英语标点的用法.docVIP

The Period Use a period to end a statement, mild command, or indirect question Statements These are exciting and trying times. Mild command Please do not smoke. If you are unsure whether to use an exclamation point or a period after a command, use a period. The exclamation point should be used only rarely. Indirect questions Students sometimes wonder whether their teachers read the papers they write. Use periods with some abbreviations. Use periods with abbreviations that consist of or end in small letters. Otherwise, omit period from abbreviations. Dr. E.g. Feb. a.m., p.m. PhD BC, AD IBM AIDS Note: When a sentence ends in an abbreviation with a period, don’t add a second period. My first class is at 8 a.m. Three spaced periods (the ellipsis mark) indicate the omission of one or more words within a quoted passage. Refer to your course book, page 433. Three spaced periods are sometimes used to show a pause in conversation or faltering speech. “What do you mean?” “I mean… well, I mean you needn’t be involved in it.” If an ellipsis is at the end of a sentence, a period is used after it. As a result, four periods are used together. The Question Mark Use a question mark after a direct question. What is the difference between these two people? The officer asked how many times the suspect had been arrested. Three times? Four times? More than that? Note: Question marks are never combined with other question marks, exclamation points, periods, or commas. Use a question mark within parentheses to indicate doubt about the correctness of a number of date. The Greek philosopher Socrates was born in 470 (?) BC and died in 399 BC from drinking poison after having been condemned to death. Note: Don’t use a question mark within parentheses to express sarcasm or irony. Express these attitudes through sentence structure and word choice. Faulty Stern抯 friendliness(?) bothered Crane.t Revised Stern抯 insincerity bothered Crane. aThe Exclamation Point Use an exclamation point aft