标点符号是写作中不可缺少的一部分，其作用是帮助读者分清句子结构，正确地了解文章的语气和含义。在写作中，作者应根据语法和内容来使用标点符号，否则会使读者对文章产生误解。文学大师郭沫若就十分重视文章标点，他曾多次强调过 ：“标点一定要恰当，标点好像一个人的五官，不能因为它不是字就显得无足轻重，标点错了，意义也就变了。”曾有这样一个故事 ：明朝有个才子叫徐文长，有次外出访友，正是黄梅季节，碰上阴雨连绵，他只好住在朋友家中。几天过去了，朋友看徐文长没有回家之意，想逐客又难以开口，于是就在客厅写了一张字条 ：下雨天留客天留人不留。不一会儿，徐文长来到客厅，抬头看见了字条，心中默念道 ：“下雨天留客，天留，人不留。”他明白了朋友的用意，但未见有断句，于是提笔加上斜线，意思成为 ：下雨天留客，天留人不？留。虽一字不变，但他用不同的标点断句，却改变了朋友的意思。结果，使得朋友有口难言，哭笑不得。
　　在学生的一些英语作文中，经常会发现标点误用的问题 ：或通篇不用标点，或一“，”到底。他们以为只要拼写正确，标点有无无所谓，不会影响到文章的表情达意。其实不然。标点符号在写作中起很重要的作用，如果点错了会发生语法错误，甚至影响文章意思的表达。学生英语作文中的标点问题主要归纳为以下几个方面：逗号[,]、句号[.]、分号[;]的混用；非疑问句中的问号[?]的误用；单引号[哉]和引号[矣]不分；破折号[—]和连字符[-]相混。
　　
　　1．逗号、句号、分号的用法及区别。
　　
　　1.1 并列句或并列成分中的标点问题：在并列句中，连词（and, but, or, for, so, nor, yet）的前面用逗号。
　　He asked the question in a loud voice, but no one answered.
　　两个并列从句之间如不用连词（and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet），则应用分号：
　　No one is born with knowledge; knowledge must be taught and learned.
　　If she married that man, her parents would be unhappy; if she left him, she herself would be unhappy.
　　两个具有独立含义的句子，在没有连词的情况下简单地被一个逗号隔开是不正确的。改正这样的错误须用句号或分号代替逗号，或用连接词and, for, because, although等连接成一个句子。
　　错误 ：The ship was huge, its mast stood 30 feet high.
　　正确 ：The ship was huge; its mast stood 30 feet high.
　　正确 ：The ship was huge, and its mast stood 30 feet high.
　　正确 ：The mast of the huge ship stood 30 feet high.
　　从句内若已有标点，即使句中有连词仍应用分号。
　　Unfortunately, Wang couldn't come; and his absence made things more difficult for us.
　　Before he came, we had expected him to help us; but when he was with us, he didn't do much.
　　有些起连词作用的副词，如however, therefore, hence, nevertheless, moreover, thus, otherwise, besides等等，不应该用作连词来联系并列从句。在它们之前应用分号而不是逗号。
　　Their trip was not very well planned or prepared; therefore, it was not a pleasant one.
　　She planned to go with them on the trip; however, her son's sudden illness prevented her from leaving home.
　　The invitation brought him fame; moreover it brought him money.
　　一系列起同样作用的词或短语要用逗号分开，而不用顿号（英文中没有顿号）。
　　The little girl likes to sing, to dance, and to act.
　　如若干项内已有逗号，可用分号将各项分开。
　　On the committee are quite a few well-known people; for example, Professor Zhao, Dean of the Normal College; Mr. Han, Editor-in-chief of the local evening paper; Miss Xu, a popular actress; and Mr. Xu, Director of the Bureau of Culture
　　如某一从句内带有省略，可用分号把它和别的从句用联系起来；省略处有时用逗号标出。 Five students from Class 3 won the competition; two from Class 1; none from Class 2.
　　There are four Nobel Prize winners in their university; in our university, none.
　　
　　1.2 插入语前后、非限定性定语从句或短语和句子的主要成分之间要用逗号分开。
　　Your work, I'm sorry to say, is not satisfactory.
　　An old lady, nodding and smiling, invited us in.
　　Wangling, who is the best singer of the class, will teach us to sing the song.
　　而限定性定语从句或短语则不用逗号分开，限定性成分不能随意从句中删除，一经删除则句子的基本含义改变。
　　错误：I誰l return the sweater, that I borrowed, after I wear it tonight
　　正确：I誰l return the sweater that I borrowed after I wear it tonight.
　　错误 ：The people, who vandalized the school, were never caught.
　　正确 ：The people who vandalized the school were never caught.
　　
　　1.3 写日期时，如次序是月—日—年，在日和年之间加逗号。如次序是日—月—年，则不加逗号。
　　She was born on May 24, 1979.
　　She was born on 24 May 1979.
　　千以上的数字可用逗号按千数把数字分开，也就是从右向左每三个数字后加一个逗号。
　　319, 08923, 543, 890
　　省略词一般加句号，英语中的句号是一个实心点。
　　Mrs.， Mr.， Ms.， Dr.， U.S.A.， a.m.， p.m.
　　省略号是由三个稍稍分开的句号构成的，表示在引语中省略了一个或更多的词。
　　The description of appropriate usage are based on the dicta of recognized authorities; on my own experience as reader, writer, teacher...; and occasionally simply on my own preferences and prejudices.
　　
　　2．非疑问句中的问号误用
　　
　　2.1 问号用在直接问句之后，但间接问句后不用问号。
　　He asked, "where are you from?"She asked me where I am from.
　　2.2 一个文句涉及多项时，各项之后皆可用问号。
　　Did she buy milk? Butter? Beef? Eggs?
　　
　　3．单引号和引号的使用
　　
　　3.1 直接引语的两端用双引号（间接引语不用引号），直接引语句的第一个字母要大写，如果直接引语被分为两部分，第二部分的第一个字母不大写，不论是对话还是引文都如此。引语中的引语则用单引号；另外，文章、短篇故事、短诗及歌曲等的题目，应用引号标出。但书刊名称应用斜体字或字下线说明。
　　“He likes to talk about football,”she said, “especially when the Super Bowl is coming up.”
　　The agricultural reporter for the newspaper explained, “When I talked to the Allens last week, they said, ‘We refuse to use that pesticide.”
　　“Life in the Cave,”one of the chapters of My Adventures, is very interesting.
　　3.2 单引号表示“所有”关系，带有s或es的复数名词，直接用单引号；its表示所有；而it’s则是it is的缩写形式。
　　Overambitious parents can be harmful to a child’s well-being.
　　The accident was nobody’s fault.
　　Both drivers’cars were damaged in the accident.
　　The car is lying on its side in the ditch. It’s a white 1986 Buick.
　　
　　4．破折号和连字符的使用
　　
　　4.1 破折号dash[—]表示某人在说话过程中被打断。
　　The woman said, “I want to ask—”when the earthquake began to shake the room.
　　
　　4.2 在一个句子前作总结。
　　Mild, wet, and cloudy—these are the characteristics of weather in Vancouver.
　　
　　4.3 在一个句子的前面或后面加入额外的注释。
　　The children—Pierre, Laura, and Ashley—went to the store. Most Canadians—but not all—voted in the last election.
　　
　　4.4 连符hyphen[-]。
　　连接两个单词，构成一个新的复合词
　　a one-way street，sweet-smelling
　　连接前缀与生词，是指构成一个新的生词
　　ex-husband，anti-Canadian，all-inclusive
　　在数字中使用
　　one-quarter，twenty-three forty-six，mid-1980s，mid-September
　　用于行末根据音节分割单词
　　pref-er-ence，sell-ing，in-di-vid-u-al-ist