通常我们都会会忽视标点符号的正确使用，以下是我们网站常年累积下来对标点符号使用的讲解。
英文essay写作中如果能把标点符号使用得准确、恰到好处，那么一定会让你的essay看上去更加完美。标点符号不仅能起到连接作用，还能让使文章在语意、表达、逻辑等全方位得到提升。以下我们会为大家带来英文写作中分号和破折号的使用。
一、分号
1、分号链接的是两个完整的句子，用分号代替句号则这两个句子的关系非常密切。即使句子中间含有连接副词（如however,otherwise,therefore和nevertheless等），前后两句依然需要用分号连接。比如You have to return all the books within two weeks;otherwise,you can’t borrow any more books.
2、当句子中已含有一个或多个逗号时，分号还可以被当做一种“超级逗号”来使用，这样句子的逻辑关系更加明确。比如Suncom Corporation has subsidiaries in three cities:New York,the biggest city in the U.S;Washington,thecapital of the U.S;and San Francisco in California.
注意，当两个句子由连词连接时一般用逗号不用分号。
二、破折号
使用破折号主要是表示思想上突然的中断或转折，具有强调作用，有时与括号相似，但不如括号正式。
1、用于叙述性的文章时就是表示强调。比如Linda Simpson—the president’s most trusted economic advisor—will resign her office during today’spress conference.该句中主要是强调人物的身份地位。
2、表示思想上的突然中断或语气的突然改变。比如I’m coming to the next point—but you are not listening at all.He would tell the world what he had seen there—if he could survive.第一中表示转折，第二句表示假设，都有明显的改变痕迹。
3、对一系列事物进行总结。比如Mild,wet and cloudy—these are the characteristics of weather in Vancouver.Chocolate,cream,honey and peanut butter—all go into this fabulously rich dessert.破折号所起的作用与汉语中冒号的作用相同。
4、作解释或补充性说明。比如I was neither happy nor unhappy—only amazed.Most Canadians—but not all—voted in the last election.破折号的句子部分是对句子某一部分的解释或补充，作用也与括号相似。
三冒号
（1）冒号的最主要作用就是引出和提起注意。For example:
He has only one thing on his mind:money.
He has only one thing on his mind:a lot of money.
He has only one thing on his mind:he wants to earn a lot of money.
He has three important things on his mind:a warm family,a lot of money and good health.
以上一组例句显示出冒号不仅可以引出单个的词或词组，也可以引导出一个句子或一系列的事物。My doctor gave me one good piece of advice:to eat less and do more exercise.从该句又可以看出，advice后的冒号能使读者不自主地将注意力集中到后面的内容，起到了强调的作用。
（2）冒号的具体用法：
1、用来引出解释或概括性的词语或句子。如The sentence is poorly structured:it lacks both unity and coherence.
2、引出同位语。如He had only one pleasure in life:reading.
3、用在有引号或没有引号的直接引语前。如Edgar Brown gave a young writer this advice:“Take your successes seriously,yourself not so seriously.”
以上就是我们对常用符号的解释和说明，还有更多的标点符号的巧妙使用方法，写手要自己去整理和使用哦。