商务英语函电中标点符号的用法

1. 句号 Period [.]
　用以表示一个句子的结束：

　Hockey is a popular sport in Canada.

　The federal government is based in Ottawa.

　用在缩写中：

　B.C. is the province located on the West Coast.

　Dr. Bethune was a Canadian who worked in China.

　The company is located at 888 Bay St. in Toronto.

　It is 4:00 p.m. in Halifax right now.

2. 问号 Question Mark [?]

　在句子的结尾使用问号表示是直接疑问句：How many provinces are there in Canada?

　注意：在间接疑问句结尾不要加问号：

　The teacher asked the class a question.

　Do not ask me why.

　3. 叹号 Exclamation Mark [!]

　在句子的结尾使用叹号表示惊讶、兴奋等情绪：

　We won the Stanley Cup!

　The forest is on fire!

　4. 逗号 Comma [,]

　句子中的停顿：Therefore, we should write a letter to the prime minister.

　在疑问句中引出说话人："I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow."

　排列三个或以上的名词：Ontario, Quebec, and B.C. are the three biggest provinces.

　引出定语从句：Emily Carr, who was born in 1871, was a great painter.

　5. 单引号 Apostrophe [’]

　表示所有:This is David’s computer.

　These are the player’s things. (things that belong to the player)

　Note: 对于复数形式的名词，只加’

　These are the players’ things. (things that belong to the players)

　缩写I don’t know how to fix it.

　6. 引号Quotation Marks ["]

　直接引出某人说的话：

　The prime minister said, "We will win the election."

　"I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow."

　7. 冒号Colon [:]

　引出一系列名词：There are three positions in hockey: goalie, defence, and forward.

　引出一个较长的引语：The prime minister said: "We will fight. We will not give up. We will win the next election."

　8. 分号Semicolon [;]

　将两个相关的句子连接起来：The festival is very popular; people from all over the world visit each year.

　和逗号一同使用引出一系列名词：The three biggest cities in Canada are Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Vancouver, B.C.

　9. 破折号Dash [-]

　在一个句子前作总结：Mild, wet, and cloudy - these are the characteristics of weather in Vancouver.

　在一个句子的前面或后面加入额外的注释：The children - Pierre, Laura, and Ashley - went to the store. Most Canadians - but not all - voted in the last election.

　表示某人在说话过程中被打断：The woman said, "I want to ask - " when the earthquake began to shake the room.

　10. 连字符Hyphen [-] 报关员

　连接两个单词：sweet-smelling; fire-resistant

　将前缀：anti-Canadian; non-contact

　在数字中使用：one-quarter; twenty-three