英语的标点到底怎么用？

若愚英塾
英语翻译，老师！

英语的标点是英语当中很重要的一个部分，很多人在进行比较严肃的写作的时候才发觉自
己连标点都不会使用。我这里整理了在线牛津词典上的关于英语标点的相关用法，大略翻
译一下，希望对于工作中倚重于英文表达的朋友有所帮助。

Comma (,) 逗号

A comma marks a slight break between different parts of a sentence. Used properly, commas
make the meaning of sentences clear by grouping and separating words, phrases, and clauses.
Many people are uncertain about the use of commas, though, and often sprinkle them throughout
their writing without knowing the basic rules.

Here are the main cases when you need to use a comma:

逗号表示句子的不同部分之间轻微的停顿。 如果使用得当，逗号可以通过在词组、短语
和从句之间的停顿来明确句子的含义。 然而，许多人不确定逗号的使用方法，并且在不
知道基本规则的情况下滥用。

以下是需要使用逗号时的主要情况：

 in lists 在列举时

Saturday morning started with a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and French
toast.

The school has a vegetable garden in which the children grow cabbages, onions, potatoes, and
carrots.

 in direct speech 在直接引语中

Steve replied, ‘No problem.’

‘I don’t agree,’ I replied.

‘Here we are,' they said.

‘Stop him!’ she shouted.

‘Did you see that?’ he asked.

Yes,’ he said, ‘and I always keep my promises.’

‘Thinking back,’ she added, ‘I didn’t expect to win.’

 l to separate clauses 用于从句的停顿

Having had lunch,

we went back to work.

[subordinate clause]

[main clause]

I first saw her in Paris,

where I lived in the early nineties.

[main clause]

[subordinate clause]

Mary,

who has two young children,

has a part-time job in the library.

[relative clause]

 to mark off certain parts of a sentence 用来标记一个句子的特定部分

Gunpowder is not, of course, a chemical compound.

His latest film, Calypso Dreams, opens next month.

 with 'however' 和 however 联用

You should use a comma after 'however' when however means 'by contrast' or 'on the other
hand':

当 however 是“对比而言”或者“另一方面”，其实就是做“然而”的意思讲的时候通常会使
用逗号。
However, a good deal of discretion is left in the hands of area managers.

Don't use a comma after however when it means 'in whatever way':

当 however 表示“无论如何”的意思的时候就不要使用逗号了。

However you look at it, existing investors are likely to lose out.

Apostrophe (’) 撇号

Are you uncertain about when to use an apostrophe? Many people have difficulty with this
punctuation mark. The best way to get apostrophes right is to understand when and why they are
used. There are two main cases – click on the links below to find straightforwardguidance:

你不确定何时使用撇号？ 许多人对这个标点符号有困难。 获得正确撇号的最佳方法是了

解何时以及为何使用它们。 主要有两种情况：

 Using apostrophes to show possession

使用撇号表示所有格

 Using apostrophes to show omission

使用撇号表示省略形式。

Bullet points

项目符号

Bullet points are used to draw attention to important information within a document so that a
reader can identify the key issues and facts quickly. There are no fixed rules about how to use
them, but here are some guidelines:

项目符号用于引起对文档中重要信息的注意，以便读者可以快速识别关键问题和事实。
关于如何使用它们没有固定的规则，但这里有一些指导原则：

1.The text introducing the list of bullet points should end with a colon.

2. If the text that follows the bullet point is not a proper sentence, it doesn’t need to begin with a
capital letter, nor end with a period. For example:

1.引入项目符号列表的文本应以冒号结尾。

2.如果项目符号后面的文本不是完整的句子，则后面句子不需要以大写字母开头，也不需
要以句号结尾。 例如：
Tonight's agenda includes:

l annual review of capital gains issues

l outstanding inheritance tax issues

3. If the text following the bullet point is a complete sentence, it should begin with a capital
letter, while a period at the end is technically required but is not absolutely essential:

如果项目符号后面的文字是完整的句子，则应以大写字母开头，按道理应该在条款的最后
加上句号，但不是绝对必要的：

The agenda for tonight is as follows:

l We will conduct an annual review of capital gains issues.

l Attorney Sanso will talk about outstanding inheritance tax issues.

4. Lists of bullet points will have more impact if each one begins with the same word class (part
of speech) and if they are all of a similar length. Action verbs are a good choice for the first
word—i.e., verbs that describe the performing of an action. If you do use verbs, make sure that
each one is in the same tense. Here’s an example of the effective use of action verbs in a person’s
résumé:

如果每个项目符号都以相同的词类（词性）开头并且它们都具有相似的长度，则行文更有
力度。 每个项目条款的首单词最好选择行为动词—— 即描述动作执行的动词。 如果您确
实使用动词，请确保每个动词都处于同一时态。 以下是在一个人的简历中有效使用动作
动词的一个例子：

Duties and responsibilities included:

l teaching homework and study skills to disabled students

l reaching attainment targets and improving learning performance

l developing an after-school sports program

5. Bullet points tend to have more impact if their text is relatively short. Make sure you use the
same typeface and margin width within each section.

Bullet points are visually attractive and make it easy for a reader to locate important information.
Nevertheless, you should try to use them sparingly: too many bullet-pointed sections in the same
document will mean that their impact is lost.
如果项目条款文本相对较短，项目符号往往会产生更大的作用。确保在每个章节中使用相
同的字体和边距宽度。

项目符号具有视觉吸引力，使读者可以轻松找到重要信息。尽管如此，你仍然应该谨慎使
用：同一文件中太多的项目符号会让使它们的作用打折扣，太多重点反而就没重点了。

Colon (:) 冒号

There are three main uses of the colon:

冒号要三种主要用法：

 between two main clauses in cases where the second clause explains or follows from the
first:
 放在两个子句之间，后一个是前一个解释或者由前一个延伸出来的。

That is the secret of my extraordinary life: always do the unexpected.

It wasn’t easy: to begin with, I had to find the right house.

 to introduce a list:
 引出一系列的列举：

The price includes the following: travel to London, flight to Venice, hotel accommodation, and
excursions.

The job calls for skills in the following areas: proofing, editing, and databaseadministration.

 before a quotation, and sometimes before direct speech:

 在引用的内容的前面，有时在直接引语前面。

The headline read: ‘Taxi Driver Battles Gangsters’.

They shouted: ‘Our families are starving! We need land!’

Em dash (–)

An em dash, or long dash, is used:

长破折号一般用于：

 in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an understanding of the
rest of the sentence:
 成对使用，用来插入某些成分，这些成分对于句子其余部分而言并不重要：
Thousands of children—like the girl in this photograph—have been left homeless.

My son—where has he gone?—would like to meet you.

 to show other kinds of break in a sentence where a comma, semicolon, or colonwould be

traditionally used:
 用在传统上使用逗号、分号或冒号表示停顿的地方：

One thing’s for sure—he doesn’t want to face the truth.

Things have changed a lot in the last year—mainly for the better.

Note that there is no space added on either side of an em dash.

Em dashes are especially common in informal writing, such as personal emails or blogs, but it’s
best to use them sparingly when you are writing formally.

请注意，长破折号两侧一般不会添加空格， 它在非正式写作中尤为常见，例如个人电子
邮件或博客，但在正式撰写时最好谨慎使用。

Exclamation mark/Exclamation point (!)

感叹号

The main use of the exclamation mark is to end sentences that express:

 an exclamation:
 表示感叹：

Ow! That hurt!

Hello! How are you?

 direct speech that represents something shouted or spoken very loudly:

 用于喊出来或者大声说出来的话后面：

‘Look up there!’ she yelled.

 something that amuses the writer:

 用于某些使作者感到有趣的事情：

Included on the list of banned items was 'crochet hooks'!

  An exclamation mark can also be used in brackets after a statement to show that the
writer finds it funny or ironic:
 感叹号也可以用在某些陈述之后的括弧里，以表明作者觉得它有趣或具有讽刺意
味：

She says she’s stopped feeling insecure (!) since she met him.

People tend to use a lot of exclamation marks in informal writing such as emails or text
messages, but you should avoid using them in formal writing.

人们倾向于在非正式写作中使用很多感叹号，例如电子邮件或短信，但你应该避免在正式
写作中使用它们。

 Full Stop/Period (.)句号

Full stop is the British English term for this punctuation mark; it is known as a period in
American English.

Full stop 是英国英语里 对于句号的叫法，而美国英语里把它叫做 period。

Full stops are used:

句号一般用在下面的地方：

l to mark the end of a sentence that is a complete statement:

 用在表达一个完整的陈述的句子之后。

My name’s Beth and I was 18 in July.

After leaving school, she went to work in an insurance company.

 to mark the end of a group of words that don’t form a conventional sentence, so as to
emphasize a statement:
 用在一组词后面，这些词组并非传统意义的句子，句号在这里只是表示一种强调。

I keep reliving that moment. Over and over again.

 in some abbreviations, for example etc., Dec., or p.m.:

 用在一些缩写形式当中，比如 etc., Dec., or p.m.

There’s a wide range of sandwiches, pies, cakes, etc. at very reasonable prices.

 in website and email addresses:

 用语网址和邮件地址之中：
www.oup.com

If an abbreviation with a full stop comes at the end of a sentence you don’t need to add another
full stop:

如果一个带有句号的缩写形式恰好就在句末，那么就不需要另外再用一个句号了。

Bring your own pens, pencils, rulers, etc.

Hyphen (-)

连字符

Hyphens are used to link words and parts of words. They are not as common today as they used
to be, but there are three main cases where you should use them:

连字符用于链接几个单词和一个单词的各部分，它们今天不像以前那么常见，但有三种主
要情况应该使用它们：

 in compound words
 复合词
 to join prefixes to other words
 将前缀加入其他单词

Use a hyphen to separate a prefix from a name or date, e.g. post-Aristotelian or pre-1900.

Use a hyphen to avoid confusion with another word: for example, to distinguish re-cover (=
provide something with a new cover) from recover (= get well again).

 to show word breaks

 显示单词之中停顿

You may see a yield that is two-, three-, or fourfold.

Inverted commas/Quotation marks

引号

Inverted commas can be single - ‘x’ - or double - "x". They are also known as quotation marks,
speech marks, or quotes.

引号分为单引号‘x’ 或” x”。

Main uses
Inverted commas are mainly used in the following cases:

 to mark the beginning and end of direct speech (i.e., a speaker’s words written down
exactly as they were spoken).
 用来表示直接引语的起止。

'That,' he said, 'is nonsense.'

In American English, the rule is to use double quotation marks:

在美国英语里，规则是使用双引号：

"What time will he arrive?" she asked.

In British English, quotation marks are called inverted commas, and the single ones are used
more frequently than the double for direct speech.

在英国英语里，引号被叫做 inverted commas， 单引号在直接引语中用得比双引号更频

繁。

 to mark off a word or phrase that’s being discussed, or that’s being directly quoted from
somewhere else.
 表示正在讨论的单词或短语，或者用来表示直接从其他地方引用的单词或短语。

In this case, in American English, single or double quotation marks are acceptable but it's
important to stick to one way or the other throughout a piece of writing. Any punctuation
associated with the word or phrase in question should come before the closing quotation mark or
marks:

在这种情况下，在美式英语中，单引号或双引号是可以接受的，但在整篇文章中要采用同
一种方式，这一点很重要，不能夹杂使用。与所引用单词或短语相关的任何标点符号应放
在引号内部：

He called this phenomenon "the memory of water."

Next, a hollow spout, known as a "feeder tube," is placed in the hole.

In British English, the usual style is to use single quotation marks, while any associated
punctuation is placed outside the closing quotation mark:

而在英式英语中，通常的方式是使用单引号，而相关的标点符号是置于引号之外：

Their new single is called 'Curtain Falls'.

What does 'integrated circuit' mean?

  Direct speech within direct speech
 用来表示直接引语中包含的直接引语

As we saw above, the rule in American English is to use double quotation marks for direct
speech. The exception is when a piece of direct speech is quoted within another piece of direct
speech, in which case the internal quote should use single quotation marks. For example:

如上所述，美式英语中的规则是使用双引号来引用直接引语。例外情况是在一段直接引语
中引用另一段直接引语。在这种情况下，直接引语中所包含的另一个直接引语则需要使用
单引号。 例如：

Professor Flynn began with, "Even if you've never read a word of Shakespeare, I'm sure you've
heard 'To be or not to be' a thousand times."

As odd as it may look to American readers, it is perfectly correct in British writing to use single
quotation marks for direct speech and double quotation marks to enclose quoted material within.
For example:

可能对于美国读者而言比较奇怪，在英式英语中，直接引语内部包含另一个直接引语使用
单引号包含双引号的方式却是完全正确的。比如：

She still sounds amazed when she says: ‘We were turned down because “we represented too
small a minority of the population”. They could still get away with saying things like that then.’

Parentheses and brackets ( ) [ ]

括号

 Round Brackets

Round brackets (also called parentheses, especially in American English) are mainly used to
separate off information that isn’t essential to the meaning of the rest of the sentence. If you
removed the bracketed material the sentence would still make perfectly good sense.

圆括弧

圆括弧（也称为 parentheses，尤其是在美式英语中）主要用于分隔对句子其余部分含义影
响不大的信息。如果你删除了括号内的内容，这句话仍然通顺。

For example:

Mount Everest (in the Himalayas) is the highest mountain in the world.

There are several books on the subject (see page 120).

He coined the term "hypnotism" (from the Greek word hypnos meaning "sleep") and practiced it
frequently.

They can also be used to enclose a comment by the person writing:

He’d clearly had too much to drink (not that I blamed him).

 Square Brackets

Square brackets (also called brackets, especially in American English) are mainly used to enclose
words added by someone other than the original writer or speaker, typically in order to clarify
the situation:

方形括弧

方括弧（也称为 brackets，尤其是美式英语中）主要用于表示原作者或说话人以外的人添
加的信息，通常是为了说明当时的情况：

He [the police officer] can’t prove they did it.

If parentheses or brackets are used at the end of a sentence, the period should be placed outside,
as the final punctuation:

They eventually decided to settle in the United States (Debbie's home).

Dante testified that it was the last time he saw them [the missing coins].

Punctuation in abbreviations

People are often uncertain about whether or not to use full stops/periods in abbreviations. Here
are some guidelines:

 In both American and British English, if you are using initial letters to represent words,
you don’t normally need to put a full stop/period after:

NBC

 In American English, however, it is common to use a full stop/period as an alternative

style for certain abbreviations, in particular:

USA or U.S.A.

US or U.S.
  If an abbreviation consists of the first and last letters of a word, the American rule is to
include a full/stop period at the end:

Mr. Dr. St.

 The British norm, however, is not to use a period at the end:

Mr Dr St

 If the abbreviation consists only of the first part of a word, then you should put a period
at the end:

Wed. (= Wednesday)

Dec. (= December)

Punctuation in direct speech

In reports and stories, a writer often wants to tell the reader what someone has said. There are
two ways of doing this. The speaker’s words can either be reported (in a style known as reported
speech), or they can be quoted directly in what’s called direct speech.

Reported speech
In reported speech, the actual words are not usually quoted directly. Usually, they are
summarized or paraphrased and there are no special punctuation issues to take into account:

The 180 respondents said that the main reason for setting up in business was to be their own
boss.

Trade union representatives expressed their satisfaction at the news that there would be no job
losses.

Direct speech
In direct speech, various punctuation conventions are used to separate the quoted words from the
rest of the text: this allows a reader to follow what’s going on. Here are the basic rules:

The words that are actually spoken should be enclosed in inverted commas:

‘He’s very clever, you know.’

In British English, the usual style is to use single inverted commas but it is not wrong to use
double ones:
“He’s very clever, you know.”

Every time a new speaker says something, you should start a new paragraph:

‘They think it’s a more respectable job,’ said Jo.

‘I don’t agree,’ I replied.

There should be a comma, full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end of a piece of
speech. This is placed inside the closing inverted comma or commas.

‘Can I come in?’ he asked.

‘Just a moment!’ she shouted.

‘You’re right,’ he said.

'I didn't expect to win.'

If direct speech comes after the information about who is speaking, you should use a comma to
introduce the piece of speech, placed before the first inverted comma:

Steve replied, ‘No problem.’

If the direct speech is broken up by information about who is speaking, you need a comma (or a
question mark or exclamation mark) to end the first piece of speech and a full stop or another
comma before the second piece (before the inverted comma or commas):

‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘It feels strange.’

‘Thinking back,’ she said, ‘he didn’t expect to win.’

‘No!’ he cried. ‘You can’t leave now!’

Punctuation in lists

Punctuation has two main roles to play in the presentation of lists of items.

l To separate the items in a list

Punctuation is used to separate the items in the list. The usual way of doing this is to place a
comma after each item in the list:

The school has a vegetable garden in which the children grow cabbages, onions, potatoes, and
carrots.
The last item in a list is often preceded by the words and or or. Some writers and publishers
always put a comma before the word and or or but it isn’t wrong to leave it out. The important
thing is to be consistent throughout any piece of writing.

If each item in the list is quite long, semicolons can be used instead of commas:

This criticism can be interpreted in various ways: as an attack on Shakespeare’s presumption in

challenging the university-educated dramatist; as an accusation of plagiarism; and as an attack on
Shakespeare’s plagiarism of Greene.

l To introduce a list of items

If the list of items is quite a long one, you also need to use punctuation to introduce it. You can
use a colon, as in the example above:

This criticism can be interpreted in various ways: as an attack on Shakespeare’s presumption

[etc.].

Alternatively, you could use an em dash:

For the more energetic, there are lots of summer outdoor activities—mountain biking, whale
watching, ocean kayaking, windsurfing, and golf.

Question mark (?)

A question mark is used to indicate the end of a question:

Have you seen the film yet?

Note that you don’t use a question mark at the end of a question in reported speech:

He asked if I had seen the film yet.

A question mark can also be used in brackets to show that the writer is unconvinced by a
statement:

I’m about to get started on the new project, which is apparently quite straightforward (?).

Semicolon (;)

The main task of the semicolon is to mark a break that is stronger than a comma but not as final
as a full stop. It’s used between two main clauses that balance each other and are too closely
linked to be made into separate sentences, as in these two examples:

The road runs through a beautiful wooded valley; the railway line follows it.
An art director searched North Africa; I went to the Canary Islands.

You can also use a semicolon as a stronger division in a sentence that already contains commas:

The study showed the following: 76% of surveyed firms monitor employee Web-surfing
activities, with 65% blocking access to unauthorized Internet locations; over one-third of the
firms monitor employee computer keystrokes; half reported storing and reviewing employee
emails; 57% monitor employee telephone behaviour, including the inappropriate use of
voicemail.

发布于 2019-03-11