Learn Hardcore Russian: Экскурсия по городу была очень познавательной и увлекательной. - The excursion around the city was very informative and fascinating.

In this sentence, по городу means “around the city” or “throughout the city.” The preposition по often governs the dative case when indicating movement or distribution within a space. Therefore, город appears in the dative form as городу.

Why are the adjectives познавательной and увлекательной in the instrumental case?

Russian grammar typically requires predicate adjectives to be in the instrumental case when they follow a form of the verb быть (to be). In this sentence, была is the past tense form of быть for a feminine subject, and so the adjectives that describe Экскурсия must also be in the feminine instrumental form, which is why they appear as познавательной and увлекательной.

What is the function of the verb была in this sentence?

Была serves as the linking verb in the past tense. It connects the subject, Экскурсия по городу, to its descriptive predicate adjectives (познавательной и увлекательной), specifying the state or quality of the excursion.

How does the adverb очень modify the meaning of the adjectives in this sentence?

The adverb очень intensifies the adjectives that follow it. By modifying познавательной and увлекательной, it emphasizes that the excursion was “very informative” and “very captivating,” thus giving a stronger impression of the described qualities.

What should I keep in mind about adjective agreement in this sentence?

In Russian, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Here, Экскурсия is a feminine noun, and because the predicate adjectives appear after была (a form of быть), they are required to be in the feminine instrumental case. This agreement is reflected in their endings: -ой or -ей for feminine adjectives in instrumental, as seen in познавательной and увлекательной.