如何在英文写作里正确使用分号(;)

分号(;)表示的停顿,长于逗号,但短于冒号,常用于两个逻辑关系较为密切的分句之间。分号与逗号不同,因为它的目的是强调两个子句之间的关连。分号也可以用于需要列举事物名称的时候,去帮助区分太长或有内部标点符号而难以列举清晰的事物。本文将为您说明,在英文写作中使用分号的正确时机和方法。

英文分号的几个基本用法

不正确 正确
用于连接两个关系密切的独立子句。

The dress is for my mother, who is sitting over there.

The dress is for my mother; who is sitting over there.

用在被列举的事物的名称之后。

I am taking my mother to the beach; a French restaurant; and a dessert café.

I am taking my mother to the beach to see the sunset; a French restaurant, which my sister-in-law recommended; and a dessert café to drink coffee and eat canelés.

连接子句

分号最常见的用途是连接两个独立子句。用分号而不用逗号,有助于强调两个逻辑关系密切关连的子句。

独立子句 vs 从属子句

独立子句是一个可以运作的完整句子。

  • The dress is green with white flowers.
  • Audrey bought the dress for eighty-nine dollars.
  • The shop is closing soon.

相反地,从属子句没有完整句子的功能。

  • which has white flowers
  • even though it was expensive
  • because it is late

用分号连接两个独立子句

参考以下两个独立子句:

(a)
It is almost 10 pm.
(b)
The shops will be closing soon.
(a) + (b) =
It is almost 10 pm; the shops will be closing soon.

(a)(b)都是有逻辑连接的独立子句。合并句意味着商店马上就要打烊,因为快到晚上 10 点了。

用冒号连接两个没有逻辑关连的独立子句,是不值得推荐的做法。

(a)
The shops will be closing soon.
(b)
I had fried chicken for dinner.

这里的(a)(b)没有密切的关连,因此,用句号把它们分开是最好的做法。

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列举事物

分号还可以用来列举太长、复杂或有内部标点符号的项目。

Example
Lana is driving to LA to see her niece, who loves Barbie dolls; her best friend, who works at a music production company; and a former co-worker, who has recently started a new business.

这些项目的每一个—“her niece, who loves Barbie dolls,”、 “her best friend, who works at a music production company,” 和 “a former co-worker, who has recently started a new business” —都太长,而且含有內部标点符号。用逗号(注:中文为顿号)区分这个项目清单里的事物,会让句子难以阅读。

逗号 vs 分号

如果列举的事物是单词或简单的词组,最好使用逗号(注:中文为顿号)。

Example
For her birthday, Lana received a gold locket, a red scarf, and an iPad.

然而,如果项目比较长又比较复杂(也就是说,独立子句或含有内部标点符号的事物),最好是用分号来列举。

Example
For her birthday, Lana received a gold locket with an ornate inlay; a red scarf, which she wore immediately; and a first-generation iPad to play her music.

英文分号的常见使用错误

许多人由于对分号不熟悉,因而经常错误使用。请注意,分号只能用来分隔两个独立的子句或列举复杂的事物。

连接一个独立子句和一个从属子句

首先也是最重要的,不要把分号和逗号混为一谈。逗号经常被用来连接从属子句和独立子句;分号就无法用于这个目的。

不正确
Lana bought the dress; which is green with white flowers.
正确
Lana bought the dress, which is green with white flowers.

分开引导词组和主句

另一个常见的错误,是用分号把引导词组和句子的主体分开。要把引导词或词组跟主句分开,应该用逗号,不是分号。

不正确
On Wednesday evenings; Lana babysits her two-year-old nephew.
正确
On Wednesday evenings, Lana babysits her two-year-old nephew.