MaxH
New Member
Posts: 14
|
Post by MaxH on Jul 3, 2008 12:00:41 GMT
I was taught that question marks come at the end of a sentence even when the sentence contains several questions. Lately I have noticed that many writers are putting the question mark after each question. I am interested in your comments. Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by Vadim on Jul 3, 2008 12:24:20 GMT
Hi Maxh, With regards to the question mark, I would always use the mark whenever replacing a full point when the text before it is a question. When breaking a sentence, as your question asks, I think it varies depending on what you are saying. The weather is wonderful outside, isn't it? ...but... Was the weather good today? Raining? Snowing? What are your thoughts? I accept both of those, I don't know what others think. There are also other suggestions pertaining to whether the question is embedded within another sentence, and then there are those cases where the mark isn't required, such as: May I thank you all for coming to the dance.This could be recast however, to remove any arguments, and simply stated as - Thank you all for coming to the dance. Then there are the double marks, the expression marks, and those used to indicate doubt (?) etc. Getting back to your original point however (sorry ), I think the question mark comes wherever you would expect the break (point). Hope this helps.
|
|
|
Post by Dave M on Jul 3, 2008 12:49:46 GMT
Hi, maxh
Perhaps you could give us an example of the "at the end of several questions" format.
I'm guessing, but perhaps you mean something like this: Did you arrive by car this morning, and if so did you see the accident at the gate - or did you come by train?
I'd certainly put only one at the end of that (just as the speaker would only give the raising "question tone" at the end). Otherwise, I agree with Vadim's examples.
|
|
|
Post by Vadim on Jul 3, 2008 13:01:09 GMT
I'm with you, Dave, when there is no full break. If using commas, dashes, or the like, I too would use the "?" at the end.
The sentence may be written as:
Did you arrive by car this morning? If so, did you see the accident at the gate? If not, did you come by train?
Your sentence reads, and sounds, much better, I was just trying to identify why "we" could use several "?" in what seems like one question.
|
|
|
Post by Dave M on Jul 3, 2008 14:40:21 GMT
We coiuld ask the three questions either way, Vadim - but the two ways sound different, and are written differently.
|
|
MaxH
New Member
Posts: 14
|
Post by MaxH on Jul 3, 2008 16:04:22 GMT
Thanks for the comments, guys. It seems simple (and correct) when the mark replaces a period. How is the weather today? Raining?
I am a little more dubious about: How is the weather today? is it raining? or has the sleet turned to snow? Even if we remove the mark after 'raining' it seems wrong to follow a question mark with anything other than a capital letter.
|
|
|
Post by Alan Palmer on Jul 3, 2008 17:58:36 GMT
I can't really think of an instance where several questions would be asked in the same sentence. As others have said, you'd really have a series of question-sentences.
The only times when a question mark appears in the middle of a sentence is when it is quoted or parenthesised, such as in He asked me "Are you coming to my party?" last week. or Your name is Max (is that right?) Clifford.
|
|
|
Post by Pete on Jul 3, 2008 22:11:35 GMT
I am a little more dubious about: How is the weather today? is it raining? or has the sleet turned to snow? Even if we remove the mark after 'raining' it seems wrong to follow a question mark with anything other than a capital letter. I have seen this before, with the ? acting as a comma, rather than a full stop. I have merely assumed it to be a question of style. I vaguely recall hearing somewhere that a ? or a ! can stand in place of other punctuation marks than full stops.
|
|
|
Post by Verbivore on Jul 3, 2008 23:56:35 GMT
MaxH: I have seen this serial use of question marks used to good effect by a few writers (those competent enough to get away with "breaking rules"); however, generally I find it ugly.
In ordinary use, I'd be inclined to place a question mark at the end of a series of related questions and employ semicolons to separate those questions, thus:
Did you come by bus or train; was the journey comfortable; and was the fare expensive?
Otherwise I would make each query a separate entity, using initial caps and question marks, thus:
Did you come by bus or train? Was the journey comfortable? And was the fare expensive?
|
|
MaxH
New Member
Posts: 14
|
Post by MaxH on Jul 4, 2008 6:37:46 GMT
Agreed, Verbivore, that a question mark not followed by a cap is ugly! I shall continue to use the mark as I was taught to use it and sneer in principal at people who use it differently ;-)
|
|
|
Post by Pete on Jul 4, 2008 13:10:25 GMT
Agreed, Verbivore, that a question mark not followed by a cap is ugly! I shall continue to use the mark as I was taught to use it and sneer in principal at people who use it differently ;-) I suggest you'd do better to sneer in principle.
|
|
|
Post by Pete on Jul 4, 2008 13:11:05 GMT
MaxH: I have seen this serial use of question marks used to good effect by a few writers (those competent enough to get away with "breaking rules"); however, generally I find it ugly. In ordinary use, I'd be inclined to place a question mark at the end of a series of related questions and employ semicolons to separate those questions, thus: Did you come by bus or train; was the journey comfortable; and was the fare expensive?Otherwise I would make each query a separate entity, using initial caps and question marks, thus: Did you come by bus or train? Was the journey comfortable? And was the fare expensive?I prefer the separate sentence approach. It's clearer.
|
|
MaxH
New Member
Posts: 14
|
Post by MaxH on Jul 4, 2008 13:42:39 GMT
Jeez! If I am ever going to make a crass error it's going to be at a grammar site :-(
|
|
|
Post by Alan Palmer on Jul 4, 2008 15:27:04 GMT
Sod's (or Murphy's) law, I'm afraid. ;D
|
|
|
Post by Pete on Jul 4, 2008 16:32:54 GMT
Jeez! If I am ever going to make a crass error it's going to be at a grammar site :-( We all do it!
|
|