Changeling Sentences :-O

[Ken]

"Instead of arguing with him, from now until the end of time, why don't I just get my point across, physically, which would be easy enough with this thick branch by my feet."

Starting off as a question, this sample sentence morphs into a statement, midway through, so does it still get a question mark at the end or a period? (Have been wondering about this for the longest time.)

[DeleyanLee]

Personally, I'd restructure it completely so it wasn't so blasted confusing. Maybe make two sentences out of it so the point doesn't get lost in the middle.

[Stew21]

I'd make it more than one sentence.
"Instead of arguing with him from now until the end of time, why don't I just get my point across physically? Which would be easy enough with this thick branch by my feet."

The last isn't really a complete sentence, but it has enough impact to stand alone. Especially in dialogue I don't have a problem using sentence fragments.

The last could be reworked just a bit more. I imagine the person wouldn't have to say "with this thick branch at my feet" but rather would pick it up and say, "With this!"

[DeleyanLee]

"Instead of arguing with him, from now until the end of time, why don't I just get my point across, physically, which would be easy enough with this thick branch by my feet."

I was thinking something along the line of:

I could stand and argue with him until the end of time. Or I could get my point across by whacking him with this branch at my feet.

Depending on the voice being used in the piece, there's all kinds of options.

[Ken]

thnx Stew and Del. :)
Both your suggestions are excelent. I knew the sentence read poorly and probably wouldn't ever use a construction like it but was just wondering how it would be punctuated if I did choose too. Maybe there isn't a way to combine a question and statement in one sentence, which would be a shame as there probably are some instances where the combo would be prefered, but more likely in non-fiction.

(Sorry if I spelled excelent wrong. Can never remember if it gets one "l" or two.)

[DeleyanLee]

(Sorry if I spelled excelent wrong. Can never remember if it gets one "l" or two.)

Two. ;)

[maestrowork]

"Instead of arguing with him, from now until the end of time, why don't I just get my point across, physically, which would be easy enough with this thick branch by my feet."

Starting off as a question, this sample sentence morphs into a statement, midway through, so does it still get a question mark at the end or a period? (Have been wondering about this for the longest time.)


To me, it's not really a statement but still a question, even though you have an extra statement at the end. You still need a question mark.

But I agree, the whole sentence is clunky. Well too many ideas in one sentence, not to mention mixing statements with a question.

[Ken]

thanks. Question/statements are definitely out from now on . . . though I might give statement/questions a whirl. ;)

[Lance_in_Shanghai]

Stew21, your incomplete sentence would be remedied quite easily by replacing 'which' with 'that'. Which would be better. Maybe I should say, "Which would be better?"