The compound sentence with conjunctions

There are several types of the compound sentence depending on the meaning of the conjunction in English and in Ukrainian: copulative (єднальні), disjunctive (розділові), adversative (проти­ставні), as well as compound sentences with causative and consecutive interrelations between clauses (складносурядні речення з причинно-наслідковими відношеннями між складовими части­нами речення).

2.1. The copulative compound sentence.

In the English language the copulative sentences are joined by conjunctions and, neither … nor, now … now, not … but. In Ukrainian the typical conjunctions in this type of the sentence are: і (й), та, та й, і …і …, ні … ні …, ані … ані … and others.

The most widespread of them are the English conjunction “and” and the Ukrainian conjunction “і (й)”. They render a variety of relations between sentences.

The peculiarity of the Ukrainian conjunction і is the fact that it has its phonetic variant й with which it alternates depending on the phonetic syllable of the closest to it surrounding words. Sometimes the conjunction й has also a semantic difference, pointing towards the closer connection in comparison to the conjunction i.

The main shades of meaning of the Ukrainian conjunction i and the English and coincide. They render first of all the following meanings:

a) The proper copulative meaning (власно-єднальне значення) when there is a connection of very close according to their content sentences. Compare: Гриміло потьмарене море здаля, і жаром чадила зруділа земля (М. Бажан). I heard a click, and a little glow lamp came into being (H. Wells).

b) The adjoining meaning (приєднувальне значення) when the first sentence is accompanied by the second sentence for the completion or development of the idea expressed by the first sentence. In English grammars this meaning is also sometimes called a copulative-relative meaning (єднально-відносне значення). Compa­re: Мені чомусь здавалось, що треба йти додому, і це було єдиним мотивом, який змусив мене піти. I had a vague idea of going on to my own house, and that was as much motive as I had
(H. Wells).

c) The meaning of recounting (перелічувальне значення). Compare: І тіло в них міцне, і плечі в них широкі, і мисль оформила опуклі їх лоби (М. Бажан). The sun set, the window-shutters were closed, and the street was empty.

d) The meaning of consequence (наслідкове значення), when the second sentence is the result or consequence from the idea expressed in the first sentence. У мене дуже мало часу, і я ніяк не можу сказати вам про все (Ю. Корнійчук). But he was sick and weary; and he soon felt sound asleep (Ch. Dickens).

Unlike Ukrainian і (й) the English conjunction and is also widely used with the copulative-adversative meaning (в єднально-протиставному значенні) which mostly corresponds to the Ukrainian conjunction a. Compare: You have your opinion, and I have mine. У тебе своя думка, а у мене своя.

The Ukrainian conjunction та й is used less frequently in the Ukrainian language than the conjunction і (й) though it can render the same shades of connection.

The composite conjunction (складений сполучник) та й is used mainly in the copulative function, denoting the transfer to some action which either finishes the development of events or intervenes in it. For example: Ото дививсь Івасик, дививсь, та й заболіла голова (П. Тичина).

The copulative-negative meaning (єднально-заперечний зв’язок) is formed in the English language with the help of negative conjunctions neither, nor, not only … but; in Ukrainian – ні …,
ні …; ані …, ані …; не тільки …, а (але) і (й). Compare:

Mrs. Septimus small let fall no word, neither did she question June about him (J. Galsworthy).

She would not put him off; nor would she make a scene in public (J. Galsworthy).

Ніде ні собака не гавкне, ні вартових немає (Ю. Янков­ський).

Ані шелесту не було чути, ані колихання не було помітно (Марко Вовчок).

The Ukrainian conjunction не тільки …, а (але) і (й) has as its correspondence close in the meaning the English conjunction not only … but, which shows that the action in the second sentence goes in parallel with the first sentence and does not contradict it. Compare:

На крупах коней проступали не тільки напружені м’язи, а й кожна кров’ю налита жилка (Ільченко).

And Germany had not only violated the Treaty of London, but she had seized a British ship on the Kiel Canal (H. Wells).

The negative conjunctions in English neither … nor and in Ukrainian ні …ні, ані …ані are antonyms to the English conjunction both … and and the Ukrainian conjunction як …, так і, which in both languages are more widely used in a simple sentence with homogeneous members (однорідними членами) but sometimes also join parts of the compound sentence, for example: Як ти чоловік, так і я чоловік (А. Тесленко) Both he will come there, and I will call on them [5; 138–139].

2.2. The disjunctive compound sentence.

The disjunctive compound sentences are joined in English with the help of the conjunctions or, either … or, and in Ukrainian – або; або …або; чи; чи …чи; то …то; не то … не то; чи то … чи то and others. In both languages the connection between parts of such a sentence is very close; if to omit one part of such a sentence, the other will lose its sense, e.g.:

The boy’s wife might have died; or he might have come back and said, "Father, I have sinned" (W. Thackerey).

Чи підпалено, чи може самі необережними були (М. Коцю­бинський).

In Ukrainian the quantity of disjunctive conjunctions is a bigger one than in English, but the most spread of them are the conjunctions або and чи. The conjunction або has the most general meaning, pointing towards the separation of things or ideas, whereas the conjunction чи is derived from the interrogative particle and that is why retains the interrogative shade of meaning. Compare: Раптом хурчав автомобільний мотор, або сурмив клаксон (Ю. Смолич). Часом качка в повітрі дзвенить, чи кажан проти місяця грає
(М. Рильський).

The double conjunctions або …або; чи …чи; то …то; не то … не то; чи то … чи то denote the separation in the facts alternation (То ми до них ходили, то вони до нас. – (Ю. Корнійчук)). The conjunction не то … не то renders simultaneously doubt or hesitation: Не то осінні води шуміли, збігаючи в Дунай, не то вітер бився в заломах провалля (М. Коцюбинський) [5; 139–140].