Expressive syntax (parcelling, nominal sentence)
Expressive syntax
Striking through form: parcelling, ellipsis, nominal sentence, repetition.
⚡Key points
Парцелляция→splitting into separate fragments: Он ушёл. Навсегда.
Назывное предложе́ние→nominal sentence (noun only): Ночь. У́лица. Фона́рь.
Эллипсис→omitting the obvious word: Я — нале́во, ты — напра́во.
Повтор→expressive repetition: Ду́мал, ду́мал — и приду́мал.
Expressive / literary register→emotional speech and vivid written style
Devices for impact
Expressive syntax breaks or condenses the sentence for effect. These devices (сре́дства выразительности) are typical of emotional speech and literary style; avoid them in a neutral administrative text.
Parcelling (парцелляция)
Detach to emphasise
1
Isolate an element as a separate sentence
Он ушёл. Навсегда. (He left. Forever.)
Я приду́. Ско́ро. Обеща́ю. (I will come. Soon. I promise.)
2
Reinforce a complement
Она́ верну́лась. Одна. (She came back. Alone.)
💡⚠️ Parcelling isolates to underline
Parcelling splits a sentence into separately punctuated fragments: what would be a complement becomes a separate sentence, and is thus strongly emphasised. Он позвони́л. Наконе́ц-то. An expressive device, emotional speech and literary.
Мы победи́ли. Вме́сте.
И он согласи́лся. Сра́зу.
Ellipsis and the nominal sentence
Condensation devices
| Эллипсис (verb omitted) | Я — напра́во, ты — нале́во. | Me to the right, you to the left (“go” implied) |
| Назывное (noun only) | Ночь. У́лица. Фона́рь. | Night. Street. Lamp. (sets a scene) |
| Повтор (repetition) | Ду́мал, ду́мал — и приду́мал. | He thought and thought — and came up with it. |
Usage
1
Ellipsis: omit the obvious word
— Тебе́ чаю или ко́фе? — Мне — ко́фе. (for me, coffee)
2
Nominal sentence: set a scene
Зима́. Моро́з. Тишина́. (Winter. Frost. Silence.)
💡⚠️ Nominal sentence and ellipsis
The nominal sentence (назывное предложе́ние) is a noun (or noun phrase) that forms a whole sentence on its own, with no verb: it sets a scene or a moment (Ночь. Тишина́.). Ellipsis omits an easily recoverable word, often the verb: Он — в Москву́ (= е́дет / уе́хал).
Ве́чер. Дождь. (scene)
Кто куда́, а я — домо́й. (verb ellipsis)
Dialogue: back from a trip
Ка́тяНу как Пи́тер?
ЛёшаПи́тер. Дожди́. Мосты́. Красота́.
Ка́тяА ты домо́й когда́?
ЛёшаЗавтра. У́тром. Е́сли не просплю́.
Katya: So how was Petersburg? — Lyosha: Petersburg. Rain. Bridges. Beautiful. — Katya: And when are you coming home? — Lyosha: Tomorrow. In the morning. If I do not oversleep.