Comma before depending on. Thread: Some tricky punctuation (for native speakers & advanced learners). No comma needed

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Introductory words are words that are not formally related to the members of the sentence, are not members of the sentence and express an attitude towards the message being communicated or its characteristics. From a grammatical point of view, introductory words are represented by various verbal forms (personal forms, infinitives, gerunds), nouns, pronouns (with and without prepositions), adverbs, nominal and verbal phraseological units.

Introductory words and combinations of words are highlighted (or separated) by commas . However, it is necessary to draw the reader's attention to two difficulties associated with punctuation in introductory words.
The first difficulty is that among the introductory words and combinations there are very few that are used only as introductory ones and, therefore, are always isolated (for example,firstly, in my opinion, if I may say so ).

In most cases, the same words can be used both as introductory words and as members of a sentence (usually predicates or adverbials) or function words (conjunctions, particles). The differences between them appear in context. Examples of punctuation of words and combinations that can be used or are always used as introductory words are given in the relevant articles of the reference book.

The second difficulty is that the punctuation of words that are introductory also depends on their environment. Basic rules and patterns that are not commented on in dictionary entries are given below.

1. Meeting of two introductory words

When two introductory words (introductory combinations, sentences) meet, a comma is placed between them.

He's the same unfortunately, How You you see, handsome, that is, ruddy, smooth, tall... I. Goncharov, Ordinary history.

As a matter of fact, to tell the truth , I want love, or what, what is it called? V. Veresaev, Sisters.

And here, like a sin, as if on purpose, Uncle Misha arrives. A. Rybakov, Heavy sand.

Actually , strictly speaking, in this situation you should just wake up . A. and B. Strugatsky,A billion years before the end of the world.

This visit took up the entire evening and completely destroyed the feeling of loneliness he so loved. In the end, Maybe, and it’s good that he destroyed it... V. Bykov, Poor people.

2. Introductory word and separate turnover

The introductory word or combination can come at the beginning or end detached member sentences, as well as being inside it. Punctuation marks in these cases are placed as follows:

A) If the introductory word is at the beginning separate turnover- commas are placed before the introductory word And after the entire isolated turnover. There is no comma after the introductory word (in other words, the comma, which was supposed to “close” the introductory word, is moved to the end of the isolated phrase).

Little by little, everyone joins their company, having completed quite important household activities, such as: talking with their doctor about the weather and about a small pimple that has popped up on their nose, learning about the health of horses and their children, howevershowing great talents... N. Gogol, Nevsky Prospekt.

Vera Nikolaevna felt awe in love before her master - who, in general, was not at all like Ivan the Terrible, maybe even the admiration of a loyal subject. V. Kataev, Grass of oblivion.

I’m also used to writing down my thoughts on anything, particularly on cigarette boxes. K. Paustovsky, Golden Rose.

...Regarding gold, which Cagliostro mined without any labor from all other metals, for example from copper, turning them into gold with the touch of his hands, Stroganov also had a low opinion. Yu. Tynyanov, Citizen Ocher.

B) If the introductory word is inside a separate phrase, it separated by commas on both sides , while the signs at the beginning and end of a separate revolution are preserved.

Overcome by these bitter thoughts, not entirely fair, however, and inspired by Anikanov’s letter that excited him Travkin walked out of the barn into the cold dawn. E. Kazakevich, Zvezda.

This is my essay - or rather a lecture– has neither a definite form nor a chronological structure, which I do not recognize... V. Kataev, My Diamond Crown.

C) If the introductory word is at the end of a separate phrase, commas are placed before separate turnover And after him. There is no comma before the introductory word .

And instead of a speck, another road appeared ahead, that is, not really a road, just a scratch on the earth, groove rather. V. Astafiev, This is how I want to live.

We decided to go somewhere for the holidays, to Kyiv for example.

Note 1.

If a phrase is enclosed in brackets, then the introductory word at the beginning or end of it is separated by a comma according to the general rule:

He was a Kazakh with an almost Russian surname and a Russian (I think it's initial) education . Yu. Dombrovsky, Guardian of Antiquities.

Two are alive (as long as their bill is extended),
third (superfluous, probably) buried in heaven...B. Okudzhava, The black raven will look through the white cloud...

At one time I even had a weakness (or courage, maybe) figure out in my mind how I would take on this, if only... V. Nabokov, Gift.

Note 2.

Introductory words preceding phrases that begin with the conjunctions “how” and “so that” are separated by commas according to the general rule:

The day she lived seemed meaningless to her, in essence, like and all life.

He thought for a moment, probably to choose the right words.

Note 3.

Some sources indicate that introductory words or rather, more precisely, those that give the statement a clarifying character are separated by commas, while the members of the sentence following them are not separated. Such punctuation is indeed possible:

But for you, boy, or rather, I owe something to your name . L. Cassil, Be ready, Your Highness!

And in front of Tanya's door, or rather, a line of congratulators crowded the floor below. S. Soloveichik, Band “Seven Winds”.

I turn from side to side, or rather, from my stomach to my back and I think... About what? Yes, it's all about the same... V. Nekrasov, Look and Something.

Outside the window, Leonid knew, there was a dried branch of an old poplar, and attached to it, more precisely, a “glass” of radio wiring is screwed into it . V. Astafiev, Sad detective.

However, in examples from fiction, a different arrangement of punctuation marks is often found:
clarifying sentence members introduced by words or rather, more precisely, are isolated, and these words themselves, standing at the beginning of the isolated phrase, in accordance with general rule are not separated by a comma (but can sometimes be separated by a dash):

Unfortunately, doctors still have little ability to recognize hysterical, or rather mental, the nature of a number of diseases .
I. Efremov, The Razor's Edge.

A whole series of characters or rather carriers of opinions, seems to me possible to be embodied in the characters of a modern Soviet-human comedy . Y. Olesha, Book of Farewell.

Partisan leader more precisely, the military leader of the Kezhemsky association of partisans of the Trans-Ural region, sat right in front of the speaker’s nose in a defiantly careless pose... B. Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago.

...The she-wolf suddenly clearly heard within herself, more precisely inside the womb, live tremors. Ch. Aitmatov, Scaffold.

Analyze the past or rather – bad things in the past, makes sense only if, based on this analysis, it is possible to correct the present or prepare the future . V. Nekrasov, In the trenches of Stalingrad.

I want to write something that is easy, not difficult. The hard part is when you write, thinking that someone will read it. Syntax branch, or rather – rod of syntax, threatens you all the time. Y. Olesha, Book of Farewell.

3. Introductory word and conjunction

Introductory words and combinations may or may not be separated by a comma from the preceding coordinating conjunction, depending on the context.
Comma after conjunction is put, if the introductory word can be omitted or rearranged to another place in the sentence without disturbing its structure.

I only learned that he was once a coachman for an old childless lady, ran away with the three horses entrusted to him, and disappeared for a whole year And, there must be, having become convinced in practice of the disadvantages and disasters of a wandering life, he returned on his own, but already lame... I. Turgenev, Singers.

However, Volodya, seeing how difficult it was for the boy, did not swear at all, A, vice versa, said something encouraging. Yu. Vizbor, Alternative peak Klyuch .

Before leaving, I took the list out from under the glass and, with extreme pressure, scratched out the word “Volobuy” with my rainbow pen. I decided to do this because it was shaggy with paper fluff. And, Means, he had already been scratched with a claw before me...
K. Vorobyov, Here comes a giant.

She suffered for a very long time after separation, But, as is known, time heals any wounds.

If it is impossible to remove the introductory word (i.e., the conjunction is included in the introductory construction, forming a single combination with it), then a comma after the conjunction not placed(usually this happens with a union A).
“You don’t bother me at all,” he objected, “if you please shoot yourself, but by the way, as you please; your shot remains behind you; I am always ready at your service." A. Pushkin, Shot.

It seems that you later loved the Portuguese,
Maybe, you left with the Malay. A. Vertinsky, Where are you now...

The grass in our clearing, yellowed and withered, still remained alive and soft, free from play, people tinkered on it. or better yet, lost guys. V. Rasputin, French lessons.

Does the gas appear randomly or not, is it associated with cyclones, which means Whether it is possible to predict based on this criterion is a question that requires clarification. A. Gladilin, Forecast for tomorrow.

The introductory word is usually not separated by punctuation from the connecting conjunction at the beginning of the sentence.

And indeed , during these four years, while I have been serving in the gymnasium, I feel how strength and youth are leaving me drop by drop every day. A. Chekhov, Three Sisters.

“No, life is still wise, and we must obey its laws,” he said thoughtfully. – And besides, life is Beautiful".
A. Kuprin, Lenochka.

And generally speaking , now that he was a little distracted from the thought of the loss of the violin and began to consider what exactly had been stolen from him from his personal belongings, household property, some kind of shy awkwardness appeared in him...
A. and G. Weiner, Visit to the Minotaur.

On the second floor there was a soft carpet in the corridor, and Dmitry Alekseevich felt the closeness of his superiors. And indeed, he immediately saw a thick glass sign: “Director.” V. Dudintsev, Not by bread alone.

In 1925, he seemed to still have some time left. Yes besides, he has already done something worthwhile.
D. Granin, Zubr.

Note.
When emphasizing the introductory word intonationally, it can be separated by a comma from the conjunction:

But , to my great chagrin, Shvabrin, usually condescending, decisively announced that my song was not good.
A. Pushkin, The Captain's Daughter.

4. Introductory word at the boundary of homogeneous members or parts of a complex sentence

Introductory words and combinations that stand on the border of homogeneous members or parts of a complex sentence and relate to the word or sentence that follows them are not separated from it by a comma:

A sharp knock was heard the shutter must have fallen off . A. Chekhov, Bride.
(Wed: A sharp knock was heard. Must be, the shutter came off.)

Turnover not isolated, if it is part of the predicate or is closely related to it in meaning. (As a rule, in such cases the phrase cannot be removed from the sentence without distorting the meaning of the phrase.) For example:

... Kazbich imagined that Azamat with the consent of the father stole his horse...M. Lermontov, Hero of our time.(Lermontov’s meaning: Kazbich imagined that Azamat’s father agreed to the theft.)
Wed. change in meaning when the phrase is isolated:
... Kazbich imagined that Azamat, with his father’s consent, stole his horse...
(=Kazbich imagined that Azamat stole the horse.)

Wed. Also: The sons of the wind divided the people against their wishes . I. Efremov, On the edge of the Oikumene.

She walks through life with her head held high on par with a man, because freedom is impossible without full responsibility for one’s destiny. I. Efremov, The Razor's Edge.

Evening was coming in Kolya's room according to the laws of nature, because the light had not been on there for a long time.
L. Petrushevskaya, Vanya Kozel.

In other cases we can talk about optionality of segregation of turnover(depending on the degree of its prevalence, proximity to the main part of the sentence, word order in the sentence, author’s intent and other factors). In this case, a number of factors can be identified that influence the placement of punctuation marks.

Typically, revolutions are isolated that:

A) are located between the subject and the predicate:

All you have to do is press your finger on the eyeball, and everything is real. items – as opposed to hallucinations- will split into two.

Left wall, as opposed to the right, reflected the concept of early death. I. Efremov, Hour of the Bull.

AND mother, in spite of all misfortunes, gathered me, although no one from our village in the area had studied before. V. Rasputin, French lessons.

Our fires burned all night, and ship, in case of emergency, was ready to sail. V. Yan, Phoenician ship.

Dining table, depending on the circumstances, turned into a desk, then into a bed, when one of the friends who came from the front stayed overnight. V. Kaverin, Open book.

b) are not at the beginning or at the end of the sentence:

Exactly at three o'clock, in accordance with labor legislation, Doctor of Sciences Ambrose Ambruazovich Vybegallo brought the keys. A. and B. Strugatsky, Monday begins on Saturday.

...I have re-examined the situation in Prague, which should become - on a par with Vienna and the Alpine redoubt- the center of a decisive battle against Bolshevism. Yu. Semenov, Seventeen moments of spring.

At first, just what, along with praise for my art, I haven’t heard enough!
V. Kataev, Grass of oblivion.

...Children, due to being young, did not assign any positions, which, however, did not in the least prevent them from becoming completely lazy... I. Turgenev, Raspberry water.

By the way, Bim had no idea due to lack of experience that no one ever counts time based on such dead half-roosters.G. Troepolsky, White Bim Black Ear.

However, other punctuation options are possible, depending on the author’s intention.
For example R:

And yet, choosing a convenient moment, Khizhnyak in violation of all the rules went to overtake with right side and caught up with the Jeep...(V. Bogomolov, Moment of Truth)– failure to highlight the phrase located between the subject and the predicate;

In the next morning thanks to numerous aliens in a quarter of an hour the skeleton of the new dugout was completed (V. Obruchev, Sannikov Land)– failure to highlight a phrase that is not at the beginning or at the end of a sentence.

In controversial cases, the final decision on punctuation marks is made by the author of the text.

Some patterns

Phrases with the following prepositions may or may not be isolated depending on the above conditions: thanks to, in view of, depending on, in violation of, in order to avoid, in fulfillment of, in contrast to, up to, in contrast to, in contrast to, in connection with, due to, as a result of, in case of, in accordance with, minus, for insufficiency, for lack of, for lack of, out of spite, on the basis of, in defiance of, along with, along with, in case of, under the guise, similarly, under the pretext, after, according to the measure, according to the standards, by right, for the reason, on the occasion, according to conditions, if available, subject to, against (meaning “contrary to”) , above(meaning “except, besides”) according to, accordingly .

Usually, phrases with verbal prepositions are isolated (except for those cases when the phrase is part of the predicate or is closely related to it in meaning). including, excluding, based on, starting from, despite, despite, depending on, judging by, as soon as you are proficient enough to read in Russian. It is like learning spelling: obviously, only native speakers need these crutches, as foreigners are typically already learning language in WRITTEN form.

It could be mildly useful if someone happened to translate them into English. Still, for advanced level only.

No, language learners do not know Russian punctuation and make a lot of mistakes because of this.