Skip to content
What are the main components of Russian complex sentences visualisation

What are the main components of Russian complex sentences

Exploring Russian Sentence Structure: A Comprehensive Approach: What are the main components of Russian complex sentences
Learn with Comprenders App About Comprenders

The main components of Russian complex sentences include a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses, which are connected through subordinating conjunctions or relative pronouns and express a hierarchical syntactic relationship. These sentences often integrate multiple predicative units into a single communicative structure with unified modality, where the dominant syntactic connection binds the components into a cohesive “organism” rather than a mechanical assembly of separate clauses. 1, 2

Structural Composition

Russian complex sentences of heterogeneous subordination typically consist of three components: the main clause, a subordinate clause of an indivisible type (such as object, attributive, or pronominal-conjunction correlative clauses), and an additional adverbial clause—often causal or conditional. In scientific discourse, the conditional or causal clause helps structure logical reasoning, making the author’s thought process accessible to the reader. The semantic core of the sentence may reside in the subordinate object clause, while the main clause assumes a service or introductory function. 2, 3, 1

Syntactic and Semantic Relations

Subordinate clauses serve various syntactic functions, such as attributive, object, or adverbial (e.g., causal, conditional, temporal). Attributive clauses often explain or define a term, especially in mathematical texts, and may become semi-phraseological, with relative pronouns like где (where) losing their spatial meaning. The connection between clauses relies on standard, frequently repeated linguistic means, emphasizing clarity and logical progression in academic and scientific writing. 3

Functional Role in Discourse

In scientific and mathematical texts, complex sentences enable the decomposition of intricate ideas into comprehensible parts, facilitating the reader’s understanding of logical sequences. In poetic discourse, similar structures serve explanatory functions, though there is a trend toward more colloquial, conjunctionless constructions. The use of complex sentences reflects both cognitive and stylistic intentions, balancing precision in technical writing with expressive ambiguity in literary contexts. 5, 2

References

Open the App About Comprenders