QUESTION MARK ?
As with other end-of-sentence marks like the full stop and exclamation mark, the question mark (sometimes called an interrogation point or a query) is used to finish a statement – but only to end a question (technically called an interrogative sentence). It should only be used for direct questions:
- Where have all the flowers gone?
- She asked, “Can I go shopping?”
- Is this all there is?
- Who amongst you is without sin?
But do not use a question mark for indirect questions:
- I wonder who will be the next Reserve Bank governor. [No answer required.]
- She asked if she could go shopping.
- He asked if he could borrow my lawnmower.
Note: there should be no space left before any punctuation mark except for the en-dash and ellipsis (and then only in some cases). Confusion arises because the French sometimes place a space before exclamation and question marks.Back to top …