逗号中的学问,本文主要内容关键词为:逗号论文,学问论文,此文献不代表本站观点,内容供学术参考,文章仅供参考阅读下载。
在所有的标点符号中,逗号“,”使用率最高,用法也最复杂。学生在使用逗号时,经常犯以下几种错误。
一、并列句中逗号的误用
由于受汉语标点符号的影响,学生经常在作业中将两个或连续几个独立的句子用逗号隔开,这在语法上称为run-on sentences;不时还会出现另一种错误,语法上称为fused sentences,也就是两个独立的句子之间没有任何标点符号。这种句子,在口头表达时听不出有问题,但一旦写出来,就错了,如下面的句子:
Wrong:Mary isn't old enough,she cannot go to school.
Wrong:Mary isn't old enough she cannot go to school.
改正上述错误的方法不止一个,这要取决于句子的意思和写作人的意图。如上述两句可改为:
1.写成两个独立的句子。
Mary isn't old enongh.She cannot go to school.
2.用分号,仍然写成两个独立的句子:
Mary isn't old enough; she cannot go to school.
3.根据句子的意思,可以用7个并列连词and,but,or,for,nor,so,yet中的一个,同时用逗号:
Mary cannot go to school,for she isn't old enough.
Mary isn't old enough,so she cannot go toschool.
4.根据情况,用为数众多的从属连接词,同时用逗号:
Mary cannot go to school,because she isn't old enough.
Mary is so young that she cannot go to school.
二、定语从句中逗号的使用
很多学生都知道:限制性定语从句与被修饰的先行词关系密切,连成一体,其后通常不用逗号;而非限制性定语从句大都起补充说明使用,所以多用逗号隔开。如:
I have a relative who serves in the army.
I have a relative,who serves in the army.
但是,很少有学生会注意到逗号在先行词是专有名词的定语从句中的应用,如下面几个句子:
Shanghai that has become the most important industrial center in China has a population of over tenmillion(已成为中国最重要的工业中心的上海人口超过1000万。)
The United Nations that 4s supposed to serve the cause of world peace was established in 1945 with 51 founding members.(应为世界和平服务的联合国于1945年由51个创始国建立。)
这两句不仅用错了关系代词,还在标点符号上犯了错误。如果先行词是专有名词,定语从句只能是非限制性的,因而必须用逗号隔开。正确的句子应该是:
Shanghai,which has become the most important industrial center in China,has a population of over ten million.
The United Nations,which is supposed to serve the cause of world peace,was established in 1945 with 51 founding members.
顺便说一下,在中世纪英语里,疑问代词who,whom,whose,which开始在定语从句中用作关系代词。在早期的现代英语中,that用得很普遍,但现在有一种越来越强的趋势,用以wh-组成的代词来取代that。若先行词为人的话,通常多用who,whom;先行词为物的话,也以用which为多。但不管怎样,有一点应该记住:that从不用来引导非限制性定语从句。
三、直接引语中逗号的使用
在直接引语前,汉语用冒号,而英语多用逗号。例如:
She said,"I'll bring you a cup Oftea."
当直接引语被插入成分隔开时,怎样用标点符号才算正确呢?请先看下面几个例子:
1."It wash't my fault," said John.
2."I...I...really...," she stammered.
3."I have always worked hard," he declared."I was selling newspapers when I was ten years old."
4."What am I to do?" Mary said anxiously."When he learns about it he will kill me."
例1和例2说明直接引语只是一个独立的句子或不完整的独立句子,而插入成分出现在直接引语之后时,引号内最后常用逗号,也可根据情况用问号、破折号、感叹号或省略号,但不可用句号。因为用了一个句号,就表示后面的插入成分与直接引语没有关系了。事实上,插入成分中的谓语动词都是及物动词,直接引语是它的宾语或宾语从句。用了一个句号如同拦腰砍了一刀,把插入部分悬挂起来。这类错误在英语初学者或英语报刊上屡见不鲜。
当两个独立的句子(也可以是不完整的独立句子)被插入成分隔开,这时插入成分末尾应用句号。常见的错误是用了逗号。请注意例3和例4两句中declared和anxiously后面用了句号,所以引号内的第二个独立部分自然应用大写字母开始。如果不是两个独立的部分,插入成分的末尾应用逗号;插入成分后的直接引语以小写字母开始。试比较以下两组句子:
Wrong:"I was not aware," she said in a trembling voice."That someone was following me."
Right:"I was not aware," she said in a trembling voice," that someone was following me."
请注意比较voice后面的标点符号以及that的写法。又如:
Wrong:"Our journey," he continued." Has been a hard one."
Right:"Our journey," he continued,"has been a hard one."
请注意比较continued后面的标点符号和has的写法。
综上所述,逗号虽然很小,但其中的学问并不少。我们在乎时的学习中应该多加注意,以便能正确地使用这些标点符号。