Пунктуация в английском языке
методическая разработка по теме

Punctuation Marks – расставляем знаки препинания

Знаки препинания в английском языке употребляются реже, чем в русском языке. Напомним, что знаки препинания - особые элементы письменности, служащие для обозначения на письме формально-грамматического, смыслового и интонационного членения речи.

В английском языке используются те же знаки препинания, что и в русском: например, точка, вопросительный знак, восклицательный знак, – ставятся в конце. Кавычки ставятся для выделения прямой речи и цитат.

В обоих языках расстановка знаков препинания в тексте регулируется определенными правилами, но в английском языке эти правила менее жесткие. Хорошая пунктуация – это умение сделать правильный выбор в нужном месте, чтобы читатель мог наилучшим образом понять интонацию автора.

Punctuation Marks

. = full stop, period, dot, (decimal) point

,=comma

:=colon

;=semi-colon

?=question mark

!=exclamation mark

-= dash

‘=apostrophe

“ “ =quotation marks, double quotes

‘ ‘=single quotes

*=asterisk

&=and

@=at

/=(forward) slash

\=backwards slash or backslash

%= per cent, percentage

( ) = (round)brackets

( =open bracket

) = close bracket

1. Заглавные буквы

Заглавные  буквы обозначают начало предложения. Также они используются в написании имен собственных: личных имен и названий, национальностей, дней недели, месяцев, времен года, народных праздников, географических названий. Заглавные буквы используются в написании названий книг, журналов и газет. Обратите внимание, если имя собственное состоит из двух и более слов, то все составляющие название слова пишутся с большой буквы: The British Museum

2. Full stop- точка

1. в конце повествовательного предложения:

Не was there.

I study English.

2. при сокращении слов:

etc. – от латинского et cetera – и так далее

co. – company - компания

i.e. – от латинского id est – то есть

e.g. – от латинского exempli gratia – например

3. в конце вопросительного по форме предложения, имеющего характер          просьбы:

Could you give me this book.

4. аббревиатуры (сокращенные слова):

Dr или Dr. – doctor, доктор

Mr или Mr. – mister, господин

Mrs или Mrs. – mistress, госпожа

Prof. – Professor Nov. – November

5. при сокращении названий стран или организаций возможно употребление сокращений с точкой или без нее.

USA или U.S.A.

U.K. – United Kingdom

Примечание 1:

точка не используется в акронимах (слова, состоящие из начальных букв других слов или частей слов): NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization

UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

Примечание 2:

если предложение заканчивается аббревиатурой, обозначенной точкой, то эта же точка служит и для завершения всего предложения.

6. в десятичных дробях целое число отделяется от дроби точкой (в отличие от русского языка).

Точка читается point [point]. Ноль – nought [no:t].

Если целое число равно нулю, то оно часто не читается.

0.25 – nought point two five или point two five.

57.5

0.0001

0.45

7. для разделения больших и меньших денежных единиц одной системы: $10.75

8. при обозначении времени, разделяя часы и минуты: 6.45 a.m. – англ. 6:45 a.m. – амер.

Примечание 3:

Точка не ставится в газетных заголовках, в названия книг и других произведений: Mid Summer Night's Dream, New School to Be Built, Summit Talks.

Точка не ставиться, если аббревиатура включает в себя последнюю букву слова: Rd (Road), Ltd (Limited), St (Street)

3. Comma – запятая

1.ряд однородных определений:

Red, pink, yellow and white flowers filled the vases.

2. для отделения вопросительной части в разделительных вопросах:

You saw this film, didn't you?

They haven't come today, have they?

3. в датах для отделения числа и месяца от года:

Не was born June 14, 1940.

April 8, 1872

Moscow, July 12, 1972

4. в больших числах:

$1,000 a year / 1,767 / 2,565,727

5. в английском варианте (в американском используется двоеточие) при оформлении деловой корреспонденции после обращений:

Dear Mr. Johnson, I have received your letter... – англ.

Dear Sir:

I have received your letter... – амер.

6. для отделения пояснительных слов от прямой речи, если нет других знаков препинания:

He asked, "How long will it take you."

7.  обстоятельственные придаточные предложения, если они стоят в начале предложения перед главным. Если придаточное следует за главным, то оно запятой не отделяется:

When it was convenient for him, he went to the office.

Cp. We worked overtime whenever it was necessary.

8. причастные и абсолютные обороты, стоящие в начале предложения:

The rain having stopped, we went for a walk.

A doctor, called to the scene, examined the injured man.

9. вводные инфинитивные конструкции, если инфинитивная конструкция выполняет функцию подлежащего, то она запятой не отделяется:

То become a doctor was his dream.

Ср. То be successful, one must work hard.

10. после вводных слов или выражений для отделения их от остальной части предложения:

Well, I like this.

By the way, I also need money.

However, nobody drank much.

11. после обращений и междометий.

“Fred, it’s disgusting. You’re cheating people who trust you.”

“What did you do, daddy?” he asked.

“Oh, no, Headmistress, that can’t be right!”

Well, what do you think they have done?

12. ставится в тех случаях, когда существует вероятность неправильного восприятия смысла предложения:

As the police car pulled up, the crowd surged forward (без запятой можно было бы подумать, что машина врезалась в толпу)

After a period of calm, college students have begun to demonstrate again (без запятой слово college можно было бы отнести к слову calm)

13. если слово also стоит в начале предложения для усиления (в остальных случаях also запятой не отделяется):

Also, we noticed that the prices were going up.

We also noticed that the prices were going up.

14. для отделения любой части предложения, содержащей дополнительную информацию (но: если такая часть предложения имеет характер пояснения или уточнения, запятая не ставится):

Yesterday I met John, who told me he was getting married.

A widow is a woman whose husband is dead.

4. Запятой не отделяются:

1. слова в городских адресах: 115 Oxford Street

2. при обозначении страниц, года: page 15 / in the year 1986

3. придаточные, когда стоят после главного предложения:

I had to finish my work earlier to help mother.

It is important that you should be here tomorrow.

Our advice is that you should not smoke.

4. между подлежащим и сказуемым, когда информация обязательная, не дополнительная:

The driver who helped me that morning insisted that he knew me.

The girl with whom he fell in love left him after a few weeks.

5.предложения соединяющиеся с помощью союзов AND, OR, BUT, хотя запятая может быть и использована.

There was a muddy pond in the garden (,) and this was the home of some frogs.

(В таких случаях запятая используется чаще в американском английском, чем в британском.)

5.Colon – Двоеточие

Двоеточие употребляется перед перечислением и разъяснением. Если после двоеточия следует полное предложение, то первое слово такого предложения пишется с заглавной буквы:

Breakfast: Picking up the remaining chicken bite from the sofa. Knock it onto the carpet and bat it under the television set.

There are different trends in painting: classicism, romanticism, impressionism, cubism, etc.

The history of Britain: A Personal View.

Примечание: Если список перечисленных пунктов расположен в столбик, каждая новая строка должна начинаться с заглавной буквы, после каждого пункта знак препинания не ставится.

6. Semi-colons – Точка с запятой

1. Точка с запятой иногда используется вместо запятой, чтобы отделить предметы, включенные в список.

The shopping centre has a number of features: a cinema; two meeting rooms; a fast-food café; a small gymnasium.

2. Точка с запятой также может использоваться вместо точки , отделяя два главных предложения. В таких случаях предложения грамматически остаются отдельными, но связанны  по значению.

Some cats sleep during the night; most cats are active during the dark.

3. Точка с запятой используется в официальной письменной речи, в которой много длинных предложений и синтаксически сложных конструкций.

7.Dashes – Тире

Тире ставится перед перечислением однородных членов, с обобщающим словом:

We bought some new crockery – cups, saucers, plates, dishes.

8.Apostrophe – Апостроф

1. во случаях использования притяжательного падежа:

mother's hat

students' books

Примечание: при образовании притяжательного падежа от имен собственных, заканчивающихся буквой -s, можно использовать оба варианта:

King Charles's crown / King Charles' crown

2. для обозначения пропущенных букв или цифр:

I'm

he's

'87

don't

3. для обозначения множественного числа букв, чисел или аббревиатур:

In the 1980's

VIP's

I can't distinguish his L's.

9.Прямая речь и знаки препинания

При прямой речи знак препинания ставится внутри кавычек (в русском языке точка и запятая ставятся после кавычек).

Можно использовать одинарные кавычки ' ' или двойные '' ''. Двойные кавычки более распространены в рукописных материалах.

He said, “Now it’s time to begin.” “Now it’s time to begin,” he said, “and you will be the first to speak.”

Передача чужих мыслей

Иногда мы сообщаем и о мыслях, используя при этом структуру косвенной речи, кавычки не употребляются:

Why did I marry so quickly, so foolishly, she thought to herself.

What would he say, she wondered, if he could see that now?

Exercises

1. Put in punctuation marks and capital letters

A

My name’s hans I’m from zurich in Switzerland I speak german and a bit French zurich is in the north of Switzerland its got a population of about 700,000 im in England now because I want to learn more English the town where im staying is called hastings its on the south coast of England

B

Jack is a british student hes from York in the north of England hes on a Russian language course at Moscow state university he wants to learn more Russian hes on holiday with his friends in st petrsburg on the coast of the Baltic sea hes fond of rissian art jacks parents are coming to visit him in july hell show them a lot of interesting places

C

My names donna and ive got a brother his names desmond were twins were English and we live in London we like the same things we like running and swimming but we don’t like tv we like our city it’s a lovely place to live in

D

It was late Friday evening just before eleven oclock mr jones bought a ticket and walked onto the platform it was a cold January night there wasn’t anybody on the platform the train was late suddenly mr jones heard something it was a cassette player and it was very loud mr jones looked around and saw nobody

2. Some of the sentences below have mistakes. Find these sentences and correct the mistakes. (Capital letters)

1. “The times” has a Sunday colour supplement. 2. We often buy french bread in the form of thick sticks. 3. Jane Austin’s “Sense and sensibility” made a really great impression on me. 4. Sigmund Freud was an Austrian doctor who developed a new system for understanding the way that people’s minds work. 5. Mecca is a city in Saudi arabia where the prophet Muhammad was born. 6. “Casablanca” with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman is considered an all-time classic. 7. The Rolling stones, one of the most successful groups ever, first became popular in 1963. 8. October is the tenth month of the year between september and november. 9. The romans are remembered as skilled and effective soldiers, great builders and engineers.

3. Give abbreviations for the following. Check in a dictionary. Use full stops where they may appear.

1. the alphabet; 2. Home Box Office (a TV channel); 3. laboratory; 4. Mister; 5. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (an international organization); 6. please turn over (written at the bottom of the page to tell the reader to look at the next page); 7. departure; 8. His Excellency (a title of important state officials); 9. Member of Parliament; 10. post meridiem; 11. singular; 12. postscript (a note added at the end of a letter, giving more information); 13. John Boynton Priestley; 14. George Bernard Shaw  

4.There are no commas in the sentences below. Say where they must be or may be.

1.   Well Matilda aren’t you going outside with the others? 2. Oh I was. I was flying past the stars on silver wings. 3. They passed the greengrocer and then they came out at the other side of the village. 4. You won’t tell anyone about this will you? 5. Calm yourself down child calm yourself down. 6. It is quite possible that you are a phenomenon but I’d rather you didn’t think about yourself like that. 7. “By the way” Ma said “did you do anything about the car?” 8. She was a sweet gentle and caring creature. 9. It was cool dark and very unpleasant down stairs. 10. If you write an email now he will get it immediately Bess believe me. 11. Pop departed across the field to the truck and Mr Charlton at once felt much more himself. 12. When he first asked me I laughed at the question. 13. Have you ever heard of Max Preston who came to our school last month? 14. The woman had a small suitcase a box an h-bag and an umbrella.

5. Use commas where and if necessary to complete the sentences.

1. This is the problem which we’re solving at the moment. 2. Tell him about it when he comes. 3. If they arrive early they will be able to have a short tour of the city. 4. The man whose face seems familiar to you is our principal. 5. I have been to Rhodes Crete and some other islands of the Mediterranean. 6. The guy who is waiting in the office wants to talk to you. 7. I will be delighted if you get a chance to know this outstanding writer. 8. Emily Green who was here in the morning won’t join us. 9. We’ll ask Dick who is the oldest in the family just to say a few words. 10. If my daughter leaves me I’ll miss her very much.

6. Explain the use of colons in these sentences.

1. In formal English we always read year dates as hundreds: 1999 9ninteen hundred and ninety-nine). 2. She still enjoys such books: science fiction, detective stories, historical novels. 3. We have everything we need: land, brains, wealth, technology. 4. American Literature: 20th century. 5. She decided against going to Spain in November: the weather is usually dull and rainy there in that month. 6. The man had been paralysed: this, not age, explained his unsteady walk. 7. I decided to leave: John and Mary were obviously tired. 8. Please send the stipulated items: your birth certificate, your passport and your CV.

7. Use semi-colons instead of commas and full stops it is possible.

1. Taylor was an outstanding actor. With a few telling strokes he characterized King Lear magnificently. 2. The breakfast menu consisted of fruit juice or cereal, a boild egg, toast and marmalade, and a pot of tea or coffee. 3. I had been aware that they sometimes disagreed violently. I had not realised that they were seriously contemplating divorce. 4. The room was bright, spacious and very cosy. 5. Everybody knows that, don’t they? 6. She slowly, carefully, deliberately moved the box. 7. She is expected later today. She is not expected to open the conference. 8. She bought eggs, butter, bread and coffee.

8. Put in punctuation marks in the direct speech.

A father and his baby

One Sunday some visitors to Hyde Park, who were sitting on benches quietly enjoying their sandwiches, were suddenly surprised by a strange young man.

The young man was pushing a pram. The baby in the pram was crying loudly. The young man stopped and said softly You should take it easy Tom. You should control yourself Tom.

The baby calmed down for a minute but then it started to cry again. The young man stopped, took out a little toy out of the bag, gave the toy to the child and said You should take it easy Tom. You should control yourself Tom.

They went on, but soon the child started to cry again. The young man stopped, took some chocolate out of his bag and gave it to the baby. Don’t worry Tom. It’s Ok Tom. You’ll be all right Tom he said. But the baby didn’t calm down. It just cried louder and louder.

An old woman who had been watching the man came up to him and smiled. You’re a great father she said you know how to talk to your baby, in a nice, quiet voice. Then she looked into the pram and asked What’s wrong with you Tom? Why are you crying?

The father looked at the woman strangely and said The baby is a girl. Her name’s Sabrina. Tom is my name.

9. Put in commas if it is necessary.

1. This princess who did her best to help the poor and the sick died in 1997. 2. Books by this playwright who lived in the 16th century are still very popular. 3. This is a politician with his famous pipe which he smoked all the time. 4. This musician who comes from Liverpool is famous all over the world. 5. That’s the man who was friends with John Lennon. 6. That’s the politician who was one of the best British prime ministers. 7. That’s the woman whom everybody loved. 8. The building that was next to the school fell down. 9. Jane whose father was also a doctor works at the hospital. 10. I’m going to the town where I spent the best year of my life. 11. In the room I spotted a boy whose father helped me last year. 12. There were a lot of flowers in the tree her grandfather planted. 13. The present that he brought was the best. 14. The girl they are talking about is Mark’s sister. 15. His brother whom I have known for many years phoned me yesterday.

10. Put in punctuations marks that are necessary.

                                                                                               10 Pink Street

Sevenoaks

Kent TN 1 2 NB

UK

10 02 2012

Dear Ben

I haven t seen you for ages How are you

I have  good news we moved our house a couple of weeks ago and I had to change school  But it s very difficult for me to get used to new classmates and new teachers  I don t have friends here and I feel very lonely  Where did you meet your best friend  What is he like  What do you do

I m sorry I have to stop now because I must help my mother about the house Write soon

Best wishes

Den

11.  Put in semi-colons and commas where they are necessary.

A

Most people enjoy travelling but I don’t share their passion. The best holiday for me would be a quiet day when I can watch some films. I hate trains and crowds in the railway stations I’m afraid of travelling by air and I feel seasick when going anywhere by boat. What’s the point in travelling I ask? Why suffer if you can see faraway places on TV?

B

I’ve always dreamt about travelling. However travelling is not as thrilling an adventure nowdays as it used to be. Travellers of the past risked their lives every minute. Nowdays people travel with too much comfort. They can always find food and medical care. Of course safety and comfort are not bad things, but to me, the old way of travelling is far more attractive!

C

I like travelling. Once my parents and I were travelling by ship and we were caught in a storm. The waves were huge and the captain insisted that all the passengers should stay in their compartments. The storm lasted for several hours. No one was hurt but now I can understand what travelers of the past felt when they were crossing the oceans on their little wooden ships.

12. Put in all necessary punctuation marks.

Dear ann

    thank you for your letter im ben im from great britain my country is beautiful too the capital of great britain is london there are many new and old houses and bridges in london  there are a lot of cars in the streets you can also see many interesting towns in gb like oxford Cambridge and others

i live in oxford but I often visit my granny she lives in the country there is a green garden with white red yellow and blue flowers next to her house there are green fields and white sheep in the country

i think russia is a beautiful country so i want to visit russia next summer

your pen friend

ben

13.   Put in all necessary punctuation marks.

my winter fantasy

yesterday I went to the park I met my best friend there it was sunny and cold we skied in the park we played snowballs and made a funny snowman the snowman looked at us and said hello we liked it very much

when I came home I had lunch at home I did my homework watched tv and drew a picture of my funny snowman

I put the picture on the wall at 10 pm I went to bed the snowman smiled and said good night

14.  Put in commas

1. If I am not too busy I will go to the concert. 2. They will all be surprised if I make such a mistake. 3. If he doesn’t come on time will we have to wait for him? 4. If no one comes to help we will be obliged to do the work ourselves. 5. If you put on your glasses  you will see better. 6. What will we do if they are late? 7. Will you be very angry if we don’t come? 8. Will he be very displeased if I don’t ring him up?

15.  Put in commas

1. Tom’s mother said that  that was enough. She said that Tom would never go there again and added that she would see to it. 2. Grandmother asked who would read the next story and added that it was very interesting and that she was sure we all should like it. 3. To begin with  she opened all the windows. 4. My neighbor is difficult to deal with. 5. To tell you the truth  I am very tired. 6. His behavior leaves a lot to be desired. 7. These children are pleasant to look at.  8. To cut a long story short  they got married. 9. To translate this article  you must use a dictionary. 10. It was out of the question to bathe in this river.

16. Put in commas

1. It is certain to train if you don’t take your umbrella. 2.When copying English texts pay attention to the articles. 3. Be careful when crossing a street. 4. When leaving the room  don’t forget to switch off the light. 5. You must have more practice when learning to speak a foreign language. 6. Arriving at the railway station  he bought a ticket  walked to help the platform and boarded the train. 7. Having left the house and crossing the street  he suddenly stopped remembering that he had forgotten to take his tablets. 8. He had no language problems  having studied English for a long time.

17. Put in commas if they are necessary

1. I think it is time for the bell to ring. 2.  I am almost sure they have this book in the library. 3. Probably he recognized you by your photo in the papers. 4. He is sure to be in at this time. 5. Of course  she is trying to help you. 6. She is certain to be waiting for you at home. 7. There is little doubt that the first experiment failed. 8. No doubt  she knew what she was going to do. 9. I am sure she is fond of the child. 10. Perhaps he visited the Hermitage when he was in St Petersburg last year. 11. I don’t believe you have lost your passport; probably you have put it into another bag.

18. Put in commas if they are necessary

1. Everybody knows that Christopher Columbus discovered America. However America was named after Amerigo Vespucci who explored the eastern coast of South America. 2. To test his ideas Heyerdal decided to build a copy of the reed boats which were pictured in ancient Egyptian paintings and sail across the Atlantic. 3. On May 25 1969 the boat called Ra left a port in Morocco and headed across the widest part of the Atlantic. Before reaching Barbados Ra had broken but all the members of the expedition survived and wanted to try again. 4. However it was never used as a fortress. In 1824 it became a place of public entertainment . 5.  Paul Samuelson was born on May 15 1915 in Gary Indiana. He was educated at the University of Chicago in Illinois and at Harvard University.

19. Put in commas if they are necessary

           Nowadays many people think that they are too fat even if their doctors disagree. They think the best way to improve their fitness is following a diet. But is dieting really so effective and healthy?

        On the one hand if you want to lose weight it is very important to keep your eye on what you eat. To begin with you should cut out snacks and desserts which add weight without boosting energy levels. Besides you ought to cut down on fat as it is believed to be one of the major causes of obesity. Finally you may count the number of calories you eat every day which may substantially reduce the amount of food you eat  and help to lose weight.

        On the other hand strict dieting may be dangerous. Firstly the lower the calories eaten per day the harder it is to get the daily requirements of proteins and vitamins. In addition excessive dieting causes muscle loss and this loss may be from your heart with severe consequences. Moreover dieting lowers your metabolic rate so when you return to your normal food intake you will put on weight even faster than before.

       To conclude I believe that to stay healthy everybody should follow a sensible well-balanced diet that gives their body exactly what it needs. However I think the best way of keeping fit is doing sports. If you do regular exercise you can eat and drink whatever you want because you are burning it all off.      

20.  Put in punctuation marks.

I love music. Since my childhood I’ve played many different musical instruments the piano the guitar and even the drums.

My music teacher sometimes says that I have a gift for music and I hope she’s right.

Recently I’ve joined our school band and we are going to take part in a modern music concert.

Unfortunately we couldn’t participate in the city music competition as it was our exam time.