12 subtleties of the Russian language that do not fit in the head

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Why is there not a single hyphen in the word "economy class", and in "video conferencing" - as many as two?

Proofreader Ekaterina () on Twitter drew attention to the rules that not everyone knows and remembers. Lifehacker has selected the most interesting of them.

Measures are taken, and steps and actions are taken. It seems obvious, right? And today I saw how decisions were made in the text.

Ekaterina proofreader

1. "Business class", but "economy class"

The second word is an abbreviation for "economy class". As well as "demo" - "demo". "Business class", like "fitness room", is not an abbreviation.

It is easy to remember the correct spelling: there was not enough for a hyphen in economy class.

2. "Upside down", not "upside down"

"Upside down" is a vernacular, it is better to use it only in colloquial speech, and then when it is stylistically justified. But if the expression is replaced with "upside down", then everything will work out.

3. "Scrupulous" and nothing else

Once again: curly-poo-lez-ny. Some people manage to say and write "meticulous". But no, SKRU!

4. "Rare" or "Rare"?

In Russian, mistakes can be made endlessly. For example, some people confuse the adjectives "rare" and "rare". Paronyms are insidious: "a voice of rare beauty", but "a rare asshole."

5. Video conferencing

There are already two hyphens in this word. True, in the texts it is now quite rare. But, imagine, two hyphens!

6. "3rd way", but not "3 ways"

Extensions are allowed only in ordinal numbers. For example: 1st carriage, from the 6th floor (we carefully increase 1–2 letters depending on the case).

And in quantitative terms, it is impossible. That is, never at all! For example, to argue with 2 proofreaders at once is a mistake.

7. "5.5 kilometers", not "5.5 kilometers"

Matching fractions is pain and humiliation. Watch your hands: 15 feet, but 1.5 feet, because "… five tenths (what?) Of feet."

8. "Kindzmarauli", but "Cabernet Sauvignon"

The hardest part is an uppercase or lowercase letter. Take vino, for example. Bordeaux, Riesling and other wines - with lowercase. And the name of the wine brand in the official text is capitalized (Tsinandali dessert wine). And "Sun Valley" is also in quotes! In the name of Rosenthal.

9. "you" or "you"?

There are different opinions here. One clear recommendation: capitalizing on “you” is appropriate in a letter or official document addressed to one specific person. And also in questionnaires and leaflets, that is, documents for one non-specific person. But if there are several faces, then it is already written with a lowercase: “Dear colleagues! We inform you that ….

In principle, the very appeal to "you" is already polite, but whether to underline it additionally with a capital letter - this decision is often made by the author in the end.

But there are also nuances. For example, an appeal to a judge is strictly capitalized: "Your Honor."

10. "Still" and no commas

“Nevertheless” is not an introductory word; it does not need to be isolated. Nevertheless, a comma after it can be found quite often.

11. Garik Bulldog Kharlamov

The nickname between the first name and the last name is not enclosed in quotation marks: Garik Bulldog Kharlamov. The only way. No options.

12. Alt codes

Every proofreader and editor knows the combination alt 0151. This em dash is the most beautiful dash in the Russian language. We put a non-breaking space in front of it (alt 0160) - and then absolutely blessing, because the dash will not hang at the beginning of the next line.

Of course, there is also a middle dash (alt 0150). It is for number ranges: 6-7 pigeons. As you can see, it is shorter and with no spaces around.

And in order not to bother with alt codes, you can simply install for yourself.