英文写作中几种常用标点符号的使用

贺翠玉

（北京电子科技职业学院，北京100029）

引言

在绝大多数英语考试的笔试中都包括写作一项，而且所占的分值也很大。那么如何在有限的时间内写出思路清晰、条理清楚，并且准确生动的文章来呢？高水准的文章除了文字要准确、严谨以外，还有一个不容忽视却又常常没有引起足够重视的问题：标点符号的正确使用。我们目前所使用的各种教材中对写作文体都有简要介绍，但却很少提及到如何正确使用标点符号，使之发挥有时连文字都无法替代的作用。因此，希望通过以下的简要介绍，补上英文写作中的这一重要环节，仅供有关英语教师参考。

大多数人在写英语文章时都会使用也基本上只用逗号和句号，虽然这样不会犯什么大的错误，但是整个文章看起来却未免有些单调和缺少变化。况且逗号和句号也无法完全涵盖其他标点符号的某些独特功能。因此了解其他几种常用标点符号的用法并巧妙地运用于写作之中，一定会使文章显得更加准确和生动。下面简要介绍一下英语中常用的冒号、分号及破折号的主要用法：

冒号(colon)

冒号表示的停顿比逗号长，所表示的关系比分号密切。

1、冒号最主要的作用是引出和提起注意。例如：

He has only one thing on his mind:money.

He has only one thing on his mind:a lot of money.

He has only one thing on his mind:he wants to earn a lot of money.

He has three important things on his mind:a warm family,a lot of money and good health.

由此可以看出冒号不仅可以引出单个的词或词组，也可以引导出一个句子或一系列的事物。

My doctor gave me one good piece of advice:to eat less and do more exercise.

冒号可以提起人们的注意。当读到advice时一个冒号一下子使读者不由自主地停了下来，将注意力集中到后面的内容上，起到了强调的作用。

2、冒号的具体用法如下：

（1）用来引出解释性或概括性的词语或句子。例如：

The sentence is poorly structured:it lacks both unity and coherence.

I have some news for you:your sister has passed the entrance examination.

The upper floor contained the bedrooms:each one was beautifully furnished,with a hand-basin for washing,

and both hot and cold running water.

（2）引出同位语。例如：

He had only one pleasure in life:reading.

Only three countries were represented:England,France and Belgium.

The daily newspaper contains four sections:news,sports,entertainment,and classified ads.

（3）用在有引号或没有引号的直接引语前。例如：

Professor Smith said:we’ll have a picnic this Sunday.

Edgar Brown gave a young writer this advice: “Take your successes seriously,yourself not so seriously.”

（4）用于比分及时间的小时与分钟之间。例如：

The host team won 25:22.

The final score was 3:0.

The train arrives at 2:20 p.m.

（5）用于比较正式或商业信件中的称呼语后面。例如：

Dear Mr.and Mrs.Brown:

注：不用冒号的情况：一般不将冒号加于动词与它的宾语、动词与主语补足语以及介词与它的宾语之间。例如：

（误）His neighbour lent him:a stove,an ice maker and a wooden table.

（正）His neighbour lent him a stove,an ice maker and a wooden table.

（误）Her three goals are:to improve her public speaking skills,to increase her self-confidence and to sharpen her sales techniques.

（正）Her three goals are to improve her public speaking skills,to increase her self-confidence and to sharpen her sales techniques.

（误）We travelled to:London,Wales and Scotland.

（正）We travelled to London,Wales and Scotland.

分号（semicolon）

分号表示的停顿比逗号长，比冒号短。分号常用在两个关系较为密切的分句之间。例如：

I do not say these stories are untrue;I only say that I do not believe them.

The holidays are over;we must get down to our studies.

The festival is very popular;people from all over the world visit each year.

分号连接的是两个完整的句子。用分号代替句号说明这两个句子的关系非常密切。

1、分号的基本作用是连接两个关系非常密切的句子，可表示为：

即使句子中间含有连接副词（如however,otherwise,therefore和nevertheless等），前后两句依然需要用分号连接。例如：

Jim is a good typist;he makes few mistakes.

Ms.Sanchez is a successful real estate salesperson;however,she was unable to sell her own house.

You have to return all the books within two weeks;otherwise,you can’t borrow any more books.

2、分号还可以被当作一种“超级逗号”来使用，尤其是句子中已含有一个或多个逗号时。使用分号可使句子的逻辑关系更加明确。例如：

In recognition of his services to the people,he was given an extra bonus;awarded a medal,a certificate of honour;and promoted once more.

Present at the meeting were Mr.Joseph,Chairman of the Department;Mr.Brown,a visiting scholar from Australia;and all the professors and lecturers who had taught us.

Suncom Corporation has subsidiaries in three cities:New York,the biggest city in the U.S;Washington,the capital of the U.S;and San Francisco in California.

3、不用分号的情况：当两个句子由连词（如 but,and,or等）连接时一般用逗号而不用分号将两个句子分隔开。例如：

铅是一种有毒元素，土壤中过量的铅通过生物地球化学循环进入植物和人体后，可使生物体产生不同的慢性和急性中毒现象[19]。

The economy has been sluggish for two years now,but some signs of improvement are finally beginning to show.

In the homes of the wealthy southern planters elaborate parties were frequent,and dancing was the common entertainment.

破折号（dash）

用以表示思想上突然的中断或转折，有强调作用。有时与括号相似，但不像括号那样正式。

1、当破折号用于叙述性的文章时其主要功能是表示强调。试比较：

Linda Simpson,the president’s most trusted economic advisor,will resign her office during today’s press conference.

→Linda Simpson — the president’s most trusted economic advisor —will resign her office during today’s press conference.

2、表思想上的突然中断或语气的突然改变。例如：

I’m coming to the next point— but you are not listening at all.

He would tell the world what he had seen there—if he could survive.

3、对一系列事物进行总结。例如：

Mild,wet and cloudy—these are the characteristics of weather in Vancouver.

Chocolate,cream,honey and peanut butter—all go into this fabulously rich dessert.

4、作解释或补充性说明。例如：

I was neither happy nor unhappy—only amazed.

Most Canadians—but not all—voted in the last election.

5、其他用法：

“But— ”she stopped suddenly.(表示句子未完)

He said hesitatingly,“I— I— I— don’t— like it.” （表迟疑）

But how could I know— how could I know that he would go out alone on a rainy night.(表重复)

The Green Revolution in Asia

—A General Survey（引出副标题）

A foreign language is a weapon in the struggle of life.