Collective numerals (examples). What is the collective numeral

Collective numerals, examples of whichconstantly meet in everyday speech, are practically not used in business documents. And this very concept is conditional. After all, in fact, the collective numeral is a kind of quantitative. But there are differences between these categories.

What do collective numbers mean?

Each part of speech plays its definite role inproposal. However, collective and quantitative numerals mean practically the same thing. But in their use there is a significant difference. Collective numerals indicate the person, what determines their substantivation. For example: "Who are these three guys? Surely these three young people learned many, because they were shot infamous series! "From the context it is clear that we are talking about guys in the number of three people. Thus, the answer to the question of what a collective numeral is, is this: it is part of a speech that indicates the number of persons in a collection of people. But it's impossible to use them in relation to animals.

Collective Numerals

Examples of such phrases as "twoworkers "," five toddlers "or" both boys "indicate not just the number or order of transfer. First of all, these expressions represent a group of certain persons. An interesting fact is that in the modern Russian language the numeral (collective) is a closed, non-productive, surviving group of words. This phrase should be understood as follows: the language is constantly transformed and develops. However, this branch remains unchanged, preserving the traditional historical appearance.

Collective Numerical Groups

1. A special item is the numerator both (both). It will be discussed separately.
2. By the ways of education, the words "two" and "three" stand out. Their roots are the corresponding quantitative numerals two and three. They are formed with the participation of the suffix th.
3. A broader group consists of collective numerals four, five and so on, to ten. They are formed with the help of a suffix -ep- and the end is -o.

Proverb in the group of collective numerals

The use of such formations from morelarge numbers should be attributed to common speech, although it would be imprudent to dismiss it altogether from their existence. Sometimes you can find such collective numerals even in fiction. Examples of such statements are in Lavrenev's novel "Forty-first", when the main character, a girl from the people, reads her own poems. Yarka and the picturesque line "Twenty to the steppe gone" - it shows that in common speech collective numerals are used not only those that are formed from the numbers of the first ten, but also from the larger ones. Produce them in the same way, that is, with the help of a suffix -ep- and graduation -about.

Change in collective numerals by birth, number and case

For a link in a sentence, words change.Just like quantitative, collective numerals do not have number and gender. The exception in this sense is the word "both", since it can take the form of a feminine gender - "both". But here, with respect to cases, all collective numerals change. Examples:

1. Oh, this is a great miracle, when two lovers give care to each other, create a family, give birth and raise children! (Nominative).
2. The love triangle bears this name precisely because relationships bind three loving peopleand not two. (Accusative).
3. Seven guys I never had to return to my parents - they hit a mine in the first battle. (Dative).

Declination of the words "two" and "three"

Collective numerals with nouns -for example, “two boys” and “three guys” - change in cases in the same way as full adjectives in the soft version, standing in the plural. For example:

Despite the fact that two boys (P. p.) There was only one toy, there was never a quarrel between them. By this two kids (D. p.) Was so comfortable with each other, that the feeling of white envy of their friendship arose in the soul itself. Seeing these two guys (V. p.), Who selflessly play the same toy, adults sometimes thought about whether we live correctly in our adult world? Old women admired with tenderness two kids (T. p.), Which almost never parted for a minute. And the local gossip pangs about these two boys (P. p.), Inventing implausible stories of their origin.

Declination of the words "four," "five," and so on

All other quantitative-collectivenumerals need to be changed in cases according to the principle of full adjective plural. Only this process takes place on the hard version. It should also be remembered that the stress in these collective numbers, in oblique cases, always falls on the ending. Decline the expression "four singers":

I. p. - four singers.

R. n. - four singers.

D. n. - four singers.

V. p. - four singers.

T. n. - four singers.

P. p. - four singers.

Collective number both (both)

This word stands out, as the meaningmeans not only two people, but also a pair of inanimate objects. The rest of the collective numerals can designate a group of only persons, that is, people, or non-living creatures that have a human appearance, for example, the dead. You should also know that such a collective numeral as “both” can be combined with feminine nouns in the form “both”. These words are inclined as well as the collective numbers “two,” “three,” that is, like the full adjective plural in the soft version: both, both (I. p.), both, both (R. n.), both (D. p.), both, both (V. p.), both (T. p.), both, both (P. p.).

Speech errors associated with the use of the word "both"

1. Most often in the conversation there is a substitution of the word"Both" noun "wallpaper." Here, the similarity of the letters in them plays a cruel joke. As an example, consider the grandmother's message that both grandchildren have returned home: "Wallpaper at home, go quickly!". Her daughter, this appeal may well be interpreted as the fact that someone bought a trellis for repair and put them in the room.
2. Often people use the form "both" in indirectcases in combinations with nouns denoting persons or feminine objects, instead of the collective numeral "both." For example, the statement would be wrong: “Her bracelets were on both hands, and with fingers and rings all the fingers are humbled. ” Instead, you should say and write like this: “Her bracelets were on both hands, and with fingers and rings all the fingers are humbled. "

Use

Collective numerals are used less frequently than quantitative ones. This happens because they can be combined with a narrower circle of nouns.

1. The words "two", "three", "four" and so on are used with inanimate nouns that exist only in the plural, for example: two scissors, three forceps, four days. “Having become a qualified specialist hairdresser, Tatyana could no longer use her old household tools, she had to urgently purchase two quality professional scissors.
2. Collective numerals are used in combinations where the determinative nouns are males, for example: five comrades, two men. "Two men, dressed in identical long dark cloaks and wrapped in scarves to the very noses, walked past in a hurry, looking around constantly."
3. It is allowed to use collective numbers in relation to a group of persons, which includes people both male and female. For example: "She had two children: a girl and a boy."
4. Sometimes collective numbers are used with personal pronouns in the plural: "Us remained five in the room, when it suddenly became completely dark, the floor began to tremble under his feet and began to sway like the deck of a ship, and books and souvenirs on the shelves fell noisily down. "Their was just four. But with themwith all four, our company could already cope quite easily. " "Two of you we really missed! Rather, rather to the table! ”
5. Use of collective numberslimited stylistically. It is inappropriate to use data such as combinations in official speech - here it is recommended instead of “four workers” or “six engineers” to write and say “four workers”, “six engineers”.

Errors in the use of collective numbers

1. Such a nuance of the incorrect use of this group of words, such as combining them with nouns denoting females, is most often noticed, for example: "Four wanderers", "five nuns", "three female students". Instead, you should use cardinal numbers, such as: "Four pilgrims", "five nuns", "three students".
2. It is absolutely unacceptable to use collective numbers with inanimate nouns that have a single number, for example: "Two instruments", "three tables". Here it is required, as in the subparagraph above, to use combinations “Two tools”, “three tables”.
3. It is impossible to combine collective numbers with animate nouns, meaning not faces, but animals, for example: "Three bears" instead "three Bears", "Four bulls" instead "Four bulls".

Variant forms of the use of nouns with quantitative and collective numerals

Russian is different from all others in thatThere are always options that can replace one expression with another equivalent one. Often, the use of phrases as nouns with collective numerals, and with quantitative. Such replacements are possible in the following cases.

1. In talking about males, variation is allowed: "Four fatties" and "Four fat", "Two detectives" and "Two detectives".
2. In the phrase nouns meaningsingle objects, but in the singular number not used, and collective numerals (except "two", "three" and "four") can be used and quantitative. For example: "Five gates" - "five gates", "seven forks" - "seven forks".

But in conclusion should be repeated:collective numerals are more appropriate in common parlance, colloquially. If the author aims to write the text in a beautiful literary language, such phrases should be avoided. But in the artwork (in the design of dialogues), they will help add color to the images of the characters, to convey the spirit of the era. It is categorically impossible to use collective numbers in documents and official speech.