The Penguin Guide to Punctuation

Here is what I got from the book The Penguin Guide to Punctuation:

1. Why we learn to punctuate

The significance of punctuation is that the wrong use of punctuation can give rise to a lot of problems and perplexities. And terrible punctuation does not require an enormous effort to put it right.

2. The full stop, the question mark and the exclamation

mark

① The full stop

The full stop also called the period presents few problems. It is chiefly used to mark the end of a sentence expressing a statement.

? Put a full stop at the end of a complete statement.

? Do not connect two statements with a comma.

②A question mark

A question mark (?) is placed at the end of a sentence which is a direct question.

Summary of question marks：

? Use a question mark at the end of a direct question.

? Do not use a question mark at the end of an indirect question. ? Use an internal question mark to show that something is

uncertain.

③ The Exclamation Mark

The exclamation mark (!), known informally as a bang or a shriek, is used at the end of a sentence or a short phrase which expresses very strong feeling.

? Don't use an exclamation mark unless it's absolutely

necessary.

? Use an exclamation mark after an exclamation, especially

after one beginning with what or how.

3. Fragments and comma

A fragment is a word or a phrase which stands by itself but which does not make up a complete sentence. It may be used very sparingly in formal writing; when used, they should be followed by a full stop, a question mark or an exclamation mark. There are many kinds of comma；

① The Listing Comma

The listing comma is used as a kind of substitute for the word and, or sometimes for or.

? Use a listing comma in a list wherever you could

conceivably use the word and (or) instead. Do not use a

listing comma anywhere else.

? Put a listing comma before and or only if this is

necessary to make your meaning clear ②The Gapping Comma

The gapping comma is use to show that one or more

words have been left out when the missing words would

simply repeat the words already used earlier in the same

sentence.

③Bracketing Commas

Bracketing commas (also called isolating commas) do a

very different job from the other three types. These are the

most frequently used type of comma, and they cause more

problems than the other types put together. The rule is this: a

pair of bracketing commas is used to mark offa weak

interruption of the sentence - that is, an interruption which

does not disturb the smooth flow of the sentence. Note that

word 'pair': bracketing commas, in principle at least, always

occur in pairs, though sometimes one of them is not written,

as explained below.

? Use a PAIR of bracketing commas to set off a weak

interruption which could be removed from the sentence without destroying it.

? If the interruption comes at the beginning or the end of the sentence, use only one bracketing comma.

? Make sure the words set off are really an interruption.

? Use a listing comma in a list where and ox or would be possible instead.

? Use a joining comma before and, or, but, yet or while followed by a complete sentence.

? Use a gapping comma to show that words have been omitted instead of repeated.

? Use a pair of bracketing commas to set off a weak interruption.

4.The Colon and the Semicolon

①. The Colon

The colon (:) is used to indicate that what follows it is an explanation or elaboration of what precedes it.

②The Semicolon

The semicolon (;) has only one major use. It is used to join two complete sentences into a single written sentence when all of the following conditions are met:

? Use a colon to separate a general statement from following specifics.

? Use a semicolon to connect two complete sentences not joined by and, or. but, yet or while.

5.The Apostrophe

①Contractions

The apostrophe is used in writing contractions - that is, shortened forms of words from which one or more letters have been omitted. In Standard English, this generally happens only with a small number of conventional items, mostly involving verbs.

②Unusual Plurals

When you have to pluralize an orthographically unusual form, use an apostrophe if it seems to be essential for clarity, but don't use one if the written form is perfectly clear without it. ③Possessives

An apostrophe is used in a possessive form, like Esther's family or Janet's cigarettes, and this is the use of the apostrophe which causes most of the trouble. The basic rule is simple enough: a possessive form is spelled with’s at the end.

6. The Hyphen and the Dash

①The Hyphen

The hyphen (-) is used to indicate that a long word has been broken off at the end of a line.

②The Dash

The dash (-) is the long horizontal bar, noticeably longer than a hyphen. The dash has only one major use: a pair of dashes separates a strong interruption from the rest of the sentence.

7. Capital Letters and Abbreviations

①Capital Letters

? the first word of a sentence or fragment

? the name of a day or a month

? the name of a historical period

? the name of a holiday

? a significant religious term

? the first word, and each significant word, of a title

? the first word of a direct quotation which is a sentence ? a brand name

? a roman numeral

? the pronoun

② Abbreviations

An abbreviation is a short way of writing a word or a phrase that could also be written out in full.

? Do not use an abbreviation that can easily be avoided.

? In an abbreviation, use full stops and capital letters in the conventional way.

? Do not forget to punctuate the rest of the sentence normally

8. Quotation Marks

The use of quotation marks, also called inverted commas, is very slightly complicated by the fact that there are two types: single quotes (") and double quotes ("").

? Put quotation marks (single or double) around the exact words of a direct quotation.

? Inside a quotation, use a suspension to mark omitted material and square brackets to mark inserted material.

? Use quotation marks to distance yourself from a word or phrase or to show that you are using it ironically.

? Place quotation marks around a word or phrase which you are talking about.

第二篇：10个标点符号与英文写作必备学习

美式论文、报告写作技巧

编者按：美式教育的特点即是课程内容强调学生参与及创新运用，因此，报告便成了常见的考核学生学习成果的方式，比如实验报告、学期报告、专题报告、研究报告及论文（含毕业论文）等。研究生presentation 及 seminar 的机会更是占很大的比重，有些甚至占学期成绩很大比例。如何完成报告、论文同时得到良好的成绩，是本文提供给有志留学的有心人参考的目的。

美国大学生由於自小已养成自动寻找答案习惯，在启发式的教育环境下，写报告、论文对他们来说比较不陌生，虽然专业知识上美国学生不见得比外籍学生强，但是表达能力由於自小培养，加上英语能力的优势，常比外籍学生在报告、论文方面有较隹的利基。反之中国学生比较缺乏报告写作的训练，因此如果在留学过程中无法适应美式教育会比较辛苦，其实论文、报告的写作要领其实不难，只要把握技巧就可水到渠成。

通常论文由篇首(Preliminaries)，本文(Texts)以及参考资料(References)三部分构成；而这三大部分各自内容如下：

(一) 篇首：

封面(Title)

序言(Preface)

谢词(Acknowledge)

提要(Summary)

目录(Tables and Appendixes)

(二) 本文：

引言(Introduction)

主体，含篇(Part)、章(Chapter)、节(Section) 、以及注释 (Footnotes)

(三)参考资料：

参考书目(References or Bibliography)

附录资料(Appendix)。

进行论文或报告写作之前，先要确定想要表达的主题，主题确定后，将其具体表达，即为题目。题目可以提供研究者：

一.研究的方向

二.研究的范围

三.资料搜集的范围

四.预期研究成果

通常在确定题目之後就开始找资料从事研究，建议在找资料之前最好去问教授有哪些参考资

料来源可供参考引用。构思为确定写作大纲或 Proposal 的先前步骤， 大纲是论文、报告的骨干， Proposal 是研究的架构、流程及范围的说明书。如何构思大纲或Proposal为论文、报告写作前的必要准备工作。好的论文或研究报告，要基于在完整、详实的资料上，而参考资料除了和教授商借之外，最主要的来源就是图书馆了，一般参考资料来源可分成教科书或手册、政府机构的报告、科技或商业方面的杂志，及会议性质的资料。此外现代的电脑资料库也可帮助收集资料，在国外可利用学校的电脑连线资料库寻找自己需要的资料。当一切准备就绪，即可开始着手写报告，一般报告还分大报告如期末、专题等报告，及小报告如 Seminar 式的报告。

就算是小报告，也至少应含

(一)TITLE PAGES ：包含主题名称、作者、日期

(二)Summary： 即主要的结论

(三)Introduction：包括理论背景及内容

(四)Technical Sections：是论文的主体，为最重要的部份应再细分为 几个片断。

(五)Conclusions：即扼要的结论

(六)Appendixes：复杂公式的导引及叁考资料和电脑程式的报表可附加在 此项

美式报告的撰写通常要打字，两行式，行间若有未拼完的字要以音节来连接。写报告通常需要用到电脑，如有计算数字统计图表的需求，也常会用到程式软体如PASCAL、LOTUS，统计分析软体如SAS，也是不可或缺的，电脑绘图在今日已成为工商界及学术界的重要工具，文书处理更是最基本的要求，因此Word for Window、Powerpoint、Excel便成了颇受欢迎的工具。此外在英文语法、文法上的润饰与修改，如能请老美帮忙会比较好。

论文、报告完成后有时会需要做解说(Presentation)，用英文来讲演对中国人来说算是一大挑战，通常课堂讲演时间为十五分钟到三十分钟，若是论文囗试则至少一小时。投影机及麦克风的使用对讲演的效果有很大帮助，正式讲演前多预习几次，时间宜控制适中，上台时忌讳低头拿着报告照念，需留意听众的反应，切中主题，避免太多数字的导引。

10个标点符号与英文写作 虽然有关标点符号的运用并没有什么硬性规定，但如果要写风格规范的文章，还是有一些规则可供遵循。下面就是十个我们使用最多的标点符号的应用规则：

10. 逗号

用于分隔一句中的独立分句。例：The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave. /Yesterday was her brother's birthday, so she took him out to dinner.

置于介绍性单词、短语或主句之前的子句之后。例：While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door. /If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor.

注意：上述规则不可反过来用。譬如，下面两句就是错误的：The cat scratched at the door, while I was eating. /You ought to see a doctor, if you are ill.

后面应当用逗号的导词有：yes, however,well。例：Yes, you can come to the party.

用两个逗号将插入语与句子主体分隔开来。例：John and Inga, the couple from next door, are coming for dinner tonight.

通过移除插入语，可以检验逗号有没有用对。如果移除之后句子仍然是对的，这两个逗号可能就用对了。以上面句子为例，移除插入语之后，句子就应当是：John and Inga are coming for dinner tonight.

不要用逗号分隔句子的主要部分。例：Students who cheat only harm themselves. /The baby wearing a yellow jumpsuit is my niece.

牛津逗号：

在列举的时候，我个人比较偏好用“牛津逗号”，或称“序列逗号”或“哈佛逗号”。“牛津逗号”在美式英语中的应用要比在英式英语中广泛得多。在用“牛津逗号”的时候，如果列举项在三项或三项以上，所有这些例项都是分隔开来的。例：I love apples, pears, and oranges. 注意pears后的逗号。许多人偏向于不用这种写法，省略最后一个逗号。我们把这个逗号叫做“牛津逗号”，是因为这种风格是在牛津大学教授的标准用法。

用于分隔地理名称、时间（日月之间除外）、地址（街道名与人名之间没有）和姓名。例：Birmingham, Alabama, gets its name from Birmingham, England. /July 22, 1959, was a momentous day in his life.

偶尔也会见到在门牌号和街道名之间用逗号。这并不是错误用法，但这是一种比较老式的用法，现在已经不这样用了。

表示由主句转向一个直接引语。例：John said without emotion, "I'll see you tomorrow." /"I was able, " she answered, "to complete the assignment."

用于避免混淆：To George, Harrison had been a sort of idol.

9. 句点/句号

句号的首要作用在于终结一个句子。句号的第二个重要用法是放在缩略语之后。关于这第二种作用，有一些不同的用法，在下面会详细介绍。

福勒：

根据《现代英语应用》作者马丁·福勒的看法，只有当缩略语的末字母不是原词的末字母的时候，才可以在缩略语之后用句点。例：Jesus Christ was born c.4-6AD。这里面的缩略语c.的原词是circa，因为circa以a结尾，而它的缩略语通常都是c，我们在这里要用上句点。

例：Mr Jones was happy to see his wife. /St Patrick lived in Ireland.

在上面第一句里，Mr是mister的缩略语。因为mister和缩略语Mr都以r结尾，在这里我们要省略句点。

其他做法：

将句点用于缩略语之后的情况还有另一种做法，就是无论原词与缩略语的末字母是否相同，都应用句点。例：Mr. Jones was happy to see his wife.

如果由一个短语而来的缩略语按普通单词的发音规则读出来，在这个缩略语后面不要用句点。例：NASA是对的，而N.A.S.A是错的。在有些情况下，即使这个缩略语不按单词规则发音，这个句点也是省略的，这一般是因为这个缩略语使用非常广泛，例：UCLA（University of California, Los Angeles)。

在eccetera(etc.,)之类的缩略语之后，总是要加上句点。

8. 问号

这是一个很容易就能用对的标点符号，它只有一个用法——放在一个问句后面。例：How many will be at the party?

如果已经用了句号，就不能再用问号。在正式写作中，是不能把问号与感叹号一起使用的，但这种用法已经越来越普遍，尤其在互联网上更是应用广泛。

特别要注意的是——不要在不需要的地方应用问号，例：

（错误用法）I wonder how many people will come to the party?

当你表达一个似乎需要回答的想法的时候，你是在说一个陈述句。这是句号应用错误最常见的情况。

7. 感叹号

只在发出命令或是语气非常强烈的时候应用这个符号！与问号相同，不要在这个标点之后再加上一个句号，也不要把它与其他标点符号连用。另外，感叹号一个就够了，连着用上两三个感叹号是绝对没有必要的做法。

6. 引号

用于准确引用另一个人的话，无论是写的还是说的。例：John said, "We are going shopping."

注意We的首字母大写。除非引用的话是句子里的一个成分，而且在它后面还有内容，否则引用内容的首字母都应当大写。例：John said "we are going shopping" because they had go mild. 注意在这种情况下从句前面逗号的省略。

如果你是在引用别人引用另一个人的话，就要用上单引号。例：John said, "My neighbor yelled at me today! He said 'get off my lawn!' "

如果引用内容是放在一个完整句子后面，在这个句子之后用冒号，而不应当用逗号。例：As D.H.Nachas explains, "The gesture used for greeting others differ greatly from one culture to another." (非完整句) /D.H.Nachas explains cultural

differences in greeting customs: "Touching is not a universal sign of greeting. (完整句)

引号也可以用来表示某一个表达有讽刺的涵义，或用来引起对这个说法不寻常的地方的注意。例：The great march of "progress" has left millions impoverished and hungry.

引用内容中的标点：

引用内容中原有的标点应置于引号之内，若是与整个句子相关的标点，置于引号之外。例：Philip asked, "Do you need this book?" /Does Dr. Lim always say to her students, "You must work harder"?

冒号和分号总是放在引号外面；除非紧接着有一个括号，否则在结束引号之前要用逗号或句号。例：He said, "Imay forget your name, but I never remember a face." /Mullen, criticizing the apparent inaction, writes, "Donahue's policy was to do nothing"

(27).

5. 冒号

用在一句完整的话之后，用来引入一个或多个直接相关的内容，如一串指示、一串例项、一段引语，或其他用来解释或进一步阐释前面的陈述的内容。例：The daily newspaper contains four sections: news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads. /The strategies of corporatist industrial unionism have proven ineffective:

compromises and concessions have left labor in a weakened position in the new "flexible" economy.

冒号也用来分隔圣经里的章节和诗节（I Parlipomenon 12:30），分隔分、秒、时（13：49：08），或在表情中用来代表眼睛。

4. 分号

用来连接并列复合句中的独立分句。例：Jim worked hard to earn his degree;

consequently, he was certain to achieve a distinction. /Jane overslept by three hours;; she was going to be late for work again.

在列举的时候，如果列举项里已经有逗号，用分号分隔各列举项。例：Members of the band include Harold Rostein, clarinetist; Tony Aluppo, tuba player; and Lee Jefferson, trumpeter.

3. 撇号

撇号有三种用法：

1)形成名词所有格

2)表示有字母省略

3)表示小写字母的复数形式

形成名词所有格。例：the boy's hat /three days' journey

如果of后的名词指建筑、物体或家具，不需要撇号。例：the car door。

表示省略。例：He'll go = He will go /could've = could have (不是could of!)

用在复数形式中：

用在小写字母复数形式中。例：Mind your p's and q's

2. 圆括号

偶尔用来括起一句中插入的或不重要的部分，譬如日期、资料引用来源、或一些从属于主要内容或与主题无关的内容。括号永远成双出现。例：Before arriving at the station, the old train (someone said it was a relic of frontier days) caught fire.

1. 破折号或连字号

破折号：

用来强调一个观点或引入一句解释性话语。但是不要滥用这个符号，否则它们就会失掉强调的力度。在计算机语言里，破折号一般由两个连字号构成，在这两个连字号之前、之后和它们自己之间都没有空格。例：To some of you, my proposals may seem radical--even revolutionary.

用来引入一个已经包含有逗号的同位语短语。例：The boys--Jim, John, and Jeff--left the party early.

可以看到，破折号与括号用途相同。

连字号：

当两个单词组合起来用做一个名词之前的形容词，这两个单词之间用连字号连接。例：chocolate-covered peanuts

如果这个名词在前面，不要用连字号。例：The peanuts are chocolate covered.

用于复合数词中。例：forty-five

用来避免句意混乱。例：He had to re-sign the contract. /He had to resign his job.

与前缀ex-(表示“以前的”)、self-、all-和后缀-elect连用，连接前缀与一个首字母大写的词，与数字或字母连用：

ex-husband/self-assured/mid-September/all-inclusive/mayor-elect/anti-American/T-shirt/pre-Civil War/mid-1980s

英语作文常用谚语、俗语

1、A liar is not believed when he speaks the truth. 说谎者即使讲真话也没人相信。

2、A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. 一知半解，自欺欺人。

3、All rivers run into sea. 海纳百川。

4、All roads lead to Rome. 条条大路通罗马。

5、All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 只会用功不玩耍，聪明孩子也变傻。

6、A bad beginning makes a bad ending. 不善始者不善终。

7、Actions speak louder than words. 事实胜于雄辩。

8、A faithful friend is hard to find. 知音难觅。

9、A friend in need is a friend indeed. 患难见真情。

10、A friend is easier lost than found. 得朋友难，失朋友易。

11、A good beginning is half done. 良好的开端是成功的一半。

12、A good beginning makes a good ending. 善始者善终。

13、A good book is a good friend. 好书如挚友。

14、A good medicine tastes bitter. 良药苦口。

15、A mother's love never changes. 母爱永恒。

16、An apple a day keeps the doctor away. 一天一苹果，不用请医生。

17、A single flower does not make a spring. 一花独放不是春，百花齐放春满园。

18、A year's plan starts with spring. 一年之计在于春。

19、A young idler, an old beggar. 少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。

20、Better late than never. 不怕慢，单怕站。

21、By reading we enrich the mind.读书使人充实，

22、Care and diligence bring luck. 谨慎和勤奋才能抓住机遇。

23、Confidence in yourself is the first step on the road to success. 自信是走向成功的第一步。

24、Custom is a second nature. 习惯是后天养成的。

25、Custom makes all things easy. 有个好习惯，事事皆不难。

26、Doing is better than saying. 与其挂在嘴上，不如落实在

行动上。

27、Do nothing by halves. 凡事不可半途而废。

28、Don't put off till tomorrow what should be done today. 今日事，今日毕。

29、Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you. 不要自找麻烦。

30、Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. 早睡早起身体好。

31、Easier said than done. 说得容易，做得难。

32、Easy come, easy go. 来也匆匆，去也匆匆。

33、Eat to live, but not live to eat. 人吃饭是为了活着，但活着不是为了吃饭。

34、Every man has his faults. 金无足赤，人无完人。

35、Every man is the architect of his own fortune. 自己的命运自己掌握。

36、Every minute counts. 分秒必争。

37、Each coin has two sides.

38、Fact speak louder than words. 事实胜于雄辩。

39、Failure is the mother of success. 失败是成功之母。

40、God helps those who help themselves. 自助者天助。

41、Health is better than wealth. 健康胜过财富。

42、Honesty is the best policy. 做人诚信为本。

43、Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. 抱最好的愿望，做最坏的打算。

44、It is never too old to learn. 活到老，学到老。

45、Knowledge is power. 知识就是力量

46、Like mother, like daughter. 有其母必有其女。

47、No pain， no gain.（不劳无获。）

48、You never know till you have tried. 不尝试，不知晓。。

49、An idle youth, a needy age.少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。

50、Diligence is the mother of success.勤奋是成功之母。

51、Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy

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52、Experience is the best teacher.经验是最好的教师。

53、Nothing in the world is difficult if you set 人健康、富裕和聪颖。

54、Where there's a will, there's a way. 有志者事竟成。

55、Practice makes perfect ．（熟能生巧。）

56、Pride goes before a fall．（骄傲必败。）

Superstar and I

It’s common that many students are crazy about those singers and actors. However, liyundi, a pianist, is the superstar in my heart. He is a man of few words and he even looks like the greatest pianist—Chopin. When listening to his music , I can get rid of everything noisy around. What’s more, I can feel his strong love for music. Rome wasn’t built in one day. He achieved the great success through huge effort. I can learn from him that we should never give up to realize our dreams.

Superstar and I

Her name first appeared as a joke then like a wonder. She is Susan Boyle, the superstar in my heart. Although she’s not beautiful, her voice and spirit moved all the audience, including me. The song ’I dreamed a dream’ that she sang

touched everyone’s heart who had a dream and wanted to realize it. She taught me how to go on my dreams as well as never to give up. She is like a sunshine that gives me hope. Where there is a will, there is a way.