英语的四种标点符号在GMAT中的用法

据新通教育的了解，很多孩子在英语写作时，标点符号基本是信手拈来随心所欲，其实在英语中，有4个常见的标点符号，那就是逗号，分号;冒号：破折号，今天，新通外语跟大家分享这四种符号在GMAT考试中的具体运用。

逗号

逗号是最常见也是最难把握的标点符号之一，但是在GMAT考试中很少会因为有没有逗号而去判断句子是否正确。但是在修饰语部分，逗号可以用来区分是限制性修饰与还是非限制性修饰，如果有逗号隔开，那么就是非限制性修饰，如果没有逗号隔开则是限制性修饰。做题的时候对于逗号要格外注意，因为会用逗号去分开修饰成分。

This car, purchased lastyear, is a Buick. 这句话是非限定性修饰。

The car purchased lastyear is a Buick. 这句话是限定性修饰。

一个主语发出的两个动作间，不用逗号去分隔。如果使用了逗号，可以把逗号去掉或者给第二个句子中的谓语动词添加主语以及连接两个句子的连词。

Wrong: Earl walked toschool, AND later ate his lunch.

Right: Earl walked toschool AND later ate his lunch.

Right: Earl walked toschool, AND HE later ate his lunch.

注意：逗号本身是不能连接两个完整的句子

Wrong: Earl walked toschool, he later ate his lunch.

分号

分号的用法与句号比较相近，在不需要任何的连词的情况下可以连接两个完整的句子。

Right: Earl walked toschool; he later ate his lunch.

Wrong: Andrew and Lisaare inseparable; doing everything together.

这个句子分号后面连接的不是一个完整的句子，所以分号的使用不正确。

Right: Andrew and Lisaare inseparable; they do everything together.

使用分号时，注意前后两个句子的并列性。如果作者本意是想表达的从属关系，那么是不能使用分号的。

Right: The dam hascreated dead zones, WHERE fish have disappeared.

Wrong: The dam hascreated dead zones; fish have disappeared.

第二个句子表达的句意是--全球的鱼类都消失了。而第一个句子有限定范围--dead zones.分号一般会加入副词或其它的一些表达however, therefore, 或者 inaddition. 注意这些副词是不能连接两个完整的句子。

Wrong: Andrew and Lisaare inseparable, THEREFORE, we never see them apart.

Right: Andrew and Lisaare inseparable; THEREFORE, we never see them apart.

分号的另一个功能是分开本身含有逗号的短语。

Wrong: I listen to Earth,Wind & Fire, Wow, Owls, and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Right: I listen to Earth,Wind & Fire; Wow, Owls; and Blood, Sweat & Tears.

看一下OG13的SC原句：

Tropical bats playimportant roles in the rain forest ecosystem, aiding in the dispersal ofcashew, date, and fig seeds; pollinating banana, breadfruit, and mango trees;and indirectly helping to produce tequila by pollinating agave plants.

冒号

对前面提出的信息起补充说明作用，冒号前的句子一定要能独立成句。

Wrong: I love listeningto: classical, rock, rap, and pop music.

上述句子中的冒号前面的句子不是独立句子，因此不正确。

Right: I love listeningto many kinds of music: classical, rock, rap, and pop.

当然我们也可以插入namely 或者 thatis 在冒号的后面

Wrong: I love listeningto many kinds of music: namely, classical, rock, rap, and

pop.

需要解释说明的成分一定要离解释成分近一点

Wrong: Three factorsaffect the rate of a reaction: concentration, surface area, and temperature.

Better: The rate of areaction is affected by three factors: concentration, surface area, andtemperature.

注意，该原则的存在，促使被动语态的使用(正常情况下是主动语态优于被动语态)

分号后面可以接一个完整的句子，但是句子必须是解释说明前面的句子。

Right: On January 1,2000, the national mood was completely different from what it would become justa few years later: at the turn of the century, given a seemingly unstoppablestock market and a seemingly peaceful world, the country was content.

冒号后面的内容-"at the turn of thecentury...was content,"能够独立成一个完整的句子，功能是解释说明。

注意区分分号和冒号：分号连接两个独立的句子，但是第二个句子不是解释说明的功能，而冒号必须是解释说明的功能。

破折号，用的比较广泛，破折号有双的，也有单的。

Right: By January 2,2000,the so-called "Y2K problem" was already widely considered ajoke--although the reason for the non-event was the huge corporate andgovernmental investment in prior countermeasures.

上述句子中，使用逗号或破折号都是正确的，有时破折号会更好一些。破折号可以用来分开同位语。

Right: My three bestfriends-Danny, Jimmy, and Joey-and I went skiing.

上面句子中如果使用逗号则会产生歧义。

破折号--解释说明。(与冒号不一样的是，破折号的解释说明不一定需要紧跟需要解释说明的内容)

Right: Post-MBAcompensation for investment bankers tends to surge far ahead of that formanagement consultants-by tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars ayear.

破折号后面的内容是解释说明的功能，因此不能改成分号。