英文標點符號的用法-冒號、分號及撇號

THE COLON ( : ) 冒號

英文的冒號只有一個用途：

Colons can be used after complete statements to introduce one or more directly related ideas, such as a series of directions, a list, or a quotation or other comment illustrating or explaining the statement.
For example,

• The TOEIC Test comprises four sections: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.
• Students who do not prepare sufficiently well invariably get poor TOEIC scores: a score of around 400 - 500 is commonly awarded to intermediate students who, if properly prepared, would have attained a score in the region of 600 – 700.

THE SEMI-COLON ( ; ) 分號

英文的分號有兩個用途：

1. 用於連接兩個獨立的子句

A semicolon is used to join related independent clauses in compound or complex sentences. For example: Tom had worked hard for his promotion; as a result, he was pleased when his efforts were recognised.

2. 用於分隔一連串的項目

A semicolon can also be used to separate items in a list if the elements in the series already include commas as in the following sentence. Members of the committee include: Fred Abbott, Human Resources Department; James King, Finance Department; and Ian McGregor, Training Officer.

THE APOSTROPHE ( ’ ) 撇號

英文的撇號有三個用途：

1. 用於名詞所有格

The person or thing that possesses the other thing usually takes the apostrophe. Example: the man’s jacket. However, if the thing possessing (i.e. the noun that usually takes the apostrophe) is a building, a vehicle or an object such as a piece of furniture, then no apostrophe is needed.
For example：the car’s door.

2. 用於表示省略詞

We use apostrophes to indicate omission (where letters have been left out), most commonly when writing contractions. For example: we’ll (we will), he’s (he is), couldn’t (could not), won’t (will not). Remember! Don’t confuse the possessive its and the omission it’s (it is); it’s one of the most common mistakes in English.

3. 用於表示字母的複數

Apostrophes are used to form plurals of letters that appear in lowercase.
For example：Mind your p’s and q’s.