A Comprehensive Russian Grammar

A Comprehensive Russian Grammar , by Terence Wade, is the definitive guide to Russian usage and the standard reference work for students and professionals alike. In the third edition, Russian language expert David Gillespie updates and revises this highly acclaimed volume. His revisions include updates to numerous examples and illustrations, as well as insights into several new developments in Russian language usage since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Gillespie also reveals the increasing influence of globalization on Russian language structure. As before, accessibility to the intricacies of Russian grammar is enhanced through usage examples garnered from both modern sources and from classical literature. This revised edition solidifies the position of A Comprehensive Russian Grammar as the premier text for Russian language reference across the English–speaking world.

Preface. Preface to the Second Edition. Preface to the Third Edition. Acknowledgements. Acknowledgements to the Second Edition. Abbreviations. 1. Introduction. Pronunciation. Orthography. Division of Words. Punctuation. 2. The Noun. Word Formation. Gender. Declension. Case Usage. Diminutive and Augmentative Nouns. 3. The Pronoun. 4. The Adjective. The Long Form of the Adjective. The Short Form of the Adjective. The Comparative Degree of the Adjective. The Superlative Degree of the Adjective. 5. The Numeral. Cardinal, Collective and Indefinite Numerals. Ordinal Numerals. Special Functions of Numerals. 6. The Verb. Conjugation. Aspect. Reflexive Verbs. Impersonal Constructions. The Passive Voice. The Conditional and Subjunctive Moods. Constructions Expressing Obligation, Necessity, Possibility or Potential. Verbs of Motion. Participles. Gerunds. 7. The Adverb. 8. The Preposition. Spatial Prepositions. Prepositions that Denote the Position of an Object in Relation to Another Object (Behind, in Front of, Below, on Top of etc.), or Movement to or from that Position. Prepositions that Denote Spatial Closeness to an Object, Movement Towards or Away from an Object, or Distance from an Object. Prepositions that Denote Along, Across, Through a Spatial Area. Prepositions that Denote Spatial Limit. Temporal Prepositions. The Use of Prepositions to Denote Action in Relation to Various Time Limits. Other Meanings. Other Important Meanings Expressed by Prepositions. 9. The Conjunction. Co–ordinating Conjunctions. Subordinating Conjunctions. 10. The Particle. 11. Word Order. Glossary. Bibliography. Subject Index. Word Index.

Terence Wade (1930–2005) was Professor Emeritus and Research Fellow in Russian Studies at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. He wrote 12 books, including Prepositions in Modern Russian (1985) , Russian Etymological Dictionary (1996) , The Russian Language Today (with Larissa Ryazanova–Clarke, 1999), and A Russian Grammar Workbook (Wiley–Blackwell, 1996). David Gillespie is Professor of Russian at the University of Bath, UK, where he has taught Russian language and culture since 1985. Gillespie has published 8 books and more than 50 papers on modern Russian literature and film.

" When Scottish scholar of the Russian language Wade (1930–2005) died, he was well advanced in plans but not actual work to update the grammar that had been highly successful in its 1992 and 2000 editions. David Gillespie (Russian, U. of Bath) took up the task, choosing not to try to guess what innovations Wade had in mind. Instead, he consolidated and added a few new sections, careful to preserve what he believes to be already the best Russian grammar available. Beginning with an explanation of the Cyrillic alphabet and pronunciation, it works through all the parts of speech to word order." ( Reference and Research Book New s, February 2011)