Everyone knows perfectly well that in the Russian alphabet there are two letters that do not mean sound, cannot begin words and be capitalized. Of course, these are soft and hard signs. It is no coincidence that these letters are called "signs": their use helps to correctly convey the sound of words. With the help of a soft sign, in addition, grammatical forms of words related to different parts of speech are formed. Consider the spelling options for this sign.
Instructions
Step 1
A soft sign is necessary to soften the consonants that stand in front of it (it's not for nothing that they call it that). It can be in the middle and at the end of the words: "slice", "lights", "November", "June", "salt", "horse". Sometimes writing a soft sign helps to distinguish the meaning: compare the words "shelf - polka", "bank - bathhouse", "corner - coal", "pier - mole". However, it should be noted that there are many words in which the softness of the preceding consonant is not indicated by a soft sign: "candy wrapper", "slice", "rain", "umbrella", "January". In such words, most often the softness of a consonant is determined by the soft consonant that follows it. A soft sign is not required in combinations with soft unpaired consonants: "chk", "chn", "nch", "schn" ("herringbone", "night", "donut", "helper"). The exception here is the letter "l": the softness of this consonant should always be conveyed in writing with the help of "b" ("sick", "bell", "fan", "herring").
Step 2
The soft sign serves to separate consonants and vowels in writing "e", "e", "u", "I", "and". As a separating one, it is used in the root, between the root and the ending (but not after the prefix), it is used in words of a foreign language origin before the vowel "o" (medallion, "broth", "chignon").
Step 3
Traditional spellings of the soft sign in the grammatical forms of words of different parts of speech are determined by a number of spelling rules. In nouns, a soft sign serves as an indicator of the 3 declension form: "mole", "night", "quiet", "trembling". Verbs require it to be written in several cases: in the 2nd person singular ("wash", "hurry", "chase"); in the imperative mood ("cut", "smear", "iron"); in an indefinite form ("cut", "protect", "spread", "compete"). A soft sign is required at the end (5-20, 30) and in the middle (50-80, 500-900) of numeral names. It is written in all dialects ending in hissing (the exceptions are "already", "married", "unbearable").
