely accepted in speech in a given language, in relation to which any other order is perceived as a permutation. With the reverse order of words (inversion), there is a violation of the usual arrangement of words or phrases that make up a sentence, as a result of which the rearranged component of the sentence becomes highlighted and attracts attention (LES 1990: 388).

Both oppositions resonate with each other: if a certain arrangement of words in a sentence corresponds to the movement of thought, then it is generally accepted, and the component that attracts attention as a result of inversion clearly expresses the emotions and intentions of the speaker - inversion is always subjective. The formal expression of these oppositions is also the same: Sie hat keine Tranen (direct objective word order). - Tranen hat sie keine (Bredel) (reverse subjective word order).

Grammarists postulate the SVO order for the modern German language: the predicate has a strictly fixed position, and this feature is one of the main features of the structure of the German sentence (Deutsche Satzstruktur...) Since some members of the sentence (namely the subject and objects) have a similar character in terms of valence , theoretically, any of them can be in the first place in a sentence. Such possibilities for the syntactic organization of sentences give rise to the problem of direct and reverse word order.

How can we call word order basic if it does not satisfy the needs of speech? After all, in almost every sentence a condition is fulfilled, which W. Engel calls consistency with the previous sentence (Anschlu? an den vorhergehenden Text):

Bettina ist gestern in Stuttgart gewesen. Dort hat sie die Staatsgalerie besucht.

Ich komme aus einer gro?en Stadt. In dieser Stadt kenne ich mich aus.

The same problem is indicated by W. Jung: “It is a mistake to define the arrangement “subject - finite form of the verb” as “normal” as opposed to the inversion, the arrangement “finitive form of the verb - subject.” The place of the nucleus (Kernstellung) in a declarative sentence is normal, i.e. finding a finite verb in second place. It is preceded by a component, which can be either the subject or another member of the sentence."

The current state of linguistics, which has significantly expanded its area of ​​interest, is directing the problem of direct, basic word order in a new direction. To be basic means to be natural. Special meaning to select the sequence of words in a sentence you get cognitive processes, occurring in the human mind, and therefore its cognitive aspect.

Thus, relying on the spatio-temporal order of the external world and taking into account the universal strategy of discourse explains the existence of several natural word orders that can claim the status of basic.

Excessive emphasis on only one typology of word order - based on the concepts of subject and object - is not entirely justified. So a very witty remark about the languages ​​of the Uto-Aztecan family, where word order follows the model “indefinite - verb - definite”: “if the first linguists had been native speakers of the O'odham language (Uto-Aztecan family), and if they had been inclined to count that all possible languages ​​operate on the basis of the same correspondences between functions and structures as their native language, then English would be regarded as a language with “free” word order." Indeed, definite and indefinite noun phrases in German can be found V different parts offers:

Der Duden ist ein Nachschlagewerk. - Einem Zigeuner liegt die Musik im

However, it is incorrect to say that the use of the definite and indefinite article in German has nothing to do with word order. Thus, G. Helbig attributes certain and indefinite articles among the morphological indicators that determine word order in the German language:

Ich schenke dem Kind ein Buch.

Ich schenke das Buch einem Kind.

Er borgt den Studenten Bucher.

Er borgt die Bucher Studenten.

In the examples, a noun with a definite article precedes a noun with an indefinite article. It seems that the certainty/uncertainty expressed by the article echoes the opposition known/unknown expressed by the pragmatic categories theme and rheme. Thus, in the sentence Kinder sind die Menschen, it is the presence of the definite article that makes it possible to recognize the known, that is, the topic of this statement, which in this particular case coincides with the subject, as a result of which the emotionally uncolored version of the sentence is defined as Die Menschen sind Kinder. Thanks to this, it is possible to recognize true subject-object relationships and translate the sentence as follows: What kind of children are these people, and not Children are people.

The fact that deviation from the prescribed word order can give the displaced element markedness (the more pronounced the deviation, the stronger the markedness), has been noted in some German grammars.

W. Engel calls such situations separation (Hervorhebung):

Er meldete seinen Freund Dumitru in der Botschaft an.

Er meldete in der Botschaft seinen Freund Dumitru an.

Ich habe das gerne nicht gehabt.

Gerne habe ich das nicht gehabt.

The reverse process is also noted: an initially rhematic element can be “thematized” due to a shift to the beginning of the sentence (ibid.):

Die Regierung kann mit finanziellen Zuschlussen die Machtverhaltnisse in jedem Land beeinflussen.

Die Regierung kann die Machtverhaltnisse in jedem Land mit finanziellen Zuschlussen beeinflussen.

The displacement of any element in the foreground of the sentence determines its strongest emphasis:

Die Drogenkriminalitat konnte man mit der kostenlosen Angabe von Drogen an einen ausgewahlten Personenkreis eindammen.

The following laws can be traced in the arrangement of the main members of the proposal:

1) In an independent sentence, the predicate can be divided into 2 parts, which will stand separately in different parts of the sentence and form a frame structure (brackets in the sentence). In a subordinate clause, both parts of the predicate will stand next to each other.

2) In an independent sentence, the subject and predicate stand next to each other; in a subordinate clause, on the contrary, where the verbale Rahmen is absent, it will be replaced through the separation of the subject from the predicate.

According to the location of the final verb, there are 3 forms of the sentence: Second place of the verb (Kernform), First place of the verb (Stirnform), Last place of the verb (Spannform).

The second place of a verb in a sentence can be found in declarative sentences, in questions, in open subordinate clauses: Er behauptet, der Zug kommt um 8.

The first place in a verb sentence (Spitzenstellung). The subject follows the predicate.

The first place of the verb in a sentence can be found in interrogative, imperative, exclamatory (Ist das Wetter aber herrlich!), some types of subordinate clauses (in (open subordinate clauses, concessive subordinate clauses, subordinate clauses, in den Satzen der Redeeinkleidung, which follow direct speech (Entschuldige! Sagte er), in the main clause that follows the subordinate clause (Als ich auf die Stra?e trat, war es schon dunkel.)

The final position of a verb is expressed by placing the verb at the end.

Er fragte, ob der Zug um 8 kommt.

The last place of a verb in a sentence is used in subordinate clauses and in "pseudo-clauses" which, due to their form, function as exclamatory clauses. The subject and predicate are separated from each other.

The use of unusual verb positions for the sentence form is acceptable only from a stylistic point of view. In addition to the cases discussed above, there are others.

In prose, instead of placing the verb in second place, in the next sentence the same verb will appear in first place.

Denn es regnete. Regnete unterbrochen. (W. Bochert, Preu?ens Gloria)

For some writers (z. B. L. Feuchtwagner, W. Bochert) this will be distinctive feature style.

As an exception, the initial position of a verb with a separable prefix comes across. The prefix can stand either separately with the verb or together.

Auf tut sich der weite Zwinger (F. Schiller)

Auf steiget der Mond und wieder sinkt die Sonne. (W. Raabel)

Damage to the position of the subject in a sentence construction occurs if the subject is moved from the usual position of 1 or 3 members in a sentence to the end. The emphasis is on the subject, which is in final position as a result of tension building at the end of the sentence, which begins to weaken towards the end. This is typical only for prose:

Auf dem Pferde dort unter dem Tor der siegreichen Einmarsche und mit Zugen steinern und blitzend ritt die Macht. (H. Mann, der Untertan)

Da fielen auf seine Hande Blumen. (H. Mann, Die kleine Stadt)

compared to simple inversion: Da fielen Blumen auf seine Hande.

Selbst zart, selbst bla?, geduldig, immer lachelnd, immer etwas zerstreut mitten in diesem Wirbel von Kopfen und den Wolken von Kohldampf stand sie, seine Tochter; die Tochter des Generals. (B. Kellermann, Der 9. November)

Gegenuber, auf dem Dache gegenuber, wehte im frischen Wind lustig, wie die selbstverstandlichste Sache der Welt; hoch oben - eine blutrote, blutrot leuchtende Flagge! (ebd.)

The order of the members of a sentence in a sentence - SUBJECT - PREDICATE - is usually called in grammar direct word order(the Direct Order of Words). Direct word order is the norm for an affirmative sentence in English language:

Walking can be recommended as a good exercise.

Reverse word order

Placing the predicate before the subject is usually called reverse word order or, to use the generally accepted term, inversion(the Indirect Order of Words, Inversion).

A distinction is made between complete and partial inversion.

At complete inversion the predicate, expressed in one word, is placed before the subject. Cases of complete inversion are few:

Is anybody at home? (as a semantic verb). Has anybody twenty dollars to lend me? (as a semantic verb).

Much more numerous cases partial inversion, i.e. placing in front of the subject a part of the predicate-auxiliary or modal verb, as well as linking verbs:

Has you received any new emails? Can walking be recommended as a good exercise? Is it cold today?

When forming a question using an auxiliary verb do like: At what time does the sun rise now? – essentially there is no reverse word order. The question indicator is an auxiliary verb do; the remaining members of the sentence are placed in the usual order: subject - predicate: Does the sun rise?

An indirect question in English is constructed like an affirmative sentence: Ask if he can come to see me tomorrow afternoon. I wonder what time it is. In Russian, there is a reverse word order, as well as the presence of the particle whether in the sentence: Ask if he can come to me tomorrow. Find out if the director has arrived.

Other cases of inversion

The predicate also comes before the subject in the following cases:

In design there is (are) and with all verbs preceded by a formal there: There is a meeting today. There must be a meeting today.

IN exclamatory sentences expressing the wish: Long Live the King!

In conditional sentences starting with verb forms: were, had, should: Were I in your place, I would act differently. Should the weather keep fine in September, come down to see us in the country.

When repeating an auxiliary or modal verb in sentences like: You are here, so am I.

Note: The subject takes its usual place if it refers to the same subject of speech in both sentences: “You seem to be very pleased with your work,” said my friend to me. “So I am,” I answered.

In Russian, the order of words (more precisely, members of a sentence) is considered free. That is, in the sentence there is no strictly assigned place for one or another member of the sentence. For example, a sentence: The editor carefully read the manuscript yesterday– allows 120 construction options.
They are distinguished depending on the type, structure of the sentence, ways of expressing its members, style and context of speech forward and reverse word order . The reverse order most often serves to specially highlight certain words by rearranging them, which is inversion, a special artistic device. Direct order is characteristic, first of all, of scientific and business speech, the reverse - for journalistic and artistic speech, in colloquial speech the sentence is constructed according to special laws.

Place of the main members, subject and predicate

In narrative In sentences, the subject usually precedes the predicate: Some left the village to earn money.
The reverse order of the main members of a sentence (first the predicate, then the subject) is common in the following cases:
1) in the author’s words that break direct speech or come after it, for example: “I’m not strange,” the boy answered sadly;
2) in sentences in which the subject denotes a period of time or a natural phenomenon, and the predicate is expressed by a verb with the meaning of becoming, being, the course of an action, etc., for example: A hundred years have passed; Spring came; It was a moonlit night;
3) in descriptions, in stories: The sea sings, the city hums, the sun sparkles brightly;
4) as an inversion: Bear hunting is dangerous, a wounded animal is scary;
5) often when placing adverbial words at the beginning of a sentence: There was noise coming from the street.
In interrogative In sentences, the predicate often precedes the subject, for example: Will bookmakers deceive me?
In incentives In sentences, subject pronouns often precede the predicate, which enhances the categorical nature of the order and advice. And when they follow the predicate, they soften the tone. Compare: You finish this work today. - Finish this work today.
Compound predicate. In colloquial speech the connective nominal predicate often comes first: I was young, hot, sincere. Placing the nominal part of the predicate in front of the subject and the nominal part serves the purpose of inversion: The dark thickets of forests and the depths of the seas are mysterious and therefore beautiful, the cry of a bird and the crack of a tree bud bursting from the warmth are mysterious (Paustovsky); Both remained hungry.

Place of definition in a sentence

1. Agreed Definition usually placed before the noun being defined, for example: interesting story; verified quotes; our publishing house.
Setting an agreed definition after the word being defined serves the purpose of inversion: The mountains are inaccessible on all sides (Lermontov).
Postpositive definitions referring to a noun repeated in a given sentence are common: This idea of ​​inflation is, of course, quite naive; Such plans, bold and original plans, could only arise in our conditions.
The means of semantic definition are:
- its isolation: The people, amazed, stopped.
- separating it from the defined noun: Rare stars shone in the ashen sky.
A detached definition (that is, separated by commas) is usually postpositive: publication of letters received at the company’s office; exhibition of paintings nominated for the prize.

2. If there are several agreed upon definitions, their order depends on their morphological arrangement.
- Definitions expressed by pronouns are placed ahead of definitions expressed by other parts of speech: on this solemn day, our future plans.
- Determinative pronouns precede other pronouns: all these amendments, every comment you make. But the pronoun MOST is placed after the demonstrative: these same opportunities, the same case.
- Definitions expressed qualitative adjectives and are placed in front of definitions expressed as relative: new historical novel; light leather binding; late autumn time.
- If heterogeneous definitions are expressed by qualitative adjectives, then the one that denotes a more stable attribute is placed closer to the word being defined: huge black eyes; interesting new story.
- If heterogeneous definitions are expressed by relative adjectives, then they are usually arranged in order of ascending semantic gradation: daily stock reports, specialized haberdashery store.

3. Inconsistent definition is placed after the word being defined: expert opinion; leather bound book; novel with sequel. BUT definitions expressed by personal pronouns as possessives come before the word being defined: his objections, their statements.
Consensus definitions usually precede discordant ones: high mahogany bed. BUT inconsistent definitions, expressed by personal pronouns with a possessive meaning, usually precede the agreed one: his last performance, their increased demands.

Place of an object in a sentence

The complement usually follows the control word (the word it depends on): read the manuscript, sign the contract, ready for the meeting.
Often the object expressed by a pronoun may precede the control word: I liked the work; This sight amazed him; The mother noticed something in her daughter's expression.
It is common to place an addition before the control word with the meaning of person in impersonal sentences: He needs to talk to you; My sister is not feeling well.
If there are several additions related to one control word, different word orders are possible:
1) usually a direct object precedes others: Take the documents from the secretary; Discuss the issue with your employees;
2) the indirect object of the person in the dative case usually precedes the direct object of the subject: Tell us your legal address; This woman saved Bekoev’s life. Similarly, the genitive case with the meaning actor(inconsistent definition) precedes another case (as a complement): The director's visit to his subordinates.
The direct object, which matches the form of the subject, is usually placed after the predicate: Mother loves daughter; Laziness breeds carelessness. When the subject and object are rearranged, the meaning of the sentence changes or ambiguity arises: The daughter loves the mother; Laws are protected by the courts.

Place of circumstance in a sentence

1. Circumstances of the course of action, expressed by adverbs ending in –о, -е, are usually placed in front of the predicate: The translation accurately reflects the content of the original; The pavement glistened smoothly.
Some adverbs that combine with a few verbs are placed after them: walk, lie prone, walk barefoot, walk.
The location of the circumstance of the course of action may depend on the presence of other minor members offers: The climbers walked slowly. – The climbers walked slowly along a steep path.
A means of semantically highlighting circumstances is their placement at the beginning of a sentence or separation from the words to which they are adjacent: In vain he tried to make out people on the horizon; We were very friendly.
2. Circumstances of measure and degree stand before the word on which they depend: The director is very busy; I won't repeat it twice.
3. Circumstances of the time usually precede the predicate verb: There was little conversation at dinner; In a month we plan to achieve success.
4. Circumstances of the place usually precede the predicate, and often appear at the beginning of a sentence: The factory was restless; A cloud was coming from the west.
If the adverbial adverbial place is at the beginning of a sentence, it is often followed by the predicate, and then the subject: To the right rose the white hospital building.
If a sentence contains adverbials of both place and time, then they are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence, with the adverbial adverbial of time placed in the first place, and the adverbial adverbial of place in the second place: Warm weather is expected in Moscow tomorrow. Another order is possible - a circumstance of time, subject, predicate, and finally, a circumstance of place: Yesterday I met a friend of mine on the street.
5. Circumstances of reason and purpose often come before the predicate: Two girls were crying in fear; Some delegation deliberately entered the square.

Location of introductory words, addresses, particles, prepositions

1. Not being members of a sentence, introductory words are freely located in it if they relate to the sentence as a whole: Unfortunately, he fell ill. - Unfortunately, he fell ill. - Unfortunately, he got sick.
If the introductory word is connected in meaning to one member of the sentence, then it is placed next to it: Our dilapidated boat sank, fortunately, in a shallow place.
2. The appeal is also freely placed in the sentence, but most often it is placed at the beginning, which is logically emphasized. Compare: Doctor, tell me what’s wrong with my child. - Tell me, doctor, what’s wrong with my child. – Tell me what’s wrong with my child, doctor.
Moreover, in calls, slogans, orders, oratory speeches, official and personal letters the appeal is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
3. Particles stand in front of the word they refer to. Compare: This book is difficult even for him. - This book even difficult for him. - Even this book is difficult for him.
4. Separating the preposition from the controlled noun is undesirable: I'll come with a few more comrades.(I will come with a few more comrades). You should also not put two prepositions in a row: Pay attention to outstanding work in all respects(Note the work, which is outstanding in all respects).