What's your opinion?

[Cole Parker]

I've always gone by the rule that a question mark belongs at the end of a sentence, or at the end of a quotation within a sentence, but not, ever, in the middle of a sentence itself.

For instance, in the following sentence, a question mark can be implied, but certainly wouldn't be added:

She wanted us to go to the movies, but even though I was wondering, which one would she pick from the several options we had, I didn't ask because I knew she'd want to surprise me.

Surprisingly, at least to me, in the past month I've read two books written by established authors that had sentences in them that included a mid-sentence question mark.

Does anyone else here have a problem with that? I think writing the above sentence as: She wanted us to go to the movies, but even though I was wondering, which one would she pick from the several options we had?, I didn't ask because I knew she'd want to surprise me. would be abominable.

Has anyone else seen this usage in printed material?

I know some complex sentences contain very specific questions in them, and the use of a question mark after an ending clause that isn't a question has always seemed to be the choice of the writer; it can be used or ignored, like this:

Why can public transportation be made to work well in Los Angeles; everyone agrees it has been very successful in San Francisco That sentence can end in either a question mark or period. Does everyone agree on that?

C

[DesDownunder]

I've always gone by the rule that a question mark belongs at the end of a sentence, or at the end of a quotation within a sentence, but not, ever, in the middle of a sentence itself.

For instance, in the following sentence, a question mark can be implied, but certainly wouldn't be added:

She wanted us to go to the movies, but even though I was wondering, which one would she pick from the several options we had, I didn't ask because I knew she'd want to surprise me.

Surprisingly, at least to me, in the past month I've read two books written by established authors that had sentences in them that included a mid-sentence question mark.

Does anyone else here have a problem with that? I think writing the above sentence as: She wanted us to go to the movies, but even though I was wondering, which one would she pick from the several options we had?, I didn't ask because I knew she'd want to surprise me. would be abominable.

Has anyone else seen this usage in printed material?

I know some complex sentences contain very specific questions in them, and the use of a question mark after an ending clause that isn't a question has always seemed to be the choice of the writer; it can be used or ignored, like this:

Why can public transportation be made to work well in Los Angeles; everyone agrees it has been very successful in San Francisco That sentence can end in either a question mark or period. Does everyone agree on that?

C

The movie sentence is just wrong to me.

Why can public transportation be made to work well in Los Angeles; everyone agrees it has been very successful in San Francisco That sentence can end in either a question mark or period. Does everyone agree on that?

Not entirely, no.

But first, Cole did you meant to say, "Why can't public transport..."

(It doesn't matter in the context of your inquiry, though.)

Secondly, I think the middle of sentence ? is a no-no. Better to split the sentence into two to form a question and a statement, or two questions.

Why can public transportation be made to work well in Los Angeles? Everyone agrees it has been very successful in San Francisco.

The problem I have with the second part of this sentence is that it is a fallacy. There is no corroborative evidence that everyone does in fact agree. (generalisation ad populum.)

Slightly less problematic is to place the question mark at the end of the compound sentence.

Why can public transportation be made to work well in Los Angeles; everyone agrees it has been very successful in San Francisco?

However that could be taken to be questioning both the state of transport in Los Angeles as well as if, everyone agrees about success in San Francisco, tentatively as a question seeking affirmation on the "everyone agrees."

If however, we place a period at the end, then it becomes an awkward sentence that is in fact a statement, with a fallacious generalisation.

This would be better constructed as

Why can public transportation be made to work well in Los Angeles; after all, there seems to be some agreement that it has been very successful in San Francisco.

Even so I'd prefer it as a separated question and statement.

I have seen the ? in the middle of sentences at Nifty, but I hardly consider that a reasonable source of authority in the matter.

I think too that compound questions and sentences that form a question as a statement are in the realm of rhetoric and as such may be more difficult to convey in the written form.

I can imagine an actor taking the original form of the sentence and testing various emphases in order to arrive at the most pertinent one for dramatic delivery.

No, I'd be looking at what it was I wanted to say a little more closely so that I could convey the intent in a more easily discernible manner; something I think which escapes me here?

[Camy]

My opinion is that a question mark is the same as a full stop in that it ends a sentence.

[JamesSavik]

Surprisingly, at least to me, in the past month I've read two books written by established authors that had sentences in them that included a mid-sentence question mark.

Just because the cool kids editors will let them get away with it doesn't mean that Talon_Rider will.

If you see anything like that in my work, rest assured that it's a typo and not a vain attempt to be too cool for school.

[The Pecman]

I agree with Cole. Butting up a question mark with a comma never looks right to me.

At the moment, my Chicago Manual of Style is packed up (since we just moved), or else I'd check it. But what Cole says makes 100% sense to me.

[colinian]

Camy has the definition spot on. A question mark is a full stop, just like a period. From infoplease:

Period, Question Mark, Exclamation Mark: The End of the Line

1. They are all end marks; that is, they are used at the end of a sentence.

2. All three marks of punctuation have the same function: to indicate a full stop.

3. They all show the end of a complete thought.

4. They can all prevent run-on sentences.{/quotee]

Colin

From Boston, where I woke up at 4 a.m. which is totally bizarre and way too early and decided to get on my laptop despite Chris growling at me for waking him (but only momentarily) and I guess this is jet lag or could it be jet lead since I flew from the Pacific time zone to the Eastern time zone? Note: here's a case when a question mark did not prevent a run-on sentence!

[colinian]

Here's an example I found this on the Europa Institutional Style Guide:

Use a question mark after an announcement in a sentence that what follows is a question, and after a ?semi-indirect? question:

We should ask ourselves: will it affect EU trade, and if so, how? Can the impact be measured?

The question mark is a full stop and the next sentence begins with a capital letter.

Colin

[Merkin]

Go back to bed, Colin.

I hope you two are going to the Esplanade this evening to hear the Pops.

James

[Cole Parker]

I certainly agree, and especially if the rule come from Boston, even if it is 4 AM there. Everyone knows intellectual and academic acuity are superior on the East coast.

So the conclusion to be drawn is, the punctuation rule isn't getting looser; the editorial rigor these days is.

C