10大標點符號常見錯誤(3)/10個一般人唔識的word功能3: em/en rule/hypen

早兩日古德明係《蘋果》的專欄寫關於em, en dash. 其實我以前都唔知係咩嚟. 都係因為我之前係一間財經文件印刷公司做過校對,先知原來英文的破折號有幾類的:

第一種就係類似中文的破折號, 古德明所說的em dash. 不過, 古德明係文章話「打字時，em dash習慣用兩個連字號連接（unspaced hyphens）而成」,呢個我真係唔知, 因為如果係WORD度打em dash, 可以用shortcut key: alt+0151. 反而古德明提到個種打法我以為係小學雞先會咁打.

留意英文的破拆號跟中文的係唔同size的, 中文破拆號係「─」,英文的em dash是"—". 中文破折號的打法為可參考這裡:

破折號:

按鍵盤的「Ctrl」+「Alt」+「,」三個按鍵開啟符號表，按鍵盤的「Z」輸入「破折號」。

.已經輸入的「破折號」只有一個字的寬度，接著按鍵盤「Ctrl」+「Y」鍵，重複輸入破折號，如下圖所示，「破折號」為一條連續的直線，且占兩個字的寬度。

 省略號(文章稱為「刪節號」):

按鍵盤的快速鍵「Ctrl」+「Alt」+「.」三個按鍵輸入「刪節號」〈連續按兩次「.」〉。

講開標點,仲有一個符號好難打,就係英文姓名間隔號.這個符號有兩種,分別是．和‧。前者是全格的，後者半格。在中文輸入法是: 

全格:ZXAF
半格:ZXAE 

不過關於這間隔號,原來有很複雜的討論:https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help_talk:%E5%A6%82%E4%BD%95%E8%BE%93%E5%85%A5%E9%97%B4%E9%9A%94%E5%8F%B7

第二種是古德明所說的en dash. 這點他也解釋得好清楚,表達「有『由……到……』的意思」,如2014–2015. 鍵盤shortcut是打alt+0150.

第三種才是我們返學很早就認識的"hypen" (-). 例如ice-cream中,連接ice和cream之間便是hypen. 以前教書時幫學生默書,啲學生好鍾意問個字有無hypen (有無自己決定啦...).

不過睇古德明呢篇文章都睇到啲自己唔識嘅嘢,就係佢所謂的two-em dash和three-em dash.

(其他符號的quick key,可參:http://www.webnots.com/alt-key-windows-shortcuts/)

10大標點符號常見錯誤(5): i.e.後有comma嗎?

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/comma-after-i-e-and-e-g/

http://www.writingsimplified.com/2009/09/how-to-use-ie-and-eg.html

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/ie-versus-eg

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/16172/should-i-always-use-a-comma-after-e-g-or-i-e

10大標點符號常見錯誤(4):不定詞前面有comma嗎?

我曾經寫過一篇講介詞短語.我說介詞短語又可做形容詞,又可作副詞,很百搭. 我唸起,其實不定詞(To-infinitive)也有這個特徵,它可作形容詞修飾名詞,如:

The best way to prevent cancer is healthy diet. 

句中的to prevent cancer便是修飾way的. 

又可作副詞,修飾動詞:

Mary is taking a Semantics course this year to understand the relationship between words. 

句中的to understand the relationship between words是修飾is taking,解釋為何Mary要take a Semantics course.

不定詞之所以叫不定詞,就係因為To+infinitive的詞性不定,除了形容詞及副詞,它比介詞短語更多功能,可作名詞:

I hope to win the lottery. 

句中的to win the lottery是hope的受詞, 又或:

To succeed is my goal. 

句中的To succeed主詞也是名詞.

不過今篇主題係講標點符號.

因為不定詞可以係唔同位置出現,包括句子頭、句子中、和句子尾.例如:

To avoid being punished by the teacher, she submits homework on time. (不定詞短語修飾動詞submit)

The movie, to be honest, is boring. (不定詞短語to be honest是sentence adverb,或稱disjunct,修飾整句句子)

Vanessa and her friends went to the shopping mall, to meet her boyfriend. (不定詞短語to meet her boyfriend修飾動詞went)

請大家看清楚以上三句,其中一句月標點符號問題.是哪一句?

就是第三句了!原來,若不定詞放在句子最後,是不用加comma的.因此,句子應為:

Vanessa and her friends went to the shopping mall to meet her boyfriend.

 (比較，介詞短語卻可以跟comma後面, 例如:

As a modern city, it is only right that the people of Hong Kong should be able to enjoy a better environment, with clean streets and markets as well as a beautiful countryside.）　

10大標點符號常見錯誤(3):for example

今日想談談for example這個字的用法. 唔好笑, 好似好簡單, 但以我教書的經驗,真係好多學生唔識點用. 主要嚟講,佢地錯在以為英文的comma好似中文的逗號咁用, 犯咗一種叫comman-splice的錯. 

以作文嚟講, for example幾乎必定用到, 例如作議論文, 去支撐論點的一定要有論據. 而我也教學生可以用for example來起論據. 但問題係佢地撈亂了for example出現的兩種情況.

第一種係「for example+名詞/名詞詞組」. 我唸呢種用法小學都已學到. 

例如:

I like a few kinds of fruits, for example, waterlemons, apples, and oranges. 

"for example"前後也有逗號, for example後面接數個名詞或名詞詞組.呢種句子結構基本上學生無問題.

問題出現在第二種for example句式. 這種句式的for example係新
句子開頭, 例如:

My father loves going to restaurants which serve Chinese foods.  For example, last week he went to a restaurant which serves sweet-sour chicken. 

學生常見錯誤係咁寫:

My father loves going to restaurants which serve Chinese foods, for example, last week he went to a restaurant which serves sweet-sour chicken.

即係用咗第一句for example句式, 前後有逗號. 但問題係第二種for example句式後面係接句子(sentence). 如果兩句句子用了逗號連接,無加連接詞,這種錯誤我地叫comma-splice. 

例如: I am sleepy, I have to go to work. 呢兩句句子, 之間用咗comma連接, 就係錯了comma splice. 改正有三個方法:

1. 加連接詞.

在這個例子, 連接詞應該係but: 

I am sleeply, but I have to go to work. 

2. 第一句以full-stop停頓,才開始第二句

I am sleepy. I have to go to work.

3. 以分號連接,加一個連接性副詞:

I am sleepy; however, I have to go to work.

(加副詞時也可以用句號方法: I am sleepy. However, I have to go to work.)

其實我以前讀中學,呢啲野從來無人教過我,到自己教書,見到啲學生作文成日出現才上網自己研究. 希望對大家有用. 

俾個練習給大家,圖中那兩句句子,也犯了comma splice錯誤. 應該點改?

10大標點符號常見錯誤(1)：關於etc.的九點常識

1. etc.是拉丁文et cetera的簡寫

2. etc.意思是and other things

3. etc要跟full-stop(.), 

4. 例如句子在etc.後未完,要加comma(,).1979年 Strunk and White寫的 The Elements of Style堅持etc要寫成etc.但1998年 Bryan A. Garner的A Dictionary of Modern American Usage卻認為etc已可以,因為如果etc.被其他野取代,那個period便顯得多餘.例如: Ｉhave gone to China, the USA, the UK, Australia,etc.,for holidays.如果etc.改為other places,句子便變成:Ｉhave gone to China, the USA, the UK, Australia,and other places,for holidays.那個comma好像很多餘.

5. 其實一般正式語文唔應該有etc.最多出現係圖表中.

6. etc就好像中文的「等等」,無理由得一個例子就用etc.,起碼都兩個.

7. 如果用for example, such as, like, including, 不要同時用etc.既然用例如,係人都知唔係全部,再用等等便成廢話.

8. and etc.也是錯的,因為etc係and other things, and etc.變成and and other things.

9. 如果想講and other persons, 不能用etc.,要用et al.呢方面如果係寫paper,寫references個陣有機會會用到.

參考：http://data.grammarbook.com/blog/definitions/all-about-etc/