英语语法：212 How to Format URLs in Text

Grammar Girl here. Today's topic is how to treat URLs when you have to use them in text.

Also, keep listening through to the end of the show because I have another writing contest for you.

Web addresses are strange beasts; they seem more like equations or long numbers than words. All the rules for how to handle uniform resource locators (or URLs) in documents are matters of style, but some styles make more sense than others.

URLs and Terminal Punctuation¹

URLs always have internal periods and are often scattered² with other punctuation marks too, so what do you do when one shows up at the end of a sentence? Should you include the period or other terminal punctuation mark at the end of the sentence as you normally would, leave off the period so the reader doesn't mistakenly include it in the address, or do something funky³ such as put quotes around the Web address? As you're weighing your options, first consider whether you are writing for print or the Web.

Print

If you're writing for print, Web addresses don't need special treatment. Put the period, question mark, or exclamation⁵ point at the end of the sentence just as you would if the sentence ended with a word or a number. You may choose to highlight the URL in some way, such as making it bold or blue, but it isn't necessary.

Online

When you're writing a URL on a blog, in an e-mail program, or in some other online environment and the link will be active, you have to be sure the terminal punctuation won't be included in the address when someone clicks on it or quickly copies it and pastes it into their browser⁶. Many e-mail and instant messaging programs, for example, automatically make everything following http:// active until they reach a space -- meaning the terminal punctuation will be included in the address when someone clicks on it, resulting in a broken link. Thus, unless you can control exactly how the address will be rendered, it's best to leave off the terminal punctuation or rewrite the sentence so the URL doesn't come at the end.

I know! I can hear some of you gasping⁷ in horror now, and it makes me crazy to leave off the punctuation too, but I've had enough people complain that a link I posted or sent them didn't work, that I've decided⁸ functionality beats traditional sentence structure. The purpose of good writing is to make things as clear as possible for your reader, so I believe the most important thing is to make sure the link you are sending or posting actually works. As I said, these are just style recommendations, so if you can't deal with leaving off the punctuation, you don't have to. Just make sure you use a consistent style and, again, try to rewrite the sentence so the URL doesn't come at the end. That's the best solution.

The Full Monty: Full URLs Versus⁹ Abbreviated¹⁰ URLs

Now, what about abbreviating¹¹ the address? Some people prefer to write out the entire address including the http:// and www parts, whereas other people prefer to write the shortest address that will still work when you type it into a Web browser. Whether you should write out the full URL is also a matter of style, but for the reasons that follow, I recommend writing out the complete address every time.

Most websites will come up in a browser if you leave off the。。。but not all websites will. If you opt⁴ to use an abbreviated address, always test it in a browser first; don't assume it will work.
Not every address uses www either. For example, the direct Grammar Girl Web address is。。。It's best to include the http:// in this kind of address because people may be confused if you just write grammar.quickanddirtytips.com and may try to insert a www in front of it.
 
The bottom line is that although an abbreviated address may look smoother and more tech savvy¹², it's not going to work every time, so you're going to end up writing the 。。。 sometimes. Since you have to write it sometimes, it makes your style more consistent to use it all the time.
Web Bonus

As I was finishing this script, I realized that I violate my own rule when I read Web addresses in the show. I always truncate¹³ the address whenever possible. I do it because it seems painfully tedious to say "h-t-t-p-colon-slash¹⁴-slash-w-w-w-dot." Although reading a URL on a page doesn't take a lot of extra work for the reader, forcing listeners to sit through reading a full URL out loud seems almost cruel. I support a different style for scripts than I do for printed or online documents.

Long URLs

The next problem you are likely to encounter is what to do with a long URL. You know what I mean: one of those dynamically generated URLs that seem to go on forever with equal signs and question marks and lots of numbers.

The most important thing is that if you have to break a URL across two lines, don't insert an extra hyphen at the line break. That will definitely confuse people because it's common for URLs to have internal hyphens. And if there is a hyphen in the address, don't make the line break right after it; that will confuse people because they won't know whether you are improperly¹⁵ inserting a hyphen to mark the break or the hyphen is part of the address.

Instead, if you have to wrap the URL to a new line, find a natural break like a slash, number sign, or other symbol. Again, use common sense: don't break a URL right after a period or readers might think the period marks the end of the sentence. If you must break at a period, make the break before the period so it starts the new line.

 

Active Links

Some word processing programs annoyingly make a link active when you type the full address. I find that almost as annoying as Clippy, the old Microsoft pop-up helper. If your document will be read only in print, there's no reason to make the link active; it'll just show up underlined in the printout, which is unnecessary. Different word processing programs have different ways of removing the link, but it is always possible.

On the other hand, if your document will be on the Web or in an e-mail message, do make the link clickable so it's easier for your readers to visit the page.

Click Here and Underlining

Finally, when you're turning words into links on a Web page, link the words that best describe what you are linking to. For example, link the words "Grammar Girl Homepage" instead of linking generic¹⁶ words such as "click here." Using meaningful link text also helps your site rank well in search engines and makes it easier for people with visual impairments to navigate¹⁷ your site. (They may be using software that only reads the link text to them.)

Also, it's best to avoid underlining things for emphasis on websites because underlining is the style for hyperlinks¹⁸ on the Web. I know that it's possible to make links any style you want if you fiddle¹⁹ with the code, but underlining is the default style, so if you underline text, some people will think it's an active link.

Administrative²⁰

This episode was adapted from my print book, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.

Writing Contest

I just found out about another writing contest. It's a short fiction contest sponsored by Narrative²¹ Magazine. You can submit up to 10,000 words, and the deadline is November 30. There's a $20 entry fee, but they are giving cash prizes to 13 winners. Details are at narrativemagazine.com and there's also a link at the end of this transcript--"Using URLs in Text"--at the Grammar Girl section of QuickandDirtyTips.com, where you can also find my contact information and all the other great Quick and Dirty Tips podcasts. This week, our new Modern Manners Guy is talking about how to gracefully²² break-up with your hairdresser.

That's all. Thanks for listening.
 

1 punctuation   

n.标点符号，标点法

参考例句：

• My son's punctuation is terrible.我儿子的标点符号很糟糕。
• A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.一篇没有任何标点符号的文章是很难懂的。

2 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

3 funky   

adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的

参考例句：

• The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。
• It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。

4 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

5 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

6 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

7 gasping   

adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
• "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗？”“我巴不得能喝点！”

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

10 abbreviated   

adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He abbreviated so much that it was hard to understand his article. 他的文章缩写词使用太多，令人费解。
• The United States of America is commonly abbreviated to U.S.A.. 美利坚合众国常被缩略为U.S.A.。

11 abbreviating   

使简短( abbreviate的现在分词 )； 缩简； 缩略； 使用缩写词

参考例句：

• Savings from abbreviating any one name aren't dramatic, but they add up. 任何单个名字的缩写都不可能带来戏剧性的节省，但是它们可以累积起来。
• Develop your own way of abbreviating words. 养成自己词语缩略方法。

12 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

13 truncate   

v.修短；截掉

参考例句：

• Sorry,the text is too long to edit.Truncate it to 255 characters? 对不起，文本太长了，无法进行编辑。将其截断到255个字符吗？
• Do you want to truncate the transaction log? 是否要截断事务日志？

14 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

15 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

16 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

17 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

18 hyperlinks   

n.超链接( hyperlink的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Specifies if hyperlinks are displayed and function within the control. 指定是否显示超级链接以及它是否在控件中起作用。 来自互联网
• View, add, and change pages, documents, themes, and borders; recalculate hyperlinks. 查看、添加和更改网页、文档、主题和边框；重新计算超链接。 来自互联网

19 fiddle   

n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动

参考例句：

• She plays the fiddle well.她小提琴拉得好。
• Don't fiddle with the typewriter.不要摆弄那架打字机了。

20 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

21 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

22 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。