這些都是編輯們在學生的稿件中發(fā)現的錯句：
Your paper is very impressive, it inspires me a lot.
I am interested in your research, it matches my experience.
This teacher taught me to transform my paralyzing fears into a determined drive for success, my life then changed.
把以上三個句子翻譯成中文，標點符合是沒有問題的；然而與漢語不同的是，英語中的逗號沒有連接兩個分句的作用。在這種情況下，我們要么把逗號改成分號，要么使用相應的連詞表示其邏輯關系。這三個句子可以分別更正為：
Your paper is very impressive;it inspires me a lot./ Your paper is very impressive， and it inspires me a lot.
I am interested in your research;it matches my experience./ I am interested in your research, because it matches my experience.
This teacher taught me to transform my paralyzing fears into adetermined drive for success; my life then changed. / This teachertaught me to transform my paralyzing fears into a determined drive forsuccess, so my life then changed.
并列成分中最后一項之前的逗號不能省略
下面是標點符號出了小錯誤的句子：
In middle school I grappled with chronic mental downside, a physical manifestation of the fear, guilt and anxiety.
I love charcoal drawings, oil paintings and black-and-white photography.
在列舉幾個并列成分時，我們通常會用and來連接最后一個部分，而中國學生極容易忽略在and之前加一個逗號。上面兩句應該做這樣的改動：
In middle school I grappled with chronic mental downside, a physical manifestation of the fear, guilt, and anxiety.
I love charcoal drawings, oil paintings, and black-and-white photography.
不同符號在引號里或引號外的位置不同
美式英語中引語的符號與中文有較大的不同。看以下幾個句子：
錯：He said: "Never again will we fail."
表示“某人說”后面的冒號應改為逗號。應改為：
He said, "Never again will we fail."
錯： "Never again will we fail." he said.
如果引語在前面，“某人說”在句后，應在引語的引號內用逗號終結引語。應改為：
"Never again will we fail," he said.
錯： He said, "Never again will we fail;” we nonetheless give a try.
錯： He said, "Never again will we go so far:” those very words.
冒號和分號一律放在引號以外。應改為：
He said, "Never again will we fail"; we nonetheless give a try.
He said, "Never again will we go so far": those very words.
在你的留學文書或套磁信中，當提到教授論文或著作中的某一句時，需要標上頁碼數，頁碼的雙括號應標在引號之后、句末符號之前。如下：
"...government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish..." (p.76).
Americans fought bitterly so that "government of the people, by thepeople, and for the people, shall not perish" (p.76); yet seldom....
留學申請資料是非常正式的文書，標點符號馬虎不得。英文中有句話是 “Any writer can get better when it comes to punctuation.”標點符號是容易忽略的角落，也是很能鑒別英文書寫能力高低的細節(jié)！