I have recently received some enquiries from new clients asking me to help them with their writing skills in English。

　　最近，我收到一些客户的询问，请求我帮助他们解决英语写作技巧的问题。

　　This gave me an idea of starting a new series entitled English Writing Skills. In this series I will explore the different techniques that are required to produce good writing both in academia and business. The areas I plan to cover will vary from developing arguments through the use of linkers, punctuation, spelling and correct register (formal versus informal)。

　　这让我有了开始一系列名为英语写作技巧的主意。在这个系列中，我将提出不同的写作技巧，能够满足学术和商业领域的写作需求。这个系列我计划通过连接词、标点符号、拼写和准确定位(正规和不正规比较)来覆盖各种不同的论据。

　　If there are any aspects of writing that you’d like me to write about, please do let me know and I will happily add it to the series。

　　如果你想要我说明关于写作的某些方面，请告诉我，我非常乐意将它加入到这个系列中。

　　In this first post of the series, I have decided to examine three punctuation symbols that are used in writing but are often confused and consequently ignored by many people – the dash (-)， semicolon (；) and colon (：)。

　　在这个系列的第一篇文章中，我决定剖析三个标点符号，它们是大家在写作中会经常使用的，但也是经常感到困惑和经常忽略的符号----破折号(-)，分号 (；) 和冒号 (：)

　　I found this extremely helpful and informative infographic prepared by Grammar Net. According to Grammar Net: “ Dashes, semicolons and colons are potent punctuation. They add clarity, call attention to sentence elements and improve the “flow,” but they also add drama and are destructive if over-used。

　　我发现一个由语法网准备的一个非常有帮助、涵盖了有用信息的信息图。根据语法网定义：破折号、分号和冒号都是有效的标点符号。他们增加了句子成分的清晰度，吸引人注意并提高句子的连贯性，但是如果使用过度，也会增加句子的戏剧性，对句子造成破坏性。

　　This infographic provides a clear explanation of how to use these symbols. Let me know what you think. The infographic refers to period as a punctuation symbol. “Period” is American English. “Full Stop” is British English。

　　这张信息图对如何使用这些符号给出了一个清晰的阐述。让我知道你是怎么想的。信息图涉及到了作为标点符号的句号。“period”(句号)是美式英语的表达。“Full stop”(句号)是英式英语的表达。

　　Hyphens

　　连字符

　　red-orange cat

　　桔红色的猫

　　one-way street

　　单行道

　　T-shirt

　　T恤

　　e-mail

　　电子邮件

　　Dashes

　　破折号

　　June—the start of summer—was cold this year。

　　六月—夏天的开始—但今年很冷。

　　Dashes creat a powerful speed bump and can destroy the flow of writing if used too often。

　　破折号表达一种强有力的停顿，如果使用太频繁会破坏写作的流畅性。

　　Dashes → Interruption of thought or conversation。

　　破折号→表示想法或谈话中断

　　"I was about to go to the—ooh,let's go get ice cream!"

　　“我准备去——啊，我们去吃冰淇淋！”

　　"Where's my cheeseburger? I just put it on the—hey,whose dog is this!"

　　“我的干酪肉饼在哪里？我刚把它放在——嘿，这是谁的狗？”

　　→ introduction or a conclusion。

　　表示介绍或者总结。

　　"Ketchup, mustard, pickles—I was ready for my cheeseburger."

　　“番茄酱，芥末，腌菜——我准备好做干酪肉饼了。”

　　"I was prepared but had forgotten one crucial element—the cheeseburger, itself."

　　“我准备好了。但是忘记了一个关键的材料——干酪肉饼本身啊。”

　　If you’d like more information on how to use that pesky semicolon, take a look at this brilliant and beautifully illustrated explanation by The Oatmeal。

　　如果你想知道关于如何使用令人厌烦的分号的更多信息，就看一下由Oatmeal对它简练又精美的阐述吧。（来源：沪江英语）