英文論文寫(xiě)作中標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號(hào)應(yīng)注意的事項(xiàng)

英文論文寫(xiě)作中標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號(hào)應(yīng)注意的事項(xiàng)Badpunctuationcanoftenmakeeventhebestwritingunintelligible.Ontheotherhand,goodpunctuationcanmakeyourmeaningclearandyourlanguageeffective.EnglishpunctuationgenerallydiffersfromthatofotherEuropeanlanguages;eventhoughthereisoftenconsiderableroomforpersonalpreferences,amasteryofthebasicrulesisindispensable.

Thereisoneoverridingprinciple:tousethebareminimumofpunctuationnecessarytokeepthewritingintelligible.Thefollowinglistofrulesmakesnoclaimtoexhaustiveness.

I.TheApostrophe()

1.mens,womens,childrens,peoples

Itiscorrecttowritethisareasproblems,meaningtheproblemsofthisarea,andtheseareasproblems,meaningtheproblemsoftheseareas:infact,puttingapostrophesanywhereelsewouldbewrong.Butthepluralsofman,woman,andchildareexceptionstothisgeneralrule:thuswewritethemenswives,thewomenshusbands,thechildrensmothers,andnothingelse.

Anotherimportantexceptionisthewordpeoplewhenitdenotesthepluralofperson:thuswewouldwritethesepeoplesbehavior,meaningthebehaviorofthesepersons,butthesepeoplesbehavior,meaningthebehaviorofthesepeoples(i.e.ethnicgroups).

Otherirregularpluralsaretreatedinthesamewayasmen,women,children,andpeople:aboveallthepluralsofox,sheep,gooseandmice(e.g.theoxenspasture,thesheepswool,thegeesesflight,themicestails).

2.AmistakethatisfrequentamongforeignlearnersofEnglishistowriteaphrasesuchastheseareasproblems,whenwhatthepersonactuallymeansistheseproblemsofthearea.3.Itisbesttousetheapostrophewhenyouwanttoshowthepluralofsomethingwhichcannotnormallybeplural:

Thepasttenseofoccurisspeltwithtwors.

Iaccepttheideainprinciple,buttherearealotofifs.

4.Stringsofapostrophesaretobeavoided.Thusoneshouldwritethefriendsofthatmansson,insteadofthatmanssonsfriends.

5.Wesayintendaystime,intwentyyearstime(i.e.weusetheapostrophe).6.Wesayeachothers,noteachothers(e.g.togetoneachothersnerves).

II.TheColon(:)1.Quotations

Thecolonisoftenusedtointroducequotations:

ToquoteNietzsche:Godisdead!

Asthebard(OneofanancientCelticorderofminstrelpoetswhocomposedandrecitedversescelebratingthelegendaryexploitsofchieftainsandheroes.吟游詩(shī)人古代凱爾特族的吟游詩(shī)人，自編自唱，吟唱酋長(zhǎng)和英雄的.傳奇業(yè)績(jī))soabruptlyputsit:"Alltheworldsastage'

Thecoloncanalsobeusedtointroducedirectspeech,especiallyinratherformalorseriouscontexts:

FinallyMarkAntonybeganhisaddress:Friends,Romans,countrymen(compatriots),lendmeyourears....

N.B.(N.B.=[拉]notabene(=notewell)留意,留心)

i.Thecolonisnotusedtointroduceconversation.

ii.Directformalquotationsbeginwithacapitalletter.

iii.Thecolonisnotusedtointroducequotesconsistingofverybriefphrases:

DoyouknowthatMrsThatcheractuallysaidshutuptoLordCarrington?

2.Explanations

Thecolonisoftenusedafteramainclausewherethefollowingstatementexplains,elaborates,orillustratesthatclause,especiallyinformalcontexts.Itmaysometimesbereplacedbyafullstoporasemicolon.

Thereisnopointinworrying:disastersaresuretohappenanyway.(Fullstopandsemicolonalsopossible.)

TheChurchistotallyopposedtotwoaspectsofthepermissivesociety:thatis,abortionondemandandartificialmethodsofbirthcontrol.

Apartheid(種族隔離)wasnotoverthrown:rather,itdiedanaturaldeath.(Fullstopandsemicolonalsopossible.)

Thequestionisthis:Iskillingeverjustified?

Hecertainlyhasadrinking-problem:Ioncesawhimdrinkawholebottleofwhisky.(Fullstopandsemicolonalsopossible.)

Thereisonegoodthingaboutskinheads(剃光頭的人)andpunks:theyabsolutelyhateeachother.

3.Lists

Colonscanalsobeusedtointroducelistsorenumerations,oftenusingthefollowingphrases:asfollows,forexample,forinstance,suchas,andthefollowing.

IntheworlddescribedinOrwellsAnimalFarmtwobasicprinciplesbecomeall-important:(i)allanimalsareequal;(ii)someanimalsaremoreequalthanothers.

Oursolarsystemconsistsofthefollowingplanets(行星):Mercury(水星),Venus(金星),Earth,Mars(火星),Jupiter(木星),Saturn(土星),Uranus(天王星),Neptune(海王星),andPluto(冥王星).

N.B.Trytoavoidsentenceslikethefollowing,wherethesubjectandtheverbareseparatedfromthecomplement:

Theingredientsofgunpowderare:saltpeter(硝石),sulphur(硫磺),andcharcoal.

Betterwouldbetoremovethecolon,orelsetorephrasethesentence:

Theingredientsofgunpowderareasfollows:saltpetre,sulphur,andcharcoal.

or:

Gunpowderhasthreeingredients:saltpeter,sulphur,andcharcoal.

III.TheComma(,)

1.DefiningandNon-defining

Comparethetwofollowingsentences(aandb):

a.Pop-starswhoearnfortunesshouldpayhighertaxes.

(Definingrelativeclause---i.e.onlythosepop-starswhoearnfortunesshouldpayhighertaxes.)

b.Pop-stars,whoearnfortunes,shouldpayhighertaxes.

(Non-definingrelativeclause--i.e.allpop-starsearnfortunesandthereforeshouldpayhighertaxes.)

Thefirstsentencerefersonlytosomepop-stars,whilethesecondsentencereferstoallpop-stars.Notethatinthesecondsentencetherearetwocommas(notone),tomarkthebeginningandtheendoftheclause.

Thesameprincipleoperateswiththewordswhenandwhere.

Comparethefollowing:

a.ThedaywhenJFKwasassassinatedIwascrossingtheAtlantic.

b.OnNovember22,whenJFKwasassassinated,IwascrossingtheAtlantic.

c.ThetownwhereIwasstationedwasprettyarid.

d.Quetta,whereIwasstationed,wasaprettyaridplace.

Notethatacommaispossibleina(afterassassinated),butnotinc.

Thesameprinciplealsoextendstoappositionalphrases.

Comparethefollowing:

a.NietzschesworkTheGaySciencewaswrittenin1888.

b.Nietzscheslastwork,TheGayScience(艷體詩(shī)),waswrittenin1888.

c.ThefamousthinkerMichelFoucaulthasjustdied.

d.Afamousthinker,MichelFoucault,hasjustdied.

e.ThePrimeMinister,