Punctuation

Kropka

Kropka, oznacza koniec zdania. Kropek używa się również do wyrażania skrótów, oddzielania liczb całkowitych od miejsc dziesiętnych oraz tworzenia elips (trzy kropki, które wskazują, że brakuje jakiejś części zdania).

Mr. Pirez was happy to be part of the new team.

I woke up at 6 a.m. on the dot.

They spent $76.37 in total.

Then he took the microphone, and we all know what happened next…

Przecinek

Przecinki w języku angielskim rozdzielają zdania na łatwe do opanowania części. Oto różne sposoby używania przecinków.

Oddzielanie rzeczowników, czasowników i przymiotników

She studied math, geography, history and political science that semester.

I will take almonds, pine nuts, Brazil nuts and macadamias please.

He was so happy he jumped, yelled and danced all the way home.

Yesterday I tripped, dropped my bag and cut my hand falling down the stairs.

My sister is a smart, funny, ambitious and generous person.

I was not impressed by the rusty, dirty and generally beat up car he had for sale.

Rozdzielanie niezależnych zdań

We drove home, we did all of the laundry, after that we fell asleep.

I will go tomorrow, I might even get there early.

Oddzielanie zdań nierestrykcyjnych

The party, which started at 7 p.m., was for her thirtieth birthday.

My grandma, who is Hungarian, loves to knit scarves for all of her grandchildren.

Pytania

He left work at noon, didn't he?

We’ve been on the waitlist for months, haven't we?

Wtrącenia

Wait, you don't have the tickets?

Hmm, this isn't exactly what I meant.

We're having ham for dinner, yes.

Wykrzyknik

Wykrzykników używa się, by wyrazić zaskoczenie, zdumienie lub dla podkreślenia czegoś.

Oh my goodness!

You can't be serious!

Turn the music down right now!

Znak zapytania

Znak zapytania pokazuje pytające słowo, frazę lub klauzulę w języku angielskim.

Where are you going later?

Marc likes chicken, doesn't he?

Is my backpack in the backseat of your car?

You do?

Dwukropek

Dwukropek to znak interpunkcyjny, który pojawia się przed listą lub wyjaśnieniem.

I chose five subjects to study this term: psychology, sociology, biology, chemistry and physics.

There were only two rules: keep your room clean and help out with the cooking.

I had one thing on my mind: how to make as much money as possible that summer.

Średnik

Średniki oddzielają elementy długiej listy i łączą niezależne klauzule. Są silniejsze niż przecinki, ale nie tak ostateczne jak kropki.

I hate doing laundry; all of the separating annoys me.

Many world landmarks, the Matsushima islands in northeastern Japan; the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy; the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia; Yosemite National Park in the United States and Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe, were still on his bucket list.

Znak cudzysłowu

Cudzysłowów używamy, gdy piszemy coś, co dokładnie powiedział ktoś inny.

He told me to "start acting like an adult or leave"!

In my opinion the most beautiful thing shakespeare ever wrote was "This above all: to thine ownself be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."

I wasn't quite sure what she meant by "respectable clothes", so I wore this suit." %}

Apostrof

Istnieją dwa zastosowania apostrofu w języku angielskim. Apostrofy zastępują brakujące litery w skrótach:

He can't (cannot) come to work today, he's sick.

You shouldn't (should not) smoke in the hospital.

I'm (I am) running late!

Innym zastosowaniem apostrofów jest pokazanie posiadania:

Miranda's purse was stolen from her car.

The school's front gate is locked.

The bus' window had been smashed in the storm.

The women's bathroom line up was very long.

Łącznik

Łącznik jest używany do słów złożonych i podziału słów w języku angielskim.

The ghost-like figure stood at the window.

My eight-year-old sister came first in the race.

One-fifth of the team had forgotten their hockey sticks.

She kept her computer up-to-date with the latest security software.

Nawiasy

Nawiasy są używane podobnie jak przecinki, pokazują dodatkowe informacje, które niekoniecznie są istotne dla sensu zdania.

Her bedroom (which was the biggest) had a huge window overlooking the lake.

I didn’t go to the party (I would have seen him if I did).

One-fifth of the team had forgotten their hockey sticks.

The car (a 2012 Subaru Outback) was filthy from the drive through the field.