| Former-Teacher | Date: Thursday, 17.01.2013, 10:59 | Message # 1 |
 Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
Status: Offline
| Dear All,
Happy to have a chance to write a few new explanations on some grammar points.
This time, we will look into possible prepositions with the word 'distance'.
The point is actually about two russian phrases which Russian learners mistranslate, they are:
"на расстоянии" и "с расстояния" and the like.
Let's study the following examples:
На расстоянии - at a distance:
It is always so. Pay attention to the article. If you add adjectives, the article usually remains the same:
At a short distance from/to something
At a great distance from/to something
At a close distance from/to something
Iin the distance - вдали, далеко, т.е. far away.
This phrase is actually an adverbial modifier. Pay attention to the article 'the'.
Out of distance or beyond distance - вне досягаемости.
These two phrases are also adverbial modifiers of place or manner (обстоятельство места или образа действия).
Sometimes, the russian word "растояние" can be rendered in other ways. Study a few more examples from the ABBYY Lingvox5 and remember them:
на расстоянии (от) — away (from)
на некотором расстоянии (от) — at a / some distance (from)
на далёком расстоянии (от) — a great way off (from); a great distance away (from), far away (from)
на близком расстоянии (от) — at a short distance (from), close (to)
на одинаковом расстоянии — at the same distance; (о ряде предметов) at regular intervals
на расстоянии пяти [десяти] километров (от) — at five [ten]kilometres' distance (from), five [ten]kilometres away (from)
на расстоянии пушечного выстрела [человеческого голоса] — within gunshot (within hail)
To finish off, take a look at some idiomatic verbal phrases:
держать на расстоянии кого-л — keep smb at arm's length
держаться на расстоянии — keep one's distance
держаться на почтительном расстоянии — keep at a respectful distance, keep aloof
одолеть расстояние между- to close the distance between
To conclude, never say 'from a distance' or 'on a distance'.
I hope the explanations and examples will make your grammar habits more flexible and solid.
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