Breakdown of Традиционный генератор работает громко, к тому же он загрязняет воздух.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
работать
to work
громко
loudly
тот
that
к
towards, to
воздух
air, fresh air
загрязнять
to pollute
же
particle (same / exactly) / but / you know (emphasis)
традиционный
traditional
генератор
generator
Questions & Answers about Традиционный генератор работает громко, к тому же он загрязняет воздух.
Since the current lesson is about вместо того чтобы, could we use it to connect these clauses?
No, because вместо того чтобы means "instead of" and introduces a substituted action. Here, the generator performs both actions (it works loudly AND it pollutes), so an additive phrase like к тому же (besides / moreover) is required to stack the traits, rather than replace one with the other.
Why use к тому же here instead of a simple также (also)?
While также simply adds another fact, к тому же is much more expressive. It translates closer to "furthermore" or "what's more," emphasizing that this second fact builds upon the first point to make a stronger overall argument.
What is the root of the verb загрязняет and how does it help explain its meaning?
The root is гряз-, which comes from the noun грязь (dirt, mud). The prefix за- often indicates bringing something into a specific state, so загрязнять literally means "to make dirty," which perfectly translates to "to pollute" when discussing the environment or the air (воздух).
Why is the imperfective verb загрязняет used here instead of the perfective загрязнит?
The imperfective aspect is used because the sentence describes a general, ongoing characteristic of traditional generators. It highlights what the machine consistently does while running, rather than focusing on a single, completed event of pollution.
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