Breakdown of Защитив диссертацию, она получила новую степень.
она
she / it (for a feminine noun)
новый
new
получить
to receive (perfective)
степень
degree
диссертация
dissertation
защитить
to defend
Questions & Answers about Защитив диссертацию, она получила новую степень.
What form is Защитив and how does it relate to the main verb?
Защитив is a perfective verbal adverb meaning having defended. It is formed by taking the past tense stem of the perfective verb защитить (to defend) and adding the suffix -в. Because it is perfective, it shows that this action was completely finished before the main action of the sentence (получила — received) happened.
Does a verbal adverb like Защитив take the same case as its original verb?
Yes, exactly! Verbal adverbs govern nouns exactly like their original verbs do. Since you defend something (a direct object in the accusative case), защитив requires the accusative case just like защитить does. That is why we see диссертацию here instead of the nominative диссертация.
Why is there a comma after диссертацию?
In Russian, a phrase built around a verbal adverb must always be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas, no matter where it appears. Since the phrase here is Защитив диссертацию, we must place a comma before the main clause starts with она.
Why is the adjective новую in the accusative case, but степень does not look accusative?
Степень (degree) is a feminine noun that ends in a soft sign (-ь), meaning it belongs to the 3rd declension. For these nouns, the accusative form is identical to the nominative form. However, any adjective describing it must still take the standard feminine accusative ending, which gives us the combination новую степень.
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