Animate and Inanimate Nouns: Examples of Words

Have you ever heard the words that were put in inappropriate cases? Surzhik - mixed speech from Russian, Ukrainian and Jewish words sins this. This is due to the fact that the rules of declension in different languages ​​are different.

To choose the case of nouns correctly, you need to know what kind of nouns they belong to.

Animate and inanimate nouns

Misused words hurt your hearing. For their proper use, there are certain rules, not so complicated. From ancient times in Russia, living and nonliving were changed in different ways by cases. When the language was systematized, it was determined that there are proper and common nouns, animate and inanimate nouns. Moreover, it is not always possible to independently determine what type a particular word refers to. The dead man has no soul, but the word is grammatically animated. But living plants - they grow, breathe. But inanimate. Why?

There is one aspect of this issue that is rooted in mythology. In ancient times, people held other ideas about the living and nonliving. Hence there are many well-established expressions showing the inanimate nature of the sun (it peeps, rises, sets, wakes up, in fairy tales he is asked for advice, and it answers) and dolls (in games she eats, sleeps, walks, says, cries). Previously, they were really considered to be alive and this was reflected in linguistic forms. The word "corpse" was always considered inanimate, because under it only the shell of the creature is considered, but the personality is absent. How to identify animate and inanimate nouns?

The rule

Since the animate and inanimate answer different questions, it is good to use this method. Then check the result. After that, we can refine our study in accordance with exceptions that are better to remember.

1. So, first you need to find out who or what is in front of us. So in most cases, you can understand what kind of word we need.

2. In the future, the plural of the desired word is put in the accusative case (for simplicity it can be denoted by VP) and find out with which case it matches. If with a nominative (IP) - it is inanimate.

• Toys
• Armchairs.
• Games.
• Noses
• Nicknames.

If with the genitive (RP) - animation.

• Puppies.
• Birds.
• Animals.
• Chickens.
• Friends.

Often this is enough to define animate and inanimate nouns. The rule has exceptions.

Living inanimate

These are dolls, Teddy bears, dogs, bunnies, robots and the like. That is, those toys with which they perform actions, as with live ones. The existing forms of words will look like this:

• Puppet.
• Bears.
• Bunnies.
• Little dog.
• Robots.

Some designations in games are also considered animated. This should be remembered:

• Kings.
• Valtov.
• The queen.
• Dame

People who have died or died are considered animated: a suicide, a deceased, a reposed, a perished.

• Suicides.
• The deceased.
• Reposed.
• Dead.

There are many such words, but they are all animate. When it comes to mortal shell (corpse, body, carrion, carcass) - this is inanimate.

Fairy-tale and intangible characters (angels, demons, nymphs) are also animated. There is a pattern: if in the representation of the people something is alive - in the declension of such a word VP = RP.

Living inanimate

A group, any multitude, the totality of people, animals, or living creatures is considered to be inanimate. This is a crowd, army, people, herd, flock, host. It’s right to say: “I see crowds, armies, peoples, herds, flocks, hosts.”

All plants and mushrooms are inanimate. They have long been considered as food, and not as part of wildlife. Interestingly, some types of seafood (lobsters, oysters, lobsters) first appeared in Russia as exotic dishes. Therefore, in the recipes there is a declination according to the inanimate principle: boil squids and cut into the shape of noodles.

What is not visible by the eye is considered inanimate.

These are microorganisms, viruses, embryos, yeast, bacteria. Although there are also interesting exceptions. For example, the attitude towards the embryo changes when it becomes visible - in vitro.

When it is impossible to define animate and inanimate nouns

Examples showing the impossibility of assigning a word to a particular division:

• repair automation
• see a swordfish.

These words are not inclined in numbers. When changing by case, they have their own form of endings. Therefore, they are beyond animation.

Adjectives

Animate and inanimate nouns are determined by the accusative case of the matching adjectives. Examples:

• They saw a new student - they saw a new table.
• Stroking a beautiful puppy - stroking a beautiful blouse.
• Got big calves - got big trouble.

First comes the phrase where the accusative is equal to the genitive (VP = RP), and then to the nominative (PI).

These adjectives will facilitate the definition of animate and inanimate nouns.

Own and common nouns

All proper nouns therefore received such a name that they are one of a kind. Usually these are names, but there may be nicknames and nicknames. If there is a match for them, it is more likely nonsense. For such cases, there is the word "namesake", for example. Even if it is the nickname of an inanimate toy, it is still animated. There are inanimate proper names. These are the names given to any institution, work of art or composition. There are also geographical names.

Common nouns - from Old Slavonic “to denominate” (to call) - these are the names of groups of objects or concepts.

Correctly change them by case will help the table.

Skills develop well when filling out such a table. You can fill it out by putting all the words in the accusative case, although this is not necessary. You can simply divide the sheet into four parts and write out the suggested words in groups.

Even better to deal with this topic will help special exercises.

Exercises

They will help to consolidate skills on how to determine animate and inanimate nouns, exercises. You need to substitute the correct word, select the desired case or check the literacy of the recorded phrase.

Exercise 1

Substitute the correct words in the following sentences.

• Coming to school, students see (teachers, director, new desks, posters, friends, attendant, old doors, school crayons).
• For the city park purchased (songbirds, carousels, benches, visitors).
• Being late for work, I had to catch up (a trolleybus, a tram, a familiar taxi driver).

Exercise 2

Select the desired case in the following sentences.

• We attached (kittens) and in addition presented (bags with food) for them.
• Going out into the clearing, we saw (boys and baskets with mushrooms).
• At the zoo, ministers feed (birds) and water (trees).

Exercise 3

Give examples of animate and inanimate nouns suitable in the following cases:

• Sitting at the table ... and dreaming.
• Doctors said ... no longer breathing.
• Our ... completely crumbled.
• How bright is this ... today.
• Old ... completely collapsed.

Lesson

In order for students to remember the above rules well, the teacher can devote a lesson to animate and inanimate nouns. It is good to use a scheme denoting equality of cases.

Recalling that the plural is checked, five animate and five inanimate nouns can be suggested as an exercise, looking at the picture. A photo of a puppy with a toy chicken in its teeth will do.

The resulting phrases will not always be correct, this is natural. But especially funny teacher can emphasize. This “on the contrary” method will help to remember the incorrect use of cases.

Examples of animate and inanimate nouns that substitute for missing words will help to understand the rule well. For this, exercises are written out in advance on a sentence sheet with missing words. In their place should be inserted one of the proposed words written on the board. The teacher makes sure that the students have different options: on one side of the board animated, on the other - no.

As one of the options, this set of words can be used:

Text that is suitable for this exercise:

On the day off, the weather was fine. The guys ran out into the yard. (?) fed and dressed up their (?). (?) did not attract such games, they ran (?) from the mountain. (?) and (?) pleased the old (?). “Where else can you find such (?),” They said, and were in no hurry to call their (?) And (?) Home. And the guys have already taken (?) And (?) And made noisy (?).

The guys will really like this lesson. The main thing is to prepare well visual material and diagrams. Good luck!