Breakdown of Сосед, который показал жестокость по отношению к собаке, очень опасный.
собака
dog
очень
very
сосед
neighbor
показать
to show (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Сосед, который показал жестокость по отношению к собаке, очень опасный.
Why use the long phrase по отношению к собаке instead of just к собаке?
While к can sometimes just mean physical direction, по отношению к specifically describes an attitude, stance, or behavior directed at someone or something. In this sentence, it emphasizes how the neighbor acted in relation to the dog.
Why is the word собаке in the Dative case here?
The compound preposition по отношению к ends with the preposition к, which always requires the Dative case. Therefore, собака changes to собаке.
The word жестокость is the direct object of the verb показал. Why doesn't it take an Accusative case ending like -у or -ю?
The word жестокость is a feminine noun ending in a soft sign (-ь), which places it in the 3rd declension. For these specific nouns, the Accusative case looks exactly the same as the Nominative case, so the ending does not change.
Could we use the short-form adjective опасен instead of опасный at the end of the sentence?
Yes, you could. Using the long form опасный implies that being dangerous is a permanent, inherent characteristic of the neighbor. If you used the short form опасен, it would sound slightly more formal and could imply he is a danger right now specifically because of this situation.