逗號別亂用啊! Don't Misuse Comma

標點符號的使用規則也是文法的一部分，很多人常誤用逗號，英語為母語的人士也不例外，甚至是那些寫教科書的外籍作者(非英語文學背景) 也會誤用，就好像我們對自己的中文文法也是一知半解，是吧！問題是有些英語學習者，尤其是在網路上找學習資源者，常因輕易採納來源不明或不具公信力的資訊，而被誤導。最好是參考語言專業者或組織所建立的網站，例如大學內部的英語文相關部門、資深英語文作家、英語文教授…等，先閱讀網站介紹，看該網站是否有這樣的背景及專業人才，如果沒有，就保守為宜，最好身邊要有一本文法大全。

以下是我常看到逗號被誤用的例子：

錯誤1：Margie read the book, because she wanted to learn about the past.

訂正：Margie read the book because she wanted to learn about the past.
            = Because Margie wanted to learn about the past, she read the book.

說明：
1. 從屬子句 (subordinate clause) 如果在主要子句 (main clause) 的後面，勿插入逗號。

2. 從屬子句 = because, when, after, before, as soon as, if, although …等從屬連接詞所帶領的子句、具有副詞功能，屬於副詞子句，用來修飾(modify)主要子句的動詞。

3. 既然副詞子句和單一副詞都是用來修飾動詞，副詞子句的位置被前置時，其使用逗號的規則，就和單一副詞的情況是一樣的。
例如: Finally, she accomplished the difficult task. (finally副詞擺在主要句前，插入逗號)
      = She accomplished the difficult task finally. (finally在主要句後，不插入逗號)

4. 有人說，有時為了避免誤會原意，because子句前必須插入逗號。例如http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm

例句：I knew that President Nixon would resign that morning, because my sister-in-law worked in the White House and she called me with the news.

如果沒有逗號，句意會有ambiguous (曖昧不明) 的問題，也就是會有兩種句意：

(1)  I knew (that President Nixon would resign that morning because my sister-in-law worked in the White House and she called me with the news).　
我早知道：Nixon總統會辭職是因為我的sister-in-law在白宮工作，而且是她來電告訴我這消息的。

(2) (I knew that President Nixon would resign that morning) (because my sister-in-law worked in the White House and she called me with the news). 我早知Nixon總統會辭職，因為我那在白宮工作的sister-in-law來電告訴我的。

但是，有人質疑這樣的用法就打破了文法規則 (不可於從屬子句前插入逗號），而且，如果一句話會ambiguous，是表達方式出問題，只要改變句子的說法，就能解決問題（例如：Because my sister-in-law who worked in the White House called me with the news, I knew that President Nixon would resign that morning.），為什麼要寫一個易造成混淆的句子，再違反文法規則、插入逗號？許多語言專家也提到：不可於because子句前插入逗號。

讀了一些正反兩派的說法後，得到一個結論：遵循原來的文法規則 (不可於從屬子句前插入逗號），一定不會錯，避免寫出ambiguous的句子，否則比較會有爭議。

 錯誤2：It was a sunny day, but not a very warm day.

訂正： It was a sunny day but not a very warm day. (= It was a sunny but not very warm day.)
               = It was a sunny day, but it was not a very warm day.

說明：

1. 對等連接詞coordinative conjuction (but, or, nor, for, so, and, yet…) 連接兩個主要子句時，對等連接詞前要逗號，但是but not a very warm day不是子句，而是片語，因為not a very warm day不是完整句。

2. but子句和前面的主要子句共享同一個主詞及be動詞，所以but子句可以省略重複的it was，但是因為句構被改變了，變成but連接前後兩個對等片語，所以不能用逗號隔開：It was (a sunny day but not a very warm day).

3. 只要but子句內的主詞被省略而變成了片語結構，就不要在but前面插入逗號。

錯誤3：The football players want to improve; accordingly they pump iron day and night.

訂正：The football players want to improve; accordingly, they pump iron day and night.

說明：

 

分號後面伴隨連繫副詞(conjunctive adverb)且該副詞連結兩個子句時，連繫副詞後面要加逗號。連繫副詞呈現兩個子句的因果、順序、對比、比較、或其他關係，譬如：therefore, however, additionally, consequently, furthermore, in fact, as a result, likewise, next, meanwhile, rather…等等皆為連繫副詞。

 

錯誤4：Studying at home really tests my power of concentration; I have to block out my toddler asking, “What doin’, Mommy?” every few minutes.

訂正：Studying at home really tests my power of concentration; I have to block out my toddler asking “What doin’, Mommy?” every few minutes.

說明：

該引號中的話被當成asking的受詞，主要是呈現問了什麼，而非陳述現場的對話內容，因此不需要在asking後加逗號。

 

錯誤5：On many community college campuses women who are returning to college choose to join the organization Women in Transition.

訂正：On many community college campuses, women who are returning to college choose to join the organization Women in Transition.

說明：

介系詞片語若被放在句子的開頭，且具有副詞功能，後面要加逗號。就像單一副詞放在句首要加逗號一樣 (例：Certainly, I will never forget you.) 。

 

錯誤6：This is my boyfriend, John.

訂正：This is my boyfriend John.

說明：

This is my boyfriend, John. 這句話有ambiguous的句意：

(1) 這是我男友，叫約翰。
(2) 約翰，這是我男友。(John, this is my boyfriend. = This is my boyfriend, John.)
所以，最好刪除逗號，讓句意更清楚。

 

錯誤7：The baby pulled the lever, so he could get some candy.
訂正：The baby pulled the lever so (that) he could get some candy.

說明：

這裡的so不是「所以」，而是so that (以便、以致於)的意思，so後面的that可以被省略，所以很容易搞錯成「所以」的so。如果是so (所以)子句，前面當然就要加逗號。但是當so在句中有「目的、以便、以致於、致使」的含意時，就可以判斷它是so that 的so，只是that被省略了而已，而so that子句前不可加逗號。

 

錯誤8：They are young alert social workers. 他們是年輕又警醒的社工。
訂正：They are young, alert social workers. (= They are young and alert social workers.)

說明：

1.  young和alert是對等形容詞(coordinate adjectives)，它們各別以同等程度形容social workers，需要以逗號隔開，或中間加入and。放對等形容詞時，沒有先後順序的限制，你也可以說alert, young social workers

2. 階層形容詞 (hierarchical adjectives)之間就不能有逗號了，中間不能加入and，還要按照形容詞的類別順序放置於名詞前。例如：red Spanish leather riding boots

以上，riding形容boots，leather 形容riding boots，Spanish 形容leather riding boots，最後red 形容Spanish leather riding boots，分層次形容。

此類形容詞的先後順序規則為 (由左到右排列)：

 

 

代名形容詞		數量形容詞		性狀形容詞
冠詞前adj	冠詞adj 指示adj 所有adj 不定adj	序數	基數	性質狀態	大小長短形狀	新舊 溫度	顏色	國籍	材料	名詞、 動名詞
例字 all both such what	the a(n) your this another some	first next last	One ten many few	kind good sick	big long round	new young hot	red blue	Japanese English Chinese	iron stone silk	boy house fishing