How to End a Final Sentence with the Question

How to end a final sentence with the question? The question mark must be used at the final part of a direct question.

Question mark also ends a tag question. The positive statement presupposes the negative tag question. The negative statement is ended with the positive tag question. Here are examples: She should stop smoking, shouldn't she? They are not working well, are they?

The question mark is used if a statement contains a built in question: We can get to New York quicker, can't we, if we take this road? He ended her comments with a categorical why not?

How to end a final sentence with the question? Rhetorical questions end with a question mark: How else should you finish it, after all?

A question sentence may contain several short questions. In this case, each of the short questions begins with a lowercase letter and ends with a question mark: Who is accountable for the plan? the trainer? the training staff? the players?

If a question contains an abbreviation at the end, put a period and add the question mark. Example: Didn't she used to reside in Washington, D.C.?

If the question mark enters into an italicized title, the question mark is italicized: My preferred book is Are You Happy?

If the question mark does not enter into the title, the question mark is not italicized: Did she sing the French anthem, la Marseillaise?

Question mark is not used at the end of an indirect question: I asked my sister if she had this book.

If a question contains a polite request, the question mark is not usually used.

Notes

• Grammarians consider that it is not always good to combine a question mark with other marks.
• The combination of a question mark with other marks is possible in informal writing style to express mixed tones: She said you what!?

Related questions & answers

• How to End a Final Sentence?
• Summary: How to end a final sentence? Review the main issues of your work. A final sentence must reiterate the main idea and leave the reader with emotions, thoughts, and questions.
• Category: Literature and Language