It is very easy to get confused in the spelling of the Russian language when it comes to homonyms. āMoreoverā or ābesidesā? This question is often asked not only by foreigners, but also by native speakers themselves. I must say that in this case it is hardly possible to understand intuitively without going into the details of the grammar, context and corresponding rules. For those who are already afraid of the abundance of information and complex algorithms, there is very good news: there are many ways to distinguish ābesidesā from ābesides,ā and not all of them require in-depth knowledge of the Russian language.
Part of speech
Those who study Russian more seriously than just at the amateur level know that different parts of speech perform different functions in a sentence, and knowing these functions helps a lot to correctly write equally sounding words.
So, "moreover," if it is written together, is a union. The Union is a non-independent part of speech that does not have its own semantic load and is not a full member of the sentence. Like all other unions, āmoreoverā serves for the grammatical and semantic connection of words, phrases or parts of a sentence with each other.
"Moreover" is a phrase from two parts of speech. "When" is an excuse. Like unions, prepositions are non-independent parts of speech and cannot be members of a sentence. āOneā is a demonstrative pronoun that may exist in the meaning of a definition or addition. More often than not, the construction āoccursā at the junction of simple sentences as part of a complex sentence with the value of a condition or concession.
Replaceability
For those who find it difficult to analyze a sentence from a grammatical point of view, there is a convenient alternative. The fact is that you can determine how to write ābesidesā or ābesidesā by substituting the corresponding analogues in the sentence instead of these words.
The union "moreover" is replaced by synonymous expressions "in addition", "and also", "in addition." For instance:
| Before replacement | After replacement |
| Children found a large, ripe wild strawberry in the forest and, moreover, incredibly sweet and juicy. | Children found large, ripe wild strawberries in the forest and, in addition, incredibly sweet and juicy. |
| My friend hired a wonderful employee: smart, responsible, clever and, moreover, surprisingly diligent. | My friend hired a wonderful worker: smart, responsible, clever and, in addition, surprisingly diligent. |
| I am afraid that I will have to fire you: you are irresponsible, do not give up your work on time, moreover, you are constantly late and scold. | I am afraid that I will have to fire you: you are irresponsible, do not give up your work on time, and besides, you are constantly late and scandal. |
In turn, the phrase "at that" in the meaning of additions is conveniently replaced by the synonymous expression "considering" or "despite that."
| Before replacement | After replacement |
| He is rather modest, although he is rich. | He is rather modest, despite being rich. |
| I just canāt fail to note your achievements, despite the fact that you have repeatedly helped me out of a difficult situation. | I just cannot but note your achievements, given that you have repeatedly helped me out of a difficult situation. |
In those cases where ābesidesā is used as a definition, the phrase ānext to thatā is suitable for replacing and checking for separate spelling.
| Before replacement | After replacement |
| The city administration allocated money to build a park at the museum that tourists like so much. | The city administration allocated money to build a park near the museum that tourists like so much. |
The presence of the word "what"
Some dictionaries insist on the existence of a besides āunion, the fusion or spelling of which is determined from the context. However, in practice, such a situation where its use would be pertinent together is simply impossible to meet. Therefore, the word "what" can serve as a very definite pointer to how to spell "besides". If the sentence contains the word āwhatā following the phrase āwhileā, it must be written separately. As, for example, in the following case:
- I canāt refuse to help him, despite the fact that he helped me so many times.
If the word "what" is not in the sentence, then most likely you need to write "besides" together. Here is an example sentence with the word "besides", in which there is no word "what":
- The rain was long, wet, and very cold.
Many such examples are easy to find in fiction. In fact, choosing between ābesidesā or ābesidesā is easy enough if you are guided by this method, but it can also be considered the most doubtful.
Value
The union "besides" is used in the meaning of joining, adding, clarifying. The phrase "at the same time" is closer in meaning to the condition or concession, the question "What does it mean?" Can be put to it. For instance:
- The authorities did not like him for his irresponsibility and arrogance, although he was not famous for seriousness either. ("Moreover" is the meaning of joining).
- The authorities did not like him even though he was famous for seriousness. (āWhereinā means the value of a condition or assignment).
To summarize
There are four ways to not make mistakes in the spelling "besides" or "besides":
- In terms of speech, a union or pronoun with a preposition.
- By interchangeability.
- By the presence of the word "what."
- By value.
Any of them can be confidently used. In addition, being not sure of the correct spelling "besides" or "besides", you can confirm one rule with another and bring the choice of the right option to automatic.