This article analyses the history of researches on some aspects of the syntax of “small” numerals dva, tri, chetyre (two, three, four) undertaken in the 18th and 19th century Russian grammars. The main subject of the analysis is the views of the authors of these grammars regarding the syntactic structure of the combination of the above-named numerals with a noun. Particular attention is paid to the reasoning of the authors of the aforementioned grammars with reference to such combinations in which the numeral appears in the nominative/ accusative case. The nature of the relationship between the numeral in the nominative/ accusative and the noun was described by linguists in different ways. Furthermore, also the form of a noun in such a combination was interpreted in various ways. A widespread synchronous interpretation that the form of a noun which co-occurs with the numerals dva, tri, chetyre in the nominative or homonymous accusative is the singular genitive (dva stola – two tables), currently seen in both didactic and scientific modern linguistic studies, has been present in the literature since the 18th century. Nevertheless, in many works of the discussed period one can find completely different views on the problem (e.g. in the I. Ornatovsky’s or A. Vostokov’s grammars).