Comma quirk irks Rogers
对标点符号不太在意的朋友看看这篇报道： Comma quirk irks Rogers
The validity of the contract and the millions of dollars at stake all came down to one point — the second comma in the sentence.
Had it not been there, the right to cancel wouldn’t have applied to the first five years of the contract and Rogers would be protected from the higher rates it now faces.
“Based on the rules of punctuation,” the comma in question “allows for the termination of the [contract] at any time, without cause, upon one-year’s written notice,” the regulator said.
因为一个逗号损失$213万，亏大了。大家记得要吸取教训，认真对待标点符号。
Bonus video: Diddy featuring Nicole Scherzinger - Come To Me
August 17th, 2006 at 1:15 am
关于标点符号，请 yan 同学帮我解答一个长期困扰我的问题：
The movie is said to be “fantastic.”
The movie is said to be “fantastic”.
哪一句的引号和句号的相对位置是对的？
中文里肯定是第二种。但我看过的所有英文正式出版物，几乎全用第一种用法。
Yan:
都对。放在引号里的是American English采用的标准，放在引号外的是British English采用的标准。
非常确定。
August 17th, 2006 at 6:05 am
看来要好好看看那本Eats, Shoots and Leaves了。放在书架上一年了还没翻过。你看过吧？觉得怎么样？
Yan:
的确有帮助，不过没有想象中那么好。
August 17th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
The agreement “shall continue in force for a period of five years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party.”
还有就是要避免使用过长的句子，所谓夜长梦多……呵呵。
Yan:
没错。Kiss(keep it simple, stupid)是真理。
August 18th, 2006 at 12:26 am
美式英语的用法不好。尤其是引号跟叹号、问号、省略号什么的一起出现的时候。
Yan:
在这一点上，我一向用英式英语。
August 18th, 2006 at 7:53 pm
This website is so awesome! It’s just what I want and Ithink I can benefit a lot from it.
Known fact: 师范大学 is translated as “normal university” in English. Why normal? I feel confused. Could you possibly give a proper explanation? Millions of thanks!
Yan:
This should help you: http://www.answers.com/topic/normal-school
August 28th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
又回去查了一下，原来是这样的：美式英语标准用法是，逗号和句号不管什么情况都放在引号里面，别的标点符号要看是不是引文的一部分，再决定是在里面还是外面。而英式英语就是全部要看是不是引文的一部分。跟中文习惯一致。
美式英语这一点很不合理啊。