Breakdown of Обособление требует внимательности.
требовать
to demand
внимательность
attentiveness
обособление
isolation
Questions & Answers about Обособление требует внимательности.
What exactly does обособление mean in the context of this grammar lesson?
Outside of grammar, it means 'isolation' or 'setting apart'. But in Russian punctuation rules, обособление is the specific term for 'setting off with commas'. In this lesson, it is reminding you that correctly placing commas around verbal adverbs (деепричастия) takes careful thought.
Why is внимательности in the genitive case rather than the accusative?
The verb требовать (to require or demand) usually takes its object in the genitive case instead of the accusative, especially when the object is an abstract concept like внимательность (attentiveness). You might see the accusative used for demanding a specific, concrete physical object, but for abstract requirements, always use the genitive.
Could I just say требует внимания instead?
Внимание (attention) and внимательность (attentiveness or carefulness) are very close in meaning, but they have a slight nuance. Внимание is the general act of focusing, while внимательность is the personal quality of being observant and detail-oriented. Because applying punctuation rules requires you to be detail-oriented, внимательности is a more precise fit here.
Why does the genitive form of внимательность end in -и?
Because внимательность is a feminine noun ending in a soft sign (-ь), it belongs to the 3rd declension. For 3rd declension nouns, the genitive, dative, and prepositional cases all take the ending -и.
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