Changes which Russian Letters undergo. SYNCOPE, OR CONTRACTION OF WORDS BY STRIKING OUT LETTERS CLASSIFICATION OF RUSSIAN WORDS RUSSIAN WORDS TRACEABLE TO ROOTS. ROOTS OF REGULAR RUSSIAN VERBS PAGE SECOND PART : SYNTAX PROPOSITIONS THEIR PRINCIPAL PARTS THEIR SECONDARY PARTS THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PROPOSITION THE SIGNIFICATION OF A PROPOSITION. THE DIVERSITY OF EXPRESSION IN A PROPOSITION CONSTRUCTION OF COMPOUND PROPOSITIONS PERIODICAL AND BROKEN SPEECH. CONCORD OF WORDS GOVERNMENT OF WORDS EMPLOYMENT OF CASES WITHOUT PREPOSITIONS EMPLOYMENT OF CASES WITH PREPOSITIONS DISTRIBUTION OF WORDS MARKS OF PUNCTUATION THIRD PART: ORTHOGRAPHY. EMPLOYMENT OF CAPITAL LETTERS EMPLOYMENT OF SMALL LETTERS PROPER USE OF SEPARATE WORDS THE HYPHEN. DISJOINTING OF WORDS CONTRACTION OF WORDS PREFACE. IN the belief that, amongst the gradually increasing number of English officers who are recognizing the importance of the study of Russian, a demand exists for a Modern Russian Grammar, it occurred to me that I might profitably devote some time and labour, during my leave from India, towards endeavouring to provide for this want. The method of setting about such a task seemed to me to be one of two:-1st. I might either compile, from the few existing works in the Russian and English languages, a guide of the kind required, and thereby produce that which would of necessity be imperfect, and at the same time far from original. 2nd. Or I might take a practical work, by a recognized Russian Grammarian, and try and adapt it to the special requirements of English Students of the Russian Language. The latter course I have endeavoured to follow, and the scope of the enlargement and arrangement of the Russian Grammar, which I have selected for the purpose, may be thus explained :— The original text, having been written by a Russian for Russians contains no Alphabet, or explanations of the various sounds of the several letters. Essentials under this and other heads have been supplied in the first twenty pages of the English edition. Russian words occurring throughout the English text have been accentuated,' so as to ensure, as far as possible, a correct pronunciation. The final letters or syllables of words, marking the changes to which each is subject either through declension or conjugation, have been printed in a different type, so that the radical letters may stand out more clearly. Prefixes have been similarly dealt with. The principle of reducing every simple and compound word to a root has been thus kept in view. Mr. Henri Riola, Professor of Russian at the Staff College, has been good enough to help in the revision of the pages of a Grammar which it is hoped will be of use in enabling Englishmen (and especially English officers) to become better acquainted with the language of a great and growing country. W. E. G. 1 N.B.-Russian words in this Grammar which begin with capital letters, and which are unaccented, take the accent on the initial letter. |