Punctuation marks are like markers. Who invented them and what is the role of these punctuation units besides another reason for lowering students’ grades for their incorrect placement in the dictation? But thanks to such elements of writing, the perception of the text and the emotional message are achieved. It is simply necessary to be a literate person today. Therefore, knowledge of basic punctuation and spelling is necessary for everyone. The dash between the subject and the predicate - examples, exceptions, rules will be discussed in this article.

Semantic centers of sentences (SSC)

Having initially read the title of this publication, a person who has graduated from school a long time ago most likely begins to frantically remember the members of the sentence. And it’s unlikely that examples of sentences with a dash between the subject and predicate immediately come to mind.

A combination of words that is connected in meaning and has intonation completeness is called a sentence, the totality of which forms the text. Each such statement tells about some object or subject. By asking questions inherent in the nominative case - “what?”, “who?” - you can determine the first component of the grammatical basis of the statement - the subject. That is, it is part of the semantic center of the sentence. “Employees at the repair shop have completed preparing the equipment for winter.” In this version, “employees” are the subject of the message. We are talking about repair shop workers.

Having decided who the sentence is about, it is necessary to highlight the action performed by the subject of the statement. It is expressed by the predicate. A logical question arises in the example under consideration - “What did the employees do?” - completed the preparation of the equipment. The predicate is “completed” and is considered the second semantic center of the sentence.

Dash function

The sign defining silence, semantic separation, was introduced into Russian writing by the historian N. M. Karamzin. Although there is an opinion that the punctuation unit first appeared in the Russian press in the 60s, and Nikolai Mikhailovich only contributed to its popularization.

In modern Russian writing, a dash between the subject and the predicate is a punctuation rule that every fifth grader knows. Main purpose of the sign:

  • Separating function. Separating parts of a statement with meaning and filling in the excluded members of a sentence with a sign. I walked along the poppy field to the left, and Andrey went to the right. Here the predicate “went” is missing in the second part of the statement. The dividing function is the dash between the subject and the predicate. Examples: Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine, the meeting place is the assembly hall. In the first case, Kyiv is the subject, and the capital is the predicate. Both parts of the sentence are expressed by a noun. This is one of the requirements when a dash is placed between the subject and the predicate.
  • Excretory function. Writing lines in dialogue.
  • Connective purpose: to quantitatively or semantically combine two words. Bus "Moscow - Dolgoprudny".

Punctuation: a dash between the subject and the predicate. Explanation with examples

When the semantic centers of a statement are nouns, moreover, in the nominative form, there are several cases in which the sign of “silence” is used:

  1. To convey a fixed (logical) meaning: A square is a regular quadrilateral. Algebra is a discipline that generalizes and expands knowledge of arithmetic.
  2. Journalistic statements or scientific judgments that describe the characteristics of an object or evaluate a phenomenon: A thunderstorm is a natural phenomenon that occurs as a result of electrical discharges.
  3. Judgments where the subject and predicate are identical in meaning: Sevastopol is a city in Crimea.
  4. After subjects answering one question and referring to one predicate: Kirovograd, Dnepropetrovsk, Vinnitsa are cities in the central part of Ukraine.
  5. To add precision to a statement: Mom is my friend. Or when in judgments there is a connective like “this”, “here”: The path through the dunes is desolate kilometers of silence, drought and thirst.

Requirements for placing a dash when the centers of a sentence consist of different parts of speech

The “-” sign can be used in statements where the main members are not only nouns.

So, we continue to consider the dash between the subject and the predicate. Examples of sentences when semantic centers are expressed by different parts of speech:

  1. Five six is ​​thirty. The phrase “five six” is the subject, “thirty” is the predicate, both are expressed by a numeral. The height of the peak of the Carpathians is two thousand six hundred fifty-five meters. In this case, “height” is a noun that reflects the subject; after the sign, the entire phrase refers to the numeral and is expressed by the predicate. It follows: a dash is placed when the main members of the statement act as a numeral and/or a noun. But! In the nominative case. The exception is texts describing the characteristics of the subject in specialized literature, for example: boom reach 12 meters; The melting point of the metal is 1000 degrees.
  2. To live with wolves is to howl like a wolf. SVPs refer to the indefinite form of the verb (IFG). Conclusion: sentences with a dash between the subject and the predicate can be found in the case when its main members are expressed by the infinitive.
  3. Our goal is to complete the task before Monday. The combination of an infinitive and a noun expressing SCP also requires the use of a “-” sign.

Cases when the sign is not used

  • The absence of a dash between the subject and the predicate is possible when SCPs are made up of simple sentences, usually in a conversational style: m oh dad director of a scientific enterprise; my sister is an analyst.
  • If the predicate is attached to the second part of the grammatical basis of the statement (the subject) with the conjunctions “as”, “as if”, “sort of like”, “exactly”, “as if”: m oh the school yard is like a garden; the stars are like little diamonds; the sky is like an ocean.
  • The predicate expresses negation using the particle “not” - this is the case of the absence of a dash between the subject and the predicate. The rule has exceptions, but more on them later. Examples: The heart is not a stone. The word is not a sparrow.
  • The grammatical basis of a sentence is divided by an introductory word: a August is known to be the season for fruits and vegetables; Ivanov is now a famous hairdresser. If in the last version we omit the adverb “now”, then we get a statement when a dash is placed between the subject and the predicate: Ivanov is a famous hairdresser.
  • The semantic centers of the sentence form a phraseological turn: d a pair of boots.
  • The predicate appears in a sentence before the subject: з wonderful girl Tatyana Pavlovna.
  • The subject is a personal pronoun, and the predicate is a noun. He is an ulcer, he is a plague, he is a corruption of these places.

Exceptions

Deviation from the requirements put forward for the placement of a dash or its absence can be observed in modern authors and classics. For example, the judgment: eh that man is like a hero! It seems that according to the punctuation rule, if there is a connective “how”, then the “-” sign is not placed. However, its presence can be justified by the author’s desire to emphasize the nuance of the comparison.

For a clear contrast, the author can use intonation and logical stress. In this case, a dash is placed between the subject and the predicate. Examples: His views on raising children - isn't this a prejudice? Preparing for the Olympics is not that easy.

Dash between subject and predicate: table

There is a dash (subject + predicate):

Noun + noun

A dog is man's friend.

Numeral + numeral

Three times two is six.

Infinitive + infinitive

Eating right is loving yourself.

Infinitive + noun

Drinking coffee in the morning is a pleasure.

Noun + infinitive

My goal is to defend my diploma.

Subject (that means this) predicate

Teaching is the best hobby.

No dash:

"Not" predicate

The word is not a sparrow.

Predicate (precisely, sort of like, as if, as) subject

Lips like rose petals.

Predicate + subject

A wonderful person Andrey Vladimirovich!

Subject = pronoun

She's a librarian.

Preparing for the Olympics is not that easy.

Conclusion

The basic rule before placing a dash is to determine the semantic center of the sentence (subject, predicate), establish which part of speech they belong to, and know the cases when such a sign is absent.

Competent language skills are the key to prosperity, success and respect. After all, life is an endless exam.

The dash is one of the most expressive and favorite punctuation marks for schoolchildren. But the dash not only helps express expression - it also formalizes certain types of sentences. Let's consider one of them.

Ways to Express Principal Members

Let us remember that the subject can be expressed not only by a noun or pronoun in the nominative case, but also by a numeral, the infinitive of a verb, and a syntactically indivisible combination.

The predicate is also expressed not only by the verb in personal form, but also by many other parts of speech: numeral, infinitive, pronoun, adverb, etc.

Which sentences require a dash?

The simplest cases of placing a dash between the subject and the predicate are known to fifth graders, but this rule is fully studied in the 8th grade. All of them concern sentences with a compound nominal predicate. But not all such proposals fall within its scope.

According to the rule for placing a dash, this sign is required between the subject and the predicate if both the subject and the predicate are expressed by a noun, numeral or infinitive of a verb in any possible set. A dash is also placed if the implied word is expressed by a phraseological unit.

This can be shown in a diagram like this:

Noun, number, inf. - noun, number, inf. .

Here are some examples:

A dog is man's friend.

Five is an odd number.

Singing is my hobby.

To live is to serve the Motherland.

His dream is to go to Paris.

What else affects the placement of a dash?

The words “this”, “here”, “means”. If they are, a dash is placed; Even the exceptions specified in the next chapter are not affected (Reading is the best teaching.)

It is interesting that a dash is placed before “this”, “here”, “means” even if the predicate is expressed by a pronoun (The state is us.)

Exceptions. There is no dash.

However, there are exceptions. Let us remind you that they do not apply to sentences containing “this”, “here”, “so”.

  • A dash is not placed if the predicate contains the particle NOT (My brother is not a student; however, Antibiotics are not a panacea). This does not apply to sentences where the predicate is an infinitive.
  • A dash is not needed (and a comma too!) if the predicate group includes comparative conjunctions like, as if, as if, exactly, etc. (“The forest is like a painted tower…”)
  • Sentences in which there is a word between the subject and the predicate also require careful consideration. If this is an introductory word, addition or circumstance, a dash is also not required (Petya, of course, is great).
  • A dash is not placed if there is a particle between the subject and the predicate (My brother is only a paramedic's assistant).

Examples

Below you see the table “Dash between subject and predicate”: in which cases it is placed and in which it is not.

rule

example

The subject and predicate are expressed by a noun, infinitive, and numeral.

Everest is the highest mountain.

My favorite number is nine.

Playing chess is a fun activity.

The predicate is expressed by phraseology

This dish is to die for.

Between the subject and the predicate there are the words “this”, “here”, “means”

The ostrich is a large bird.

Between subject and predicate there is NOT

This person is not the director. Sydney is not the capital of Australia.

Between the subject and the predicate there is a comparative conjunction “as”, “as if”, “as if”, etc.

Our yard is like a garden.

Between the subject and the predicate there are introductory words, additions or circumstances, as well as particles

Ivan, it seems, is an engineer.

Ivan is only an engineer.

Ivan has been an engineer for a long time.

What have we learned?

A dash between the subject and the predicate is placed in sentences with a compound nominal predicate if the subject is expressed by a noun, infinitive or numeral, and the predicate is expressed by a noun, infinitive, numeral or phraseological unit. A dash is placed before “this”, “here”, “means” and is not saved (usually) before NOT, a comparative conjunction, a particle, an introductory word, an addition, a circumstance.

Test on the topic

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