Capitalisation in adjective derivatives
Capital letters depend on individual possession and official naming, not on prestige or the mere presence of a proper-name source.
- The possessive -ов/-ев/-ин series and relational -ск- series follow different defaults.
| Type | Spelling | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| individual -ин | Та́нина кни́га | specific Tanya's possession |
| individual -ев | Да́лев слова́рь | Dahl as individual author |
| idiom/term | ахилле́сова пята́, рентге́новы лучи́ | lexicalised lowercase |
| relational -ск- | пу́шкинские стихи́ | general relation/style |
| official name | Но́белевская пре́мия | part of proper name |
| official place | Пу́шкинская пло́щадь | geographic name |
Read the model
3.21 · Capitalisation in adjective derivatives · table 1
individual -ин · Та́нина кни́га · specific Tanya's possessionindividual -ев · Да́лев слова́рь · Dahl as individual authorMini-check
Choose: Танина/танина тетрадь. Choose in general prose: Пушкинские/пушкинские стихи.
Apply this next
- Say the Russian examples aloud, cover the model, and retrieve the pattern once before continuing.