Punctuation is used to mark the cadence, pauses, and tone in written English. In other words, punctuation helps us to understand when to pause between fully formed ideas when speaking, as well as organize our thoughts in writing. English punctuation marks include:

　　在書(shū)面英語(yǔ)中，標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號(hào)用來(lái)標(biāo)記韻律、停頓和語(yǔ)調(diào)。換言之，標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號(hào)有助于我們理解說(shuō)話(huà)時(shí)在完全形成的思想之間停頓的時(shí)間，以及在寫(xiě)作中組織我們的思想。英文標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號(hào)包括：

　　period. comma, question mark ? exclamation mark ! colon :semi colon ;

　　句號(hào)。逗號(hào)，問(wèn)號(hào)?感嘆號(hào)!冒號(hào):分號(hào);

　　Beginning English learners should focus on understanding the period, comma, and question mark. Intermediate to advanced student should also learn how to use colons and semi colons, as well as an occasional exclamation mark.

　　初學(xué)英語(yǔ)的人應(yīng)該把重點(diǎn)放在理解句號(hào)、逗號(hào)和問(wèn)號(hào)上。中級(jí)到高級(jí)的學(xué)生也應(yīng)該學(xué)習(xí)如何使用冒號(hào)和分號(hào)，以及偶爾的感嘆號(hào)。

　　This guide provides instruction on the basic rules of using a period, comma, colon, semicolon, question mark and exclamation point. Each type of punctuation is followed by an explanation and example sentences for reference purposes.

　　本指南介紹了使用句點(diǎn)、逗號(hào)、冒號(hào)、分號(hào)、問(wèn)號(hào)和感嘆號(hào)的基本規(guī)則。每種標(biāo)點(diǎn)后面都有一個(gè)解釋句和例句，以供參考。

　　Period 句號(hào)

　　Use a period to end a complete sentence. A sentence is a group of words containing a subject and predicate. In British English a period is called a "full stop".

　　用句號(hào)結(jié)束一個(gè)完整的句子。句子是包含主語(yǔ)和謂語(yǔ)的一組詞。在英國(guó)英語(yǔ)中，句號(hào)叫做“句號(hào)”。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　He went to Detroit last week./They are going to visit.

　　他上周去了底特律。/他們要去參觀。

　　Comma逗號(hào)

　　There are a number of different uses for commas in English. Commas are used to:

　　英語(yǔ)中逗號(hào)有許多不同的用法。逗號(hào)用于：

　　Separate a list of items. This is one of the most common uses of a comma. Notice that a comma is included before the conjunction "and" which comes before the final element of a list.

　　將項(xiàng)目列表分開(kāi)。這是逗號(hào)最常用的用法之一。請(qǐng)注意，逗號(hào)包含在列表最后一個(gè)元素之前的連詞“and”之前。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　I like reading, listening to music, taking long walks, and visiting with my friends./They would like books, magazines, DVDs, video cassettes, and other learning materials for their library.

　　我喜歡看書(shū)，聽(tīng)音樂(lè)，散步，和朋友們一起參觀。/他們喜歡書(shū)，雜志，DVD，錄像帶和其他學(xué)習(xí)材料為他們的圖書(shū)館。

　　Separate phrases (clauses). This is especially true after a beginning dependent clause or a long prepositional phrase.

　　單獨(dú)的短語(yǔ)(從句)。尤其是在從句或長(zhǎng)介詞短語(yǔ)之后。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　In order to qualify for your certificate, you will need to take the TOEFL exam./Although he wanted to come, he wasn't able to attend the course.

　　為了獲得證書(shū)，你需要參加托?？荚嚒?盡管他想來(lái)，但他沒(méi)能參加這門(mén)課。

　　Separate two independent clauses that are connected by a conjunction such as 'but'.

　　用連詞如“but”連接的兩個(gè)獨(dú)立從句分開(kāi)。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　They wanted to purchase a new car, but their financial situation would not allow it./I'd really enjoy seeing a film this evening, and I'd like to go out for a drink.

　　他們想買(mǎi)一輛新車(chē)，但他們的經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況不容許。/今晚我真的很喜歡看電影，我想出去喝一杯。

　　Introduce a direct quote (as opposed to indirect speech i.e. He said he wanted to come ...).

　　介紹一個(gè)直接引語(yǔ)(與間接引語(yǔ)相反，他說(shuō)他想來(lái)…)。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　The boy said, "My father is often away during the week on business trips."/His doctor replied, "If you don't stop smoking, you run the risk of a heart attack."

　　男孩說(shuō)：“我父親經(jīng)常出差在外。”/他的醫(yī)生回答說(shuō)：“如果你不戒煙，你就有心臟病發(fā)作的危險(xiǎn)。”

　　Separate appositives (a noun, or noun phrase) or non-defining relative clauses.

　　單獨(dú)的同位語(yǔ)(名詞或名詞短語(yǔ))或不明確的關(guān)系從句。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, comes from Seattle./My only sister, who is a fantastic tennis player, is in great shape.

　　比爾蓋茨，世界上最富有的人，來(lái)自西雅圖。/我唯一的妹妹，是一個(gè)出色的網(wǎng)球運(yùn)動(dòng)員，狀態(tài)很好。

　　Question Mark問(wèn)號(hào)

　　The question mark is used at the end of a question.

　　問(wèn)號(hào)用在問(wèn)題的結(jié)尾。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　Where do you live?/How long have they been studying?

　　你住在哪里?/他們學(xué)習(xí)多久了?

　　Exclamation Point感嘆號(hào)

　　The exclamation point is used at the end of a sentence to indicate great surprise. It is also used for emphasis when making a point. Be careful not to use an exclamation point too often.

　　感嘆號(hào)用在句子的結(jié)尾，表示非常驚訝。它也被用來(lái)強(qiáng)調(diào)時(shí)，提出一點(diǎn)。注意不要經(jīng)常使用感嘆號(hào)。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　That ride was fantastic!/I can't believe he is going to marry her!

　　那次旅行太棒了!/我不敢相信他會(huì)娶她!

　　Semicolon分號(hào)

　　There are two uses for a semicolon:

　　分號(hào)有兩種用法：

　　To separate two independent clauses. One or both of the clauses are short and the ideas expressed are usually very similar.

　　把兩個(gè)獨(dú)立的從句分開(kāi)。其中一個(gè)或兩個(gè)從句很短，表達(dá)的意思通常非常相似。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　He loves studying; he can't get enough of school./What an incredible situation; it must make you nervous.

　　他喜歡學(xué)習(xí);他不能得到足夠的學(xué)校教育。/多么不可思議的情況;這一定讓你緊張。

　　To separate groups of words that are themselves separated by commas.

　　將本身由逗號(hào)分隔的詞組分開(kāi)。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　I took a holiday and played golf, which I love; read a lot, which I needed to do; and slept late, which I hadn't done for quite a while./They plan to study German, for their travels; chemistry, for their work; and literature, for their own enjoyment.

　　我度假打高爾夫球，這是我的愛(ài)好;我讀了很多書(shū)，這是我需要做的;我睡得很晚，這是我很久沒(méi)有做過(guò)的事了。/他們計(jì)劃學(xué)習(xí)德語(yǔ)，旅行;化學(xué)，工作;文學(xué)，自?shī)首詷?lè)。

　　Colon冒號(hào)

　　A colon can be used for two purposes:

　　冒號(hào)可用于兩個(gè)目的：

　　To provide additional details and explanation.

　　提供額外的細(xì)節(jié)和解釋。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　He had many reasons for joining the club: to get in shape, to make new friends, to lose some weight, and to get out of the house./She gave notice for the following reasons: bad pay, horrible hours, poor relations with colleagues, and her boss.

　　他加入俱樂(lè)部有許多理由：保持身材，交新朋友，減肥，離家出走。/她發(fā)出通知的理由如下：工資低，工作時(shí)間糟糕，與同事和老板關(guān)系不好。

　　To introduce a direct quote (a comma can also be used in this situation).

　　引入直接引語(yǔ)(在這種情況下也可以使用逗號(hào))。

　　Examples:

　　例子：

　　He announced to his friends: "I'm getting married!"/She cried out: "I never want to see you again!"

　　他對(duì)朋友們說(shuō)：“我要結(jié)婚了!”/她喊道：“我再也不想見(jiàn)你了!”