Roots with alternation is a topic that causes the greatest difficulties in learning Russian spelling. Historically, they go back to various sources replenishment of the Russian language, to the etymology of words. It is no secret that our language is a descendant of Old Slavonic, respectively, the variability is due to the fact that some of the lexical units were transferred from it, and the other part was already formed directly in the Old Russian language. That is why confusion occurs.
Alternation: what is it
Alternating roots are such meaningful parts of a word where there is variability in the spelling of a vowel or consonant letter. It depends on many factors: subsequent letters, stress, location.
As a rule, the phenomenon of alternation can be traced when the form of the word changes: friend - friendship(variability of consonants g/f) or carry - carry(variability o/e). what alternations can there be in Russian? First, let's talk about vowels.
- o - s - y: dry - dry out - dry;
- o - s (s): fight - beat; howl - howl;
- o - e - and: pestilence - die - I'm dying; burn - burn - burn out;
- about - a: growth - grow.
It is not uncommon for the vowels "o" or "e" to alternate with zero sound. Such sounds are called fluent: day - day; a dream is about a dream.
Let's analyze the spelling of the roots with alternation, taking into account the requirements of the spelling norm.
Spelling depends on stress
There are four alternating roots, the correct spelling of which depends on the stress.
To begin with, let's analyze unstressed positions when you should write the letter "o". First of all, these are the roots -gor-/-gar-: tan - tanned; fumes - to burn; flare up - flare up. It should be noted that under the stress one should write the letter that is clearly heard. There is an exception to the rule, these are words scorch, burn, scorch. The etymology of these roots is interesting. Historically words grief and burn- single root. Grief was called that which burns, torments from the inside. And here is the adjective hot begins its existence with "The Tale of Igor's Campaign".
Also, the choice of the letter "o" in the unstressed position is also observed in the roots -creature-/-creative-: creator - creature; create, creation. Exception - word utensil.
"o" is written in an unstressed position in the roots -clone-/-clan-: worship - to bow; bent over, dodging. Under stress, use the letter that is clearly heard: slope, slope.
The letter "a" should be written in an unstressed position in two roots. First, -zar-/-zor-: lightning - dawn; dawn - dawn. Exceptions - roar, dawn.
Secondly, the letter a is written in the unstressed and stressed position of the root -float-: swims, swimming, float."O" is used only in words swimmer, swimmer, and the word quicksand spelled generally with "s".
Spelling depends on the subsequent consonant
The letters "a" and "o" included in the following roots with alternation will depend on the subsequent consonant:
1. -Lag-/-false-: "a" should be written before "g", and "o" should be used before "g": suppose, suggest, term, but add, put, offer. Exception - word canopy. One of the norms of grammar is connected with this rule: words with roots -lag-/-false- are never used without prefixes. The sentence “I put my notebook on my desk” is extremely incorrect. It would be more correct to say: “I put a notebook on my desk” or “I put a notebook on my desk.”
2. Alternation -rast-/-rasch-/-ros-: "a" is used before combination with "t" or "u"; "o" is written before "s": grow up - grow up - grow up; age - fusion - thickets. There are quite a few exceptions here: pawnbroker, sprout, industry, Rostov, Rostislav.
3. Alternation -skak- / -skoch-: before "k" use "a", before "h" you must write "o": jump - upstart; skip - skip. There is an exception in the rule: jump, jump.
Spelling depends on the subsequent vowel
The most numerous alternating roots, the spelling of which depends on the subsequent suffix -a-. This is due to the fact that this suffix has historically helped to create an imperfect form. And now this trend is maintained: collect(imperfect view) and I will collect(perfect view); rub(imperfect species) - rub(perfect view).
The rule is quite simple: in roots with alternating "e - and" you should write "and" if the suffix "a" is observed after the root. It is much more difficult to remember these roots, and there are many of them:
- -ber-/-bir-: I will take away - I take away; sort out - sort out; I choose - I choose;
- -even-/-chit-: deduction - subtract; honor - to read (there are exceptions here: combine, combination, couple);
- -der-/-dir-: pull out - tear out; tear off - tear off;
- -stel-/-steel-: lays - covers; to lay - to lay;
- -mer-/-world-: die out - die out; die - die;
- -burn-/-burn-: burn yourself - burn; ignite - ignite;
- -ter-/-tir-: rub - rub; to rub - to rub;
- -glitter-/-glitter-: to shine - to shine; spinner - brilliant;
- -per-/-peer-: unlock - unlock; locked - locked.
Also, the vowel "a" in the roots -cas-/-kos- depends on the subsequent suffix -а-: touch - touch; tangent - touch.
Spelling depends on lexical meaning
Of particular difficulty are roots with alternating vowels, where it is necessary to correctly interpret the meaning of the word.
For example, -mak-/-mok-: here you should pay attention to the process. If, according to the context, it is observed that something was completely immersed in the liquid, dipped, then in this case the root - poppy - is used: dip cookies in compote; dip a pen in an inkwell; dip bread in jam. Another thing is if the word means that the object passed the liquid through itself: blotter liner; child wet feet; wet hair s; get wet written.
The second alternation: - equal-/-even. It is necessary to pay attention to the result of the action. In words that speak of alignment, making the same, one should write -equal-: quadratic equation; compare by height, balance. If the process of forming a flat surface is meant, the letter "o" is written at the root: raze the hole to the ground; level the asphalt; level the beds. This rule has exceptions: plain, level, catch up and all its derivatives, equally.
Consonant alternation
The alternation of consonants also takes place in Russian. Let's look at examples:
- to - h: hand - manual;
- x - w: sin - sinful;
- g - f - h: friend - friend - friends;
- d - f - railway: drive - counselor - accompany;
- b - bl: love - in love;
- p - pl: blind - blind;
- in - ow: catches - catches;
- m - ml: feed - feed.
The alternation of vowels in the root is when in one root while maintaining it lexical meaning different letters are written. In this case, it is impossible to check unstressed vowels with stress; their spelling is based on a number of special rules.
I. The spelling of vowels is fundamentally dependent on stress
| A and O under stress | unstressed position |
-ha r-: tan, tan, tan | -th r-: sunbathe, tanned, warmer excl.: burn out, burn out, burn out |
-for r- and -zo r-: roar, radiant, dawn | -for r-: shine, for the rya, for the ridge, illuminated, for ryanka(bird), to roar * |
-cla n- and -clo n-: to bow, to bow adamant | -clo n-: bow down, bow down inclination |
-your r- and -your r-: creature, creativity, creative | -your r-: your renie, do it, do it excl.: utensil |
II. The spelling of vowels depends on the subsequent consonant in the root
| -ra st-, -ra sch- | -ro with- |
before ST, SCH- BUT grow up, grow up, grown up | before With- O grown up, grown up, inexpensively excl.: sprout, otra sl, usurer, Rostov, Rostislav |
-ska to- | -sko h- |
before To- BUT ska kat, ska kat, ska kalka, ska ku | before H- O jump up, jump up, jump up excl.: ska h ok, ska h uh, ska h and |
| -la G- | -lo well- |
before G- BUT state, guess, adjective | before F- O expound, guess, verse |
III. The spelling of a vowel depends on the suffix
Rule "IrA": in the root is written And, if immediately after it is the suffix -a-.
| -bi ra- / -be r- | sobi r a t - collect ret, choose r a t - select ru |
| -di ra- / -de r- | udi r a t - ude ru, otdi r a et - otde ret |
| -ti ra- / -te r- | vyti r a em - wipe r, steer a yu - sto r |
| -pi ra- / -pe r- | opi r a tsya - lean on, lock up a whether - locked |
| -mi ra- / -me r- | umi r a t - mind r, zami r a t - frozen |
| -zhi ha- / -zhe g- | survive g a t - above g, light g a t - ignite g |
| -sti la- / -ste l- | rasst l a em - unspread lil, move l a t - rearranged |
Bli sta- / -ble st-, Bleu sn- | bli st a th, shine a shimmering, shining a body shine, shine, shine to sleep, to sleep, to fade |
Chi ta- / -che t- | subtract t a t - subtract st excl.: combination, combine |
The root is written A, if the suffix -a- follows the root.
| -ka sa- / -ko s- | ka s a to sleep - to sleep, not to sleep with a touchable |
IV. The spelling of a vowel depends on the meaning of the root
-ra vn- "equal, alike, alike" | -ro vn- "smooth, smooth, straight" |
ra to listen, prira to listen; the salaries of the employees went up, development excl.: poro inside | ro listen, you listen; the fighters took up(stand straight) level excl.: ra vnina |
-ma k- "dip, immerse in liquid" | -mo k- "become wet, let in moisture" |
| ma kat, ma kat, deceitful bait | we roll, promo roll, promo whip, waterproof |
* A few years ago the word to roar considered an exception to general rule and was written with the root zor-. Today the rule is to write through BUT: for roaring. So recommends the "Russian Spelling Dictionary", it is this spelling that corresponds to the rules of the full academic reference book:
Section 35... zar - zor. In place of an unstressed vowel is written BUT .
From the "Explanatory Russian Spelling Dictionary-Reference" (ed. E. V. Beshenkova, O. E. Ivanova, L. K. Cheltsova):
The words for roar, for ryanka, for roar changed the spelling in the dictionaries of the last decades. Since 1999, the academic spelling dictionary has given the word to roar. Until 1974, dictionaries recommended writing the word dawn with the root of zor-. "Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language" in the 13th edition of 1974 approved the standard spelling for the ryanka
Word behind the roar since 1991 it is recommended to write only with the root salary, although in the spelling dictionary of 1974 both options were given, and in 1956 there was only dawn, in the dictionary of D. N. Ushakov - glow.
How a proper name was established spelling Zoreva cannon(in St. Petersburg), although in the general case it is written for a roaring gun. As an example, let's take the title of the story by V. Shukshin, which is still written either "Dawn Rain", or "Dawn Rain".
In the works of Sholokhov, the word to mature only with the root zor-:
- - And we will draw up the results by morning: who will grieve, and who to mature and stretch in your sleep.
- (M. A. Sholokhov. Upturned virgin soil.).
- - For a long time dawning , Panteley Prokofich! ' roared the sweaty mowers.
- (M. A. Sholokhov. Quiet Don.).
Alternating Vowels in the Root of a Word
Writing alternating vowels a / o, e / i, a (i) / im, a (i) / in in the root of the word may depend:
1) from the suffix following the root;
2) from stress;
3) from the letter following the vowel;
4) from the meaning of the word.
Vowel spelling depending on the suffix following the root
1. In roots with alternating e / and (-bir- - -ber-, -blist- - -glitter-, -dir- - -der-, -zhig- - -zheg-, -mir- - -mer-, -fir- - -per -, -steel- - -steel-, -tir- - -ter-, -chit- - -even-) spelled and -a-, in other cases - e : deputy and army - deputy e ret, st and army - st e tret, bl and become - bl e stet.
Exceptions: combine, combination, couple.
2. In roots with alternating a(i)/im, a(i)/in are written -in-, -im- , if followed by a suffix -a-: zan them at - zan I t, szh them at - szh a th.
3. In the roots -cas- - -kos-, -lag- - -false- spelled a if the root is followed by a suffix -a- , in other cases - about : to a sit down - to about sleep, suggest a ha t - suggestion about live
Spelling of vowels depending on stress
1. In the roots -gar- - -gor-
written under stress a
, without stress - about
: zag̀ a r - zag about army.
2. In the roots -zar- - -zor-
a
, written under stress a
or about
h a rya, z a rnica, but; h about ri, s a roar.
Exception: h about roar.
3. In the roots - clan- - -clone-, -creature- - -creator- written in an unstressed position about , written under stress a or about according to pronunciation: bow about rush, cl à to get on, bow about̀n; tv about roar, tv a r, shut about R.
Exception : utv a p.
4. In the roots - plov- - -plov- unstressed letter about written in two words: pl about vec, swimmer. In other cases, write a : popl a wok, pl a vnek, pl a vuchiy. In the word pl s wuun spelled s according to pronunciation.
Spelling of vowels depending on the letter following the vowel
1. In the roots -growth- - -growth- spelled a before st, w , in other cases - about : R a st i, wed a p about sla.
Exceptions: R about stock, r about st, r about seamstress, vyr about stock, R about stov, R about stislav; neg a sl.
2. In the roots -skak- - -skoch- spelled a before to ; spelled about before h in unstressed roots: sk a to at - sun about h ite.
Exceptions: ck a chock, ck a chu.
Spelling of vowels depending on the meaning of the word
1. In the roots -poppy- - -mok- spelled a in words with meaning "immerse in liquid", about - with meaning "leak liquid, get wet": m a kat (bread into milk); you m about whip (in the rain); prom about coil (paper), prom about porridge.
2. In the roots -equal- — -equal- spelled a in words with meaning "equal, the same", about- with meaning "smooth, straight, smooth»: Wed a opinion, cf. a to heed; Wed about heed.
Exceptions: R a vnina; R about herald, por about inside, ur about wreath.
In this paragraph, we will dwell in more detail on those that were not analyzed.
2.3.1. Spelling of unstressed vowels in the root
| rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| 1. In an unstressed position, the letter is used that is written in the same syllable when it is under stress. | Thunderous - cumbersome, imagine, imaginative - a sample, annoy - teases, beg - pleads, belittle - small. |
| 2. If ё is written under stress, then without stress in the same syllable is written e. | What to roar - black to roar, motley - to splatter, hard - to harden. |
| 3. In words of Old Slavonic origin, in an unstressed position, a non-vowel combination is written with one vowel a-ra, la; in parallel native Russian words, a full-vowel combination is written with two vowels o-oro, olo. | Br a hello - b oh ro building, region a to - about oh lo chka, ohl a vision - x oh lo d, vozl a s - d oh lo s, ogre a yes - oh oh ro child, ch a va-g oh lo wah, short a schat - to oh ro thin. |
| 4. If the spelling of a vowel in an unstressed position cannot be checked by a stressed position, then the spelling of the vowel must be memorized (or checked in a dictionary). | Object, obsession, a flavor, panorama, labyrinth, lottery, concrete, saucepan, privilege, these ket. |
Note!
1) Word up to lin is cognate with the word up to l; word teacher a vatel- with a word to give; the words overcome, overcome- with a word to la.
2) Nouns campaign and company differ in meaning.
To a campaign- 1. “The totality of military operations; war in a certain period" ( military campaign, Russo-Japanese campaign); 2. "Events, activities" ( election campaign, sowing campaign).
To about company- 1. "Society, a group of people spending time together" (friendly company); 2. "Trade or industrial enterprise"(cf .: steel company).
3) Vowels o-a in the roots of verbs it is impossible to check using the form of the imperfective form on -yvat (-yvat), cf .: Rasko years - Rusk a lyat, talk - talk a tear.
4) In some borrowed words with a suffix distinguished in the past, the spelling of an unstressed vowel cannot be checked by a single-root word if the checked and checking vowels belong to suffixes of different origin, cf .:
intellect. intelligent,
accompaniment accompany,
leader r. lead,
trainer. train,
subscriber ment. subscribe,
disinfection. disinfect.
Note. Read also about ways to check unstressed vowels in the root on the page: How to check words with unstressed vowels in the root?
2.3.2. Spelling of roots with alternating vowels
Roots with alternating vowels A / O
1. Dependence on stress
| Roots | rule | Examples | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gar-/gor- | Regardless of which vowel is written under stress (a or o), in an unstressed position it is written o. | Zagar - tanned, eel, burn. | Burn, burn, burn out. |
| clan-/clone- | Bow, bow - bow, bow, bow, bow. | ||
| creature-/creature- | Creature, creativity - to create, to create, to transform, to pretend. | Utensil. | |
| Zar-/zor- | Regardless of which vowel is written under stress (a or o), in an unstressed position it is written a. | For a roar, a dawn - for a row, for a row, to light up. | Roar, zoryanka. |
| Plav-/plov- | Regardless of which vowel is written under stress (a, o, or s), it is written a in an unstressed position. | Swim, swim - buoyancy, float wok, swimming beetle. | Swimmer, swimmer; ply vuna |
2. Dependence on the final consonants of the root
| Roots | rule | Examples | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rust- Rasch- / grew- |
Before st and u it is written a, before c it is written o. | Grow, plant, grow, increase - grown, overgrowth, overgrowth. | a) Rostov, Rostislav, sprout, usurer, outgrowth usurious). b) reflection(and their derivatives, for example: reflection left). |
| Skak-/skoch- | Regardless of which vowel is written under stress (a or o), in an unstressed position before k it is written a, before h it is written o. | To jump, to jump, to jump - upstart, jump in, jump out. | Jump, jump, jump, jump. |
| Lag-/false- | Before r it is written a, before w it is written o. | Term, suppose, decompose - add, put, decompose. | polo g. |
3. Dependence on the presence of the suffix -а-
4. Dependence on value
| Roots | rule | Examples | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poppy-/mok- | The root mak- (mach-) is written in words meaning "immerse in liquid". The root mok- (ur-) is written in words meaning "to pass liquid, to become wet." |
Trick pen into ink("load") dip bread in sour cream("load") - promo whip spot("skip liquid"), promotional paper("permeable liquid"), moisten("make it wet"). | |
| Equal-/even- | The root equal is written in words that mean "same, equal, equal." Root equal - is written in words meaning "smooth, straight". |
It's time to get involved(“to be on the same line, in the same position”), the equation("mathematical equality") - listen to the bushes("make even"), break up the sand(“to make even, smooth”). | Ra vnina, por vnu, level, coeval. |
Roots with alternating vowels I / E
| Roots | rule | Examples | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bir-/ber- |
If the root is followed by the suffix -a-, then the root is written and, if there is no suffix, then the root is written e. . |
Take it - take it. | |||||||||||||
| Zhig-/zheg- | Survive ga t - vyzhegshiy. | ||||||||||||||
| Steel-/steel- | Zast la t - bed to pour. | ||||||||||||||
| Blist-/glitter- | Shine - shine. | ||||||||||||||
| World-/mer- | To die - to die. | ||||||||||||||
| Tyr-/ter- | Erase - erase. | ||||||||||||||
| Dir-/der- | Rip apart - tear apart. | ||||||||||||||
| Pier-/per- | Lock up - lock up. | ||||||||||||||
| Chit-/chet- |
Subtract that - subtract you. ryat, try on a dress, measure. 2) The alternation of and / e in the roots pir- / per- is typical only for words with the meanings “close”, “open”, “move”, “jump forward, squeeze out”, etc.Lock - lock, unlock - unlock, stick out - push out. In words with the root pier- with the meaning "a plentiful treat, feast" is always written and. Feast, feast. Alternation A (I) / im (in)
2.3.3. The use of the letter EAs noted (see paragraph 1.5), the vowel e is used primarily after soft consonants and at the beginning of a word, after vowels, if it denotes two sounds [ j ] + vowel ( e yes, the edge of the ved). At the same time, according to tradition, in many words, after hard consonants and after vowels (where there is no sound [j]), it is also written e, not e. When choosing a vowel, the following rules should be used:
Rule I. Roots with alternating AND / / EIf the root is followed by a suffix BUT, then at the root we write the letter And, but if the suffix BUT E.
Rule II. Roots with alternating A / / OIf the root is followed by a suffix a, then at the root we write the letter BUT, but if the suffix a no, then the letter is written in the root O.
Rule III. Roots with alternating A / / OIf there are letters in the root T or SCH, then write the letter BUT, but if these letters are not present, then the letter is written in the root O.
Exceptions: growth ok from races eh, Growth islav , growth sheepman, Growth ov. Rule IV. Roots with alternating A / / OIf the root ends in To, then write the letter BUT, but if the root ends in H, then the letter is written in the root O.
Accent dependent alternationRule V. Roots with alternating A / / OIf on the roots - gAr - and – clan - the accent falls, then we write a letter in them BUT, but if these roots are unstressed, then we write in them O.
Rule VI. Roots with alternating A / / OIf at the root - zar - The accent does NOT fall, then we write a letter in it BUT, but if this root is shock, then we write in it O. Exceptions: zor yanka, zor evate.
Alternation depending on the meaning (meaning) of the wordRule VII. Roots with alternating A / / OIf the meaning of the word "immerse in liquid" then we write BUT, but if the word means "leak liquid" then we write O.
Rule VIII. Roots with alternating A / / OIf the meaning of the word "the same, similar" then we write BUT, but if the word means "smooth, smooth, straight" then we write O.
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