• Basic Writing questions is not a crit forum. All crits belong in Share Your Work

How many question marks are needed in this example?

Lalaloopsy

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 25, 2015
Messages
171
Reaction score
6
Hello!

I've always been confused about the use of questions marks. If you're asking a bunch of questions in one sentence, do you use a single question mark at the end of sentence? Or a question mark after each question? Even now, I don't know if I'm asking this question correctly.

Example:
"After a full day's work, Tina's payment was a measly $6.45. She grunted and tossed into her bag. What the hell was she supposed to buy with that? A hairbrush? A donut?"

OR
"After a full day's work, Tina's payment was a measly $6.45. She grunted and tossed into her bag. What the hell was she supposed to buy with that, a hairbrush, a donut?"



IS IT:

"Where do you work and what is your role?"
OR
"Where do you work? And what's your role?"



ONE LAST THING:
When asking a question in the middle of a paragraph, is it okay to do this:

"What time was it? I didn't even want to guess."

OR

Do you have to put the "I don't even want to guess" in a new paragraph? This is internal dialogue.



Thanks for reading.
 

The Second Moon

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 12, 2018
Messages
3,393
Reaction score
355
Website
mimistromauthor.com
Example 1: The first sentence reads much better. When you read the example out loud, there are longer natural breaks after "hairbrush" and "donut" which requires a question mark.

Example 2: The first sentence reads better once again. It sounds odd, in this case, to start a sentence with "And".

Example 3: The first sentence is the best. This is solely because it is still the same person's thoughts, so no paragraph break is needed.

I hope this clears things up. If not feel free to ask more questions. That's how you learn.
 

neandermagnon

Nolite timere, consilium callidum habeo!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
7,271
Reaction score
9,335
Location
Dorset, UK
Hello!

I've always been confused about the use of questions marks. If you're asking a bunch of questions in one sentence, do you use a single question mark at the end of sentence? Or a question mark after each question? Even now, I don't know if I'm asking this question correctly.

Example:
"After a full day's work, Tina's payment was a measly $6.45. She grunted and tossed into her bag. What the hell was she supposed to buy with that? A hairbrush? A donut?"

OR
"After a full day's work, Tina's payment was a measly $6.45. She grunted and tossed into her bag. What the hell was she supposed to buy with that, a hairbrush, a donut?"

I would definitely use the first one. I don't like the second one.


IS IT:

"Where do you work and what is your role?"
OR
"Where do you work? And what's your role?"

Both are correct and I don't have a preference.

ONE LAST THING:
When asking a question in the middle of a paragraph, is it okay to do this:

"What time was it? I didn't even want to guess."

OR

Do you have to put the "I don't even want to guess" in a new paragraph? This is internal dialogue.

I've never heard of anyone saying that you have to start a new paragraph after a question. I can't see any reason not to have both of them on the same line. In fact I'd probably find it weird to have them as 2 separate paragraphs.
 

angeliz2k

never mind the shorty
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Messages
3,727
Reaction score
488
Location
Commonwealth of Virginia--it's for lovers
Website
www.elizabethhuhn.com
Hello!

I've always been confused about the use of questions marks. If you're asking a bunch of questions in one sentence, do you use a single question mark at the end of sentence? Or a question mark after each question? Even now, I don't know if I'm asking this question correctly.

Example:
"After a full day's work, Tina's payment was a measly $6.45. She grunted and tossed into her bag. What the hell was she supposed to buy with that? A hairbrush? A donut?"

OR
"After a full day's work, Tina's payment was a measly $6.45. She grunted and tossed into her bag. What the hell was she supposed to buy with that, a hairbrush, a donut?"

The first is correct.

IS IT:

"Where do you work and what is your role?"
OR
"Where do you work? And what's your role?"

The first example needs a comma before "and" because there are two independent clauses there. Otherwise, either is fine, and it's a matter of emphasis. Separating the clauses by only a comma makes it sound more like it was said all in one breath, while separating them by a question mark makes the second question seem like a new, separate thought. This is subtle, but subtle things can make a difference.


ONE LAST THING:
When asking a question in the middle of a paragraph, is it okay to do this:

"What time was it? I didn't even want to guess."

OR

Do you have to put the "I don't even want to guess" in a new paragraph? This is internal dialogue.

Thanks for reading.

There's no need for a new paragraph here. You could start a new paragraph for emphasis if you wanted, but you don't need to. (Starting a new paragraph would signal a change of subject/direction. You might start explaining why the narrator doesn't "even want to guess", for example.)
 
Last edited: