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Manser, Martin H. "Question Mark." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 18 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=GTGW054>.
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Question Mark


A question mark (?) is a punctuation mark used in place of a period at the end of a sentence to indicate that it is a direct question:

What do you mean?
When will you leave?
In some circumstances, such as quoted questions, the question mark does not necessarily appear at the end of the sentence but is placed inside the closing quotation marks:

"Are you staying?" she asked anxiously.
"Is this the quickest way home?" he inquired.
Other rare exceptions to the placement of question marks anywhere but at the end of a sentence are in parentheses or when used to question a particular fact, such as an uncertain statistic or a speculative birth or death date (St. Gereon [d. 304?]). Here the question mark is usually placed immediately after the dubious fact being given.

Question marks should not be used in the case of indirect questions:

They asked if that was all that was left.
We were just wondering what you intend to do.
She is curious to know how it happened.
They are necessary, however, in the case of rhetorical questions, even though no answer is expected:

How can he be so stupid?
Why do people do things like that?
Question marks can follow single words, as well as longer sentences:

Are you coming? Yes? No?
In some contexts the presence of a question mark can turn what is ostensibly a statement into a question:

You're going to eat that?
They can't be serious?
Question marks are frequently used in requests:

May I sit down?
Could I open the window?
Longer requests, however, tend to end in a period not a question mark, especially where they are closer to an order:

Would all customers please check their change before leaving.
A special case deserving attention is that of direct questions containing such "thinking" verbs as wonder, which generally require a question mark:

How will this story end, we wonder?
Note, however, that if the verb is in the past, then the question should be treated as reported speech and therefore does not require a question mark:

How would the story end, we wondered.
As with exclamation points, question marks should not be doubled or tripled for emphasis, except in very informal contexts, such as personal diaries or notes to friends. The same applies to the combination of a question mark and an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence.

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