Breakdown of Эта теория описывает всю структуру общества.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
весь
all, the whole, everything, everyone
описывать
to describe
теория
theory
Questions & Answers about Эта теория описывает всю структуру общества.
Since this lesson is about formal definitions, could we use представлять собой instead of описывает here?
No, because it would change the meaning entirely. The phrase представлять собой means 'to be' or 'to constitute' (literally 'to represent in itself'). If you said Эта теория представляет собой всю структуру..., it would mean the theory itself is the structure. Here, the theory is actively describing the structure, so we just use the standard verb описывать.
I often mix up the forms of весь (all/entire). Why is it всю here rather than всё?
Всю is the feminine accusative form of весь. It must agree with the noun it modifies, структуру, which is feminine and in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the sentence. It is a common mistake to default to the neuter form всё, but that is only used for neuter nouns.
Is общества in the plural form here?
No, here it is the genitive singular form of the neuter noun общество (society). The genitive case is used to show possession or relation, translating directly to 'of the society'. While the nominative plural form happens to look identical (общества), context tells us we are talking about the structure of a single society, not multiple societies.
Why do we use the imperfective verb описывает instead of a perfective equivalent?
When inanimate things like theories, books, or articles do something continuously as a permanent characteristic (like describing, explaining, or proving), Russian prefers the imperfective aspect. The theory permanently describes this structure; it is a continuous state or fact rather than a one-time completed action.