英文写作中如何正确使用标点符号

Reference for group study of punctuation marksI. Comma What does a comma indicate in a sentence?A pause within a sentence.It Separates one part of a sentence from another part. Tips for using comma1. In a compound sentence, a comma is to join coordinate clauses(并列句，又叫compound sentences). It is put before the conjunction(and, but, or, for, so, nor, yet)(逗号和并列连词连用). Examples: He asked the question in a loud voice, but no one answered.We were tired, and we decided to have a rest.Come early, or youll miss the show.She couldnt go to the airport to meet him, nor could she send anyone in her stead.It must have rained last night, for the ground is wet.（注意for作并列连词时表示原因）He is an eccentric boy, yet you cant help liking him.2. A comma is used after an adverbial clause（状语从句） or phrase (including a prepositional phrase介词词组 and a participial phrase分词词组) before the subject of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence.Example: When the bell rang, the teacher dismissed the class.In the ancient palace, they saw the throne where emperors used to sit.Born and brought up in the South, she is not used to eating wheat.The audience, interested in the topic, asked the speaker many questions.2-b Omission: The comma is often omitted when an adverbial element follows the main clause.（状语从句中主句在前，从句在后时，中间的逗号总是去掉的）E.g. She decided to study English although she was interested in music. Although she was interested in music, she finally decided to study English.3. Commas are used to separate a series of words or phrases having the same function in the sentence.E.g.: The little girl likes to sing, to dance, and to act.She buys bread, butter, vegetables, and many other things from this supermarket.（注意：英语中没有顿号。）4. Nonrestrictive clauses （非限制性定语从句）and phrases （非限制性作定语的词组）are set off by commas:Wang Ling, who is the best singer of the class, will teach us to sing the song.He had to leave his home town, where he had lived ever since he was born. 4-a Restrictive clauses and phrases are not set off by commas.The young man who is talking with the foreign reporters is the inventor of the machine.This is the house where the famous poet was born.Restrictive v.s. Nonrestrictive（区分限制性定语从句和非限制性定语从句）限定性定语从句与主句的关系很紧奏，对其先行词起限定、修饰的作用。如果将其去掉，会影响句子意思的完整性；有时甚至于引起费解、误解。 非限定性定语从句在形式上就与主句很松散，它与主句之间有一个逗点，隔开；它对其先行词没有限定、修饰的作用，只起补充、说明的作用。有时也用它来对全句进行补充、说明。即使将其去掉，也不会影响句子意思。 5. Commas set off parenthetical elements（插入成分/插入语）.Ex: Your work, Im sorry to say, is not satisfactory. The doctor, in fact, has done very little work.6. In dates, a comma is used to separate the day from the year if the order is month-day-year. No comma is used if the order is day-month-year:E.g. she was born on 24 May 1979/ May 24, 1979.（这里日和年都是数字形式，并且挨得很近，自然需要逗号隔开才容易区分）6-a When you use just the month and the year, no comma is necessary after the year: The average temperatures for July 1998 are the highest on record for that month.7. With numbers over 1.000, commas are often used to separate digits by thousands. 319,087 23,654,0858. Use commas to set off all geographical names（地点名称）, addresses (except the street number门牌号 and name).（在写地址时各个地点名称之间用逗号隔开会使人看得更清楚，而门牌号是数字形式，因此没必要用逗号区分。） e.g. 1. Birmingham, Alabama, gets its name from Birmingham, England. 2. Who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC?Attention: do not join two sentences with a comma only; such an error is called run-on sentences or a comma fault.( see examples on page 126)Exercise: correct the mistakes in the use of punctuation.1.WearestudyingandlivingatthefamousuniversityBeijing University. Correct: Wearestudyingandlivingatthefamousuniversity,Beijing University. 汉语中的破折号标明行文中解释说明的部分,而英文同位语也具有同等说明的功能,对于同位语,英语一般使用逗点而不用破折号。 2.Wewereledintoanearestfabricshopthatwasdividedintotwo parts. Correct : Wewereledintoanearestfabricshop,whichwasdividedinto twoparts. 从句意来看,上句是一个非限制性定语从句,故应在shop后加逗点,把that相应改成which 3.Wewillgothere,ifitisfinetomorrow. Correct: Ifitisfinetomorrow,wewillgothere.或Wewillgothereif itisfinetomorrow. 4.Shethoughtwhattheteacherpointedoutwasright,however,shedidntcareforthat. Correct: Shethoughtwhattheteacherpointedoutwasright;however,shedidnt careforthat. 或Shethoughtwhattheteacherpointedoutwasright.however,shedidnt careforthat. 或Shethoughtwhattheteacherpointedoutwasright,butshedidntcare forthat. 有些起连系作用的副词，如 however, therefore, hence, nevertheless, moreover, thus, otherwise, besides等等，通常与分号连用表示前后两个分句有密切的联系。5.There are many great heroes in Chinese history，for example, Yue Fei, ect.Correct: There are many great heroes in Chinese history; for example, Yue Fei, ect.由for example, for instance, namely, that is(to say), in fact, i.e., e.g. 等词语引出的分句之前一般用分号，而不用逗号。II. Tips for using periods1.The period is used at the end of aDeclarative sentences(陈述句)Mildly imperative sentences（语气缓和的祈使句）Indirect questions（间接问句）(See examples on the textbook.)2.the period is used with most abbreviations（缩略形式）, but in current usage the period is often dropped from abbreviations especially for names of an organization, a news agency and a broadcasting corporation.UN UNESCO NATO BBC YMCACONSULT DICTIONARY！（如果不确定某些词的缩略形式是否有句点，可网络搜索或查字典）3.Three periods together is called the ellipsis mark（省略号）, 1) indicating the omission of one or more words within a quoted passage; 2) showing a pause in conversation or faltering speech（hesitation, pause）. E.g. “What do you mean?” “I mean well, I mean you neednt be involved in it.”Maxwrote,“.inoneword,mansconsciousness,changeswitheverychange intheconditionsofhismaterialexistence.” （句末四个点怎么回事？）III. Tips for using semicolonThe semicolon is used to mark the connection of closely related sentences.（看到分号即可知分号前后两个分句是关系密切的，如果用句点则表示没有密切关系，句点表明the end of the meaning） (1) No one is born with knowledge; knowledge must be taught and learned. (2) No one is born with knowledge. Knowledge must be taught and learned.1.The semicolon is used between two coordinate clauses not linked by a conjunction( and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) No one is born with knowledge, so knowledge must be taught and learned.No one is born with knowledge; knowledge must be taught and learned.2. Conjunctive adverbs(联系副词：词性属副词而非连词，但是表达某种关系) like however, therefore, hence, nevertheless, moreover, thus, otherwise, besides, etc., should be preceded by a semicolon, not a comma.（关系副词和分号是最佳搭档，分号表明前后有密切关系，而紧跟其后的关系副词表明确切的关系。）用于由某些起连接功能的表达连接的独立分句之间，这些起连接功能的表达还包括：accordingly，finally，likewise，similarly，instead，after all，even so，in fact，in addition，at the same time等等；3. The semicolon is used with conjunctions when the clauses have internal punctuation： 1）Unfortunately, Wang couldnt come; and his absence made things difficult for us. 2）Before he came, we had expected him to help us; but when he was with us, he didnt do much.4. The semicolon is used to separate a series of items which contain internal commas(在句子中如果已经使用过逗点，为了避免歧义的产生，就用分号来分隔相似的内容。) TheemployeeswereTomHanks,themanager;JimWhite,theengineer;andDr. JackLee. 5. A semicolon may join a clause with a word or words omitted; (1) Five students from Class won prizes in the competition; two from Class ; none from Class . (2) There are four Nobel Prize winners in their university; none in our university. The omission is sometimes indicated by a comma: (1 ) Five students from Class won prizes in the competition; two, from Class ; none, from Class . (2) There are four Nobel Prize winners in their university; in our university, none.IV The Colon(:)1. The colon is used to introduce: 1) an explanation 2) a summary 2. introduce a quotation or a statement冒号用于一个正式的引用之前。如果是引用比较正式的发言讲话就要用冒号，一般情况下就用逗点。 e.g. My grandpa often mentions one saying by Confucius: “To say you know when you know, and to say you do not when you do not, that is knowledge. 3. The colon is used to 1) separate the hour from the minute 10:45 2) mark the scores of games 3:2 3) end the salutation of a letter Dear Mr. Brown: (美国英语中，信件或演说词的称呼语之后用冒号，而在英国英语中多用逗号。 ) 4) end the introductory remark in a speech Ladies and gentlemen:V. The Question Mark (?)1. The question mark is used after a direct question (even in quotation marks) : He asked, “Did you hand in your paper?” 2. The question mark is used when a declarative or an imperative sentence is converted into a question: You cleaned the room this morning? Five yuan is enough? Pay ten yuan? 3. A question mark within parentheses indicates the writers uncertainty about the correctness of the preceding word, figure, or date: The author of this strange book was born in 1078 (?) and died in 1135. . The Exclamation Mark(!)The exclamation mark is used after an exclamatory sentence(感叹句),An emphatic interjection(感叹词）A phrase that expresses strong emotion:A slogan that express a wishAttention: dont overuse exclamation mark. Quotation Marks(“”)1.double quotation marks are used to enclose direct quotations either in dialogue or from a book; single quotation marks are used to enclose a quotation within a quotation:“Shall I turn off the radio?” he asked his mother.“What do you mean by evolutionary mechanism?” one of the students asked .3. Quotation marks are used for titles of articles, essays, short stories, short poems, songs, etc., and for chapters or subdivisions of books.(注意这里需与书名、报刊名和期刊杂志名区分开来，书名和报刊名和期刊杂志名用斜体或下划线) the Peoples Daily carries an important article today: “The Present Situation in the Balkans.”4. Words with a special meaning are sometimes put between quotation marksShe looks like a “pink baby”.（这里的pink baby是讽刺她的衣服颜色很傻）5. when other marks of punctuation are used with quoted words, phrases, or sentences, what is the spatial relationship between those marks and quotation marks?（当引号中包含其他标点符号，它们的位置关系是怎样的？ 是置于引号里面还是外面？） 1)The period and the comma are placed within the quotation marks. 2) The colon and the semicolon are placed outside the quotation marks.3）The dash, the question mark, and the exclamation mark are placed within the quotation marks when they are connected only with the quoted words; They are placed outside when they are connected with the whole sentence:She asked, “What does modernism mean?”What is the meaning of “New Criticism”?“Help! Help!” she cried.Stop crying “I want it”!Attention: how to quote dialogues?(details see page 131-132)VIII. Parentheses （）圆括号Parentheses are used to set off parenthetical, supplementary, or illustrative matter （隔离插入语、补充语和阐述性的内容）and Enclose figures or letters used for enumeration（用来计数）.Bai Juyi(772-846) was a great poet of the Tang dynasty.He is teaching two courses(Linguistics and Theoretical Grammar) this semester.The word revolution means (1) a great, sudden social and political change by force; and (2)circular movement round a fixed point.IX. The Dash()1.the dash marks a break in thought (思维的中断)or a sudden change in tone（注意中文的破折号似乎没有这个功能）:I went through a lot of terrible ordeals in those chaotic years but who didnt?“And may I ask”said Xiao Wu，“but I guess its better for you to ask him about it”2. The dash indicates an unfinished or interrupted statement:“My idea is” “You want to quit, dont you?”“This is really really disappointing,”III rather thinkmaybeAmy has taken it. (hesitation)3. The dash sets off a parenthetical element:Three countries Spain, Italy and Hungary abstained.His old problemsasthma and high blood pressure are still worrying him.4. The dash is sometimes used to introduce a final summarizing clause after a series of nouns that refer to the subject of the clause:Poor management, insufficient supply of raw material, and shortage of skilled workers these were the main causes of the failure of the factory. Father, Mother, John and Susan all were surprised by my announcement.Three types of dashes: the hyphen, en dash, the em dash(details see page 129)Attention: the differences among parentheses, colon and dashParentheses are used for something you want to tell the reader, but it isnt a necessary part of the sentence. If you leave it out, the reader still gets the whole point.It is for her that I have killed the caterpillars(except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies).If you want to spotlight some part of your words, you can us dashes instead of parentheses, to enclose fragments or whole sentences, but you need to be sure your words are worthy of dashes.His thoughts about women-if he had any thoughts at all- were not the kind expressed in polite company.Use a colon to introduce a list or to provide an example that is closely related to the clause before it.There are three things a painter requires: canvass, paint, and silence.XItalics and UnderliningIn handwritten and typewritten papers underlining has the same function as italics in printed matter.1. Titles of books, periodicals, newspapers, plays, long poems, movies and operas are underlined or italicized.（这里需和文章名、歌名、短诗、短故事、书的章节名区分开来）2. foreign words are usually underlined or italicized.There was a big kang in the room.3. Names of ships and aircraft and titles of works or arts are underlined or italicized.I sailed on the Changjiang River on board the Dongfanghong.Did you see Rodins Thinker at the exhibition?4. words or letters referred to as such are underlined or italicized:In the phrase “ look forward to” to is a preposition and should be followed by a noun or a gerund.5. sometimes underlining or italics indicate emphasis:What a man does is more important than what he says.Comparison :Can you list some differences between English punctuation marks and Chinese punctuation marks?汉语中的某些标点符号为英语所没有。 顿号（、）：顿号在汉语中起分割句子中的并列成分的作用；英语中没有顿号，分割句中的并列成分多用逗号。如： Sheslowly,carefully,deliberatelymovedthebox. 书名号（）：英文没有书名号，书名、报刊名用斜体或者下划线表示。如： Hamlet/Hamlet哈姆雷特 WintersTale/WintersTale冬天的童话 TheNewYorkTimes/TheNewYorkTimes纽约时报 （3）着重号：有时汉语用在文字下点实心圆点表示需要强调的词语，这些实心点就是着重号。而英语中没有这一符号，需强调某些成分时可借助文字斜体、某些强调性词汇、特殊句型、标点停顿等多种方法。 英语中的某些标点符号为汉语所没有。 撇号-Apostrophe（ ）The teachersbooks Athreeweeks pay Dontusesomanyandsinthesentence. Ivegotit.“Yes,maam,”thewaitersaid. 连字号-Hyphen（-） 斜线号VirguleorSlash（/）：该符号主要起分割作用，也常用于标音，如bed/bed/。 某些符号在汉英两种语言中的形式不同。 中文的句号是空心圈（。） 英文的句号是实心点（.）。 英文的省略号是三个点（.），位置在行底； 中文的为六个点（），居于行中。 英文的破折号是（-） 中文的是（-） Exercise 1 : correct the mistakes in the use of punctuation marks in the following sentences.1.People use words like Coke, Nike and Benz to refer to product types, these terms, however, are actually trademarks.2.Tom is well-liked, in fact, he is the most popular person in the class. 3.Inthepast,boybabieswereoftendressedinblue. Gi