如果说细节决定成败
那么标点符号(Punctuation)就很大程度上决定了英语写作的成败
而在日常学习中
标点符号却往往是最不起眼的
很少有人会专门学习标点符号的正确用法
甚至英语母语者都可能会误用英文标点符号
其实标点符号不仅仅体现了句子的构造
还为理解句意提供了重要参考
是语句段落中不可或缺的一部分
今天我们就来了解一下标点符号的功能和用法吧~
no.1
Comma [ , ]
逗号是英语中最常用的标点符号，一般用于表示停顿。
其正确用法如下：
（1）分隔一系列的并列成分
The street vendor sold watches, necklaces, and earings.
Joe peered into the hot, still-smoking engine.
（2）在并列句中，用于连词（and, but, or, for, so, nor, yet）之前
He asked the question in a loud voice, but no one answered.
It must have rained last night, for the ground is wet.
（3）状语从句或短语在前，主语在后时，中间加逗号
When the bell rang, the teacher dismissed the class.
Born and brought up in the South, she is not used to eating wheat.
（4）非限制性定语从句或短语和句子主体部分之间要用逗号隔开
Wang Ling, who is the best singer of the class, will teach us to sing the song.
An old lady, nodding and smiling, invited us in.
（5）插入语前后用逗号隔开
Your work, I'm sorry to say, is not satisfactory.
They have many courses: Chinese, English, Mathematics, History, to name just a few.
（6）用于人名、日期及数字中
Fred, I think we are on the wrong road.
July 4, 2005, is my wedding day.
The insurance agent sold me a ￥50,000 comprehensive insurance.
no.2
Semicolon [ ; ]
分号也表示停顿，介于逗号和句号之间，由它隔开的句子成分之间的联系不如逗号那样密切，也不像句号那样疏远。
分号的作用如下：
（1）分隔两个联系紧密的主句
Heavy snow continues to fall at the airport; consequently, all flights have been grounded.
"Life is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it."——Christopher Morley
（2）分隔一系列含有逗号的并列成分
Our guest speakers will be Dr. Richard McGrath, professor of economics; Dr. Beth Howells, professor of English; and Dr. John Kraft, professor of psychology.
no.3
Dash [ — ]
破折号也表示介于逗号和句号之间的停顿，但它不是特别正式，具有戏剧性的效果。
I was so exhausted that I fell asleep within seconds—standing up.
He had many good qualities—sincerity, honesty, and thoughtfulness—yet he had few friends.
no.4
Period / Full Stop [ . ]
与中文句号不同，英文句号是一个实心点，通常出现在陈述句末尾，或缩略词的末尾。
句号的作用如下：
（1）结束陈述句
We ran out of gas on the highway.
Children love to watch the elephants at the zoo.
（2）表示缩略
vol.
volume (卷；册) 的缩写，表示一套书中的某一卷或册
Inc.
incorporated (注册成立的) 的缩写，表示有限责任公司
no.5
Ellipses [ ... ]
省略号是由三个句号组成的，需注意省略号左右两边各留一个空格，句号之间没有空格。
省略号的作用如下：
（1）省略部分内容
After school I went to the bookstore, … and then came home.
The benefits of public transit include cleaner air, less congested roadways …
（2）表示说话时的停顿
I wasn’t really … well, what I mean … see, the thing is … I didn’t mean it.
Andrew, can you, um … never mind, I forgot what I was saying.
no.6
Apostrophe [ ' ]
撇号主要有两种功能：
（1）表示缩写中的省略
I’m the kind of student who's extremely nervous before tests.
I can't remember if there's gas in the car or not.
要注意虽然这种缩写在口语对话中很常见，但正式写作中最好避免使用缩写。
（2）表示所有权
China‘s capital is Beijing.
A cat ran out in front of Libby’s car.
no.7
Quotation Marks [ " " ' ' ]
引号有单引号和双引号之分，英式英语中单引号更普遍，美式英语则更倾向于使用双引号。
引号的作用如下：
（1）引用某说话人或作者的话
“Did you know,” said the nutrition expert, "that it's healthier to be ten pounds overweight?"
“Let nature be your teacher”, advised the poet William Wordsworth.
（2）标注短篇作品的名称
I read an article entitled "Painful Beauty Secrets of the Stars."
After reading Poe's story "The Tell-Tale Heart," I couldn't sleep for a week.
no.8
Colon [ : ]
冒号主要有三种用法：
（1）列举
Here are some of my favorite foods: fried chicken, lobster, and corn on the cob.
The following novels will be on the exam: Moby Dick, Great Expectations, and The Brothers Karamazov.
（2）解释
She’s ready to move on to a new school: this one has taught her everything that’s available there.
Amsterdam is filled with great museums: just walk around and you’ll find one.
（3）引用
In Food Rules, Michael Pollan summarizes his extensive writing about food with seven words of advice: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
no.9
Parentheses [ () ]
圆括号在英文中用于补充额外的信息，其中的内容可以是单词、短语、句子等等。圆括号不作句子中的任何语法成分，去掉圆括号句子的语法结构仍是完整的。
During the company lunch hour (12 noon–1 p.m.), the building completely empties out.
Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta (established under Dutch rule in 1864) is one of the largest zoos in Southeast Asia.
no.10
Hyphen [ - ]
连字符是用于复合词或单词字节中间的符号。在写作和打字中，连字符可在一行的末尾分隔单词，但最好按照字典规范，准确地根据音节分隔单词。
Does this come with a money-back guarantee?
Although the country was eager to showcase its strong democracy, rioting after the elec-tion killed and injured many people.
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