[polja, sjerca], but ls в поле, в сердце [f polji, f sjerci]: compare ns лицо, ls на лице.
The nouns of this declension are N, except for some few special types: домище, M "huge house," домишко M "mean little house," серко M "gray horse," подмастерье "apprentice," and some family names, which are optionally indeclinable: Шевченко. The a forms are like the n: Он встретил Шевченко "he met Shevchenko."
Special Features. On stems ending in [-iy] the ls ending is written with и: знание "knowledge," ls знании.
Stems ending in consonant plus [y] optionally have ls [-i]. In the gp these have the inserted vowel spelled и when it is unstressed: предместье, ls предместьи or предместье, gp предместий.
Stems ending in a soft consonant other than [y] or [šč] have the ending [-ey] in the gp: поле, gp полей. Note especially that in this declension stems in [šč] do not take the ending [-ey] in the gp: кладбище, gp кладбйщ.
Irregular Forms. Irregularities are indicated as in the other declensions. In many nouns the P forms have different stress from the S: слово, P словa; письмо, P письма. When, in addition, there is some irregularity in the gp, we give also the dp form: окно, P окна, окон, окнам.
Fourth Declension. Nouns of the Fourth Declension have the following endings. Our example is the stem [kravatj-] "bedstead, bed."
| Sn | [-] | кровать |
| g | [-i] | кровати |
| d | [-i] | кровати |
| i | [-yu] | кроватью |
| l | [-i] | кровати |
| Pn | [-i] | кровати |
| g | [-ey] | кроватей |
| d | [-am] | кроватям |
| i | [-amji] | кроватями |
| l | [-ax] | кроватях |
The ns is written with the sign ь even after ж, ч, ш, щ, where it is superfluous: вещь "thing"; this distinguishes these nouns in spelling from those of the second declension. All the stems end in a soft consonant or in [š, ž].
The nouns of this declension have the as like the ns. All are F, except for a few irregular N words with ns in -я: имя "name"; also, there is one M, путь "way, road"; it has is [-om]: путём.
Irregular Forms. Some of the ns forms lack an inserted vowel: жизнь; these also insert no vowel in the is: жизнью [žiznjyu]. Only a few insert [o] in the ns and is: рожь, gdls ржи, is рожью.
Some nouns which do not stress the S endings have a second locative form with stress on the ending [-i], used like the second locative forms of the second declension: грязь "dirt," gdls грязи, but в грязи "in the dirt, all covered with dirt." The dictionary indicates this by giving the phrase between slant lines: грязь /в грязи/.
Two nouns, [matj'rj-] "mother" and [doč'rj-] "daughter," drop the last syllable in the ns: мать, gdls матери, is матерью.
The few N nouns drop the last syllable and take the ending [-a] in the ns: [imjonj-] "name," ns имя, gdls имени; they have is [-om]: именем, and a P stem with hard [n] and stress on the endings: np имена, gp имён, dp именам; similarly the old-fashioned word дитя "child," gdls дитяти, is дитятею, no P forms.
§11. ADJECTIVE DECLENSION
Long Forms. The ordinary or long form of adjectives has the following endings. Our example is the stem [prjam-] "straight."
| Mn | [-оу] | прямой |
| g | [-ovo] | прямого |
| d | [-omu] | прямому |
| i | [-im] | прямым |
| l | [-om] | прямом |
| Nn | [-oyo] | прямое |
| Fn | [-aya] | прямая |
| a | [-uyu] | прямую |
| g | [-oy] | прямой |
| d | [-oy] | прямой |
| i | [-oy] | прямой |
| l | [-oy] | прямой |
| Pn | [-iyi] | прямые |
| g | [-ix] | прямых |
| d | [-im] | прямым |
| i | [-imji] | прямыми |
| l | [-ix] | прямых |
The a forms of the M and of the P are like the n when the adjective is applied to an inanimate noun, and like the g when it is applied to an animate noun: я нашёл тупой нож "I found a dull knife," я нашёл тупые ножи "I found dull knives," but я встретил молодого человека "I met a young man," я встретил молодых людей "I met the young people."
The N has the a like the n. The remaining N forms are like the M.
The Fi has also a longer form with [-oyu]: прямою.
The unstressed final [o] in the N and Pn endings is written е, since [y] precedes.
The M and Ng ending is written with г instead of в.
When regular adjectives stress the endings, the two-syllable endings have the stress on the first syllable, as in the example above.
Special Spelling. When the Mn ending [-oy] is unstressed it is spelled with ы instead of о: старый [star'y] "old"; after г, к, х, after ж, ш, and after soft consonants it is then spelled with и: дикий [djik'y] "wild," свежий [svjež'y] "fresh," синий [sjinj'y] "blue."
In the other endings where ы (и) is written the sound is actually [i]: прямым, прямые,: плохой "bad": плохим, плохие [plaxjim, plaxjiyi]; старым, старые [star'm, star'yi]; диким, дикие [djikj'm, -kj'yi]; свежим, свежие [svjež'm, -ž'уа]; синим, синие [sjinj'm, -nj'yi].
The accent stays in the same place throughout all the long forms.
Some adjectives are habitually used, in one or another gender or in the plural, without any noun, in noun-like constructions and meanings; these are entered in the dictionary in their n form and marked as follows: нищий AM "beggar"; столовая AF "dining room"; животное AN "animal"; лёгкие AP "lungs."
Short Forms. Many adjectives have also a set of short (sh) forms, nominative only, with noun-like endings: красивый "beautiful": M красив, F красива, N красиво, P красивы.
