Colon [ : ]
引導正式的發言：
The witness made this declaration: “I know of no attempt to defraud the public.”
引導一個作說明用的片段或系列（可取代對等連接詞）：
John will never become a competent leader: he has no sense of responsibility at all.
Imports rose sharply: steel, cars, and electronic equipment.
Comma [ , ]
用於對等連接詞如 and, but, or 之前，隔開兩個對等子句：
That was the best meal we had ever enjoyed, and we were delighted with the service.
*First he stopped at the bank and then he went to his office.
以 A, B, and C 的形式呈現一個系列：
The menu offered the usual choices of steak, chops, and chicken.
If you study hard, concentrate, and take your time, you’re sure to pass.
將主要子句前面的從屬子句或引介性的片語隔開：
When he had tired of the mad pace of Taipei, he moved to Sanchi.
In the beginning, she liked the work well enough.
*When he was tired he would lie down for a while.
*When the meeting was over, our heads were swimming.
*More and more, people wait until the deadline to file their taxes.
隔開主要子句前面的獨立片語與分詞構句：
Winter having arrived early, we left for the South.
Lying on the couch, the boy had a dream.
在平行對稱結構中代表省略：
You will take the first cab and I, the second.
Bert always brings his lunch; Susan, hardly ever.
標示出句中元素不正常的調動：
That they would accept the money, none of us seriously doubted.
隔開名詞片語中居於對等地位的形容詞：
She had bright, mischievous, laughing brown eyes.
以括弧性的逗點隔開句中一個插入的片段：
The apples, though freshly picked, were spoiled in shipment.
以括弧性的逗點隔開成對比的元素：
Jesse, not Frank, was the first to arrive.
以括弧性的逗點隔開同位格：
Chen Shuibian, our President, is a very lucky man.
以括弧性的逗點隔開一個非限制用法的關係子句或片語：
My gun, which is now over the mantelpiece, hasn’t been used for years.
Such a device, known as a scanner, senses the data and enters it into the computer.
Dash [ -- ]
表示句意的突然轉折或中斷（可取代對等連接詞）：
He is—how shall I put it?—an obnoxious fool.
She said, “I am at a loss to understand—”
引導同位格，尤其用於已經有許多逗點的情況：
The three R’s—reading, writing, and arithmetic—are again being stressed.
引導一個作歸納之用的片語或子句：
Educating citizens, improving the human environment, and planning rural society in the 21st century—these are some of the goals.
Hyphen [ - ]
用於複合字：
We employ state-of-the-art technology.
There’s a well-dressed man waiting outside.
*He is a foreign-car dealer.
Quotation Marks [ “ ” ]
用於強調某個單字本身，或者用來表示「所謂的」：
Words like “never” and “always” should be used sparingly.
You know what he does on his “house calls”?
Semicolon [ ; ]
取代對等連接詞（and, but, or 等）來連接對等子句：
Some readers will recognize the writers being parodied; however, others will need to consult the notes.
在較長、較複雜、含有較多逗點的句子中，用於隔開對等子句：
Unconsciously, native English-speakers develop a way of associating certain words such as helium, heliotrope, heliocentric, and heliograph; but a systematic study of the internal structure of those words would show that the common element is helio-, a combining form meaning “the sun,” “bright,” “radiant.”
用於呈現 a, A; b, B; and c, C 之類的系列：
The tour included Miami, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Kingston, Jamaica.
