A quick punctuation question

[NotWise]

This has come up for me over and over when writing dialog. How do you punctuate a sentence that is written like a question, but which should be inflected like a statement?

For example

"She stuck to you all afternoon, didn't she?"

or

"She stuck to you all afternoon, didn't she."

or something else?

Both parties to the conversation know the answer. It isn't really a question, and it shouldn't be inflected as a question.

I have, on at least one occasion, written something like "'She stuck to you all afternoon, didn't she?' but it wasn't really a question."

 

[SmokeInMyEyes]

Your example is a "rhetorical question." As such, it requires a question mark even though an answer is not expected and the question only presents your opinion.

Example: "Have you ever just once in your life thought about someone other than yourself?"

 

[jasperspen]

This has come up for me over and over when writing dialog. How do you punctuate a sentence that is written like a question, but which should be inflected like a statement?

For example

"She stuck to you all afternoon, didn't she?"

or

"She stuck to you all afternoon, didn't she."

I think that all questions, even even rhetorical questions, deserve a question mark at the end. If the speaker were to raise the tone of their voice at the end then it would be a genuine question, but if it was lowered it would be more of a statement.
Unfortunately there is no real way of indicating that, but in your example, depending on the context, there could be an answer forthcoming like:

"She stuck to you all afternoon, didn't she?"

"Yes, she was a nuisance."

However as you suggested, you could add something at the end to make it read more of a statement like:

"She stuck to you all afternoon, didn't she? She was like a limpet."

Interesting question.

 

[SmokeInMyEyes]

As much as anything, "proper punctuation" easily qualifies as one of those "foolish consistencies" Emerson recognized as "the hobgoblin of little minds."

Gertrude Stein cut right to the chase when she said "punctuation is necessary only for the feeble minded." William Faulkner answered critics who complained minimalistic punctuation made "The Sound and the Fury" too difficult to understand by suggesting they read it four times, and James Joyce felt two full stops and a single comma were all that the 24,048 words of "Molly Bloom's Soliloquy" needed to close out "Ulysses" in style.

The obvious elephant in the room here is damn few of us will ever be in the same room as Stein or Faulkner, and we can just forget about Joyce. If our stories require four readings to get the point across, we know that's likely to be 3 1/2 times more than it's ever going to receive. So we do our best with what we know (or at least think we know). We worry about semicolons. We sweat the damn commas Stein so thoroughly despised.

That's just life in the cheap seats.

 

[KeithD]

Either way is proper in the example you give, depending on how you want the sentence read. If asking it as a question, use the question mark. If making an accusation, use the period.

The stickier related question is how to handle a question within a declarative sentence.

This is proper: "Is it worth the risk? he wondered." even though it looks weird and computer grammar check calls it incorrectly (Chicago Manual of Style 16, 6.67)

The indirect way of rendering this would be "He wondered whether it was worth the risk." (no question mark in this case. CMS 16, 6.68)

 

[NotWise]

Your example is a "rhetorical question." As such, it requires a question mark even though an answer is not expected and the question only presents your opinion.

Example: "Have you ever just once in your life thought about someone other than yourself?"

I hadn't thought of my example as being a rhetorical question, but rather as a characteristic figure of speech. I read a couple articles on rhetorical questions, and it does seem that the example could qualify.

Either way is proper in the example you give, depending on how you want the sentence read. If asking it as a question, use the question mark. If making an accusation, use the period.

The stickier related question is how to handle a question within a declarative sentence.

This is proper: "Is it worth the risk? he wondered." even though it looks weird and computer grammar check calls it incorrectly (Chicago Manual of Style 16, 6.67)

The indirect way of rendering this would be "He wondered whether it was worth the risk." (no question mark in this case. CMS 16, 6.68)

Thanks for that. I found this example in the WhiteSmoke web site:

Check this out!
Aren't his paintings amazing? [Interested or surprised reaction]
Aren't his paintings amazing. [Uninterested or musing reaction]
Aren't his paintings amazing! [Indignant or exciting reaction]

Analysis! When the above rhetorical question is used with different punctuation marks, the rhetoric implication is altered (as shown in the brackets). This demonstrates the emotional effect punctuation marks may have in a text.

WhiteSmoke is a US company that sells a tool for spell checking, grammar checking, and so on. I don't know who the author was, but they clearly advocated using punctuation other than a question mark. Other sources disagree.

I try to avoid question marks within declarative sentences. I know some people consider it proper, but I think it risks confusion.

I'm not sure which way I'll go on my original question, but I'm leaning toward a full stop to clarify the speaker's intent.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'd say use the question mark, although I'm not 100 percent sure based on how you want to inflect it.

CMOS 5.213 characterizes it as a "tag question" and says to use the question mark.

 

[SimonDoom]

As much as anything, "proper punctuation" easily qualifies as one of those "foolish consistencies" Emerson recognized as "the hobgoblin of little minds."

Gertrude Stein cut right to the chase when she said "punctuation is necessary only for the feeble minded." William Faulkner answered critics who complained minimalistic punctuation made "The Sound and the Fury" too difficult to understand by suggesting they read it four times, and James Joyce felt two full stops and a single comma were all that the 24,048 words of "Molly Bloom's Soliloquy" needed to close out "Ulysses" in style.

The obvious elephant in the room here is damn few of us will ever be in the same room as Stein or Faulkner, and we can just forget about Joyce. If our stories require four readings to get the point across, we know that's likely to be 3 1/2 times more than it's ever going to receive. So we do our best with what we know (or at least think we know). We worry about semicolons. We sweat the damn commas Stein so thoroughly despised.

That's just life in the cheap seats.

I wouldn't go that far. There are examples of authors, such as the ones you mention, who deviate from norms of punctuation, but most published authors stick to them, more or less. Certainly, it's possible to obsess to excess over punctuation, but I think it aids greatly in communicating effectively to the reader.

An important point to make about these authors, too, is their punctuation style was a deliberate artistic choice. They wrote at a time when artists were experimenting a good deal. Most bad punctuation at Literotica happens because the author doesn't know any better or is lazy and sloppy.

 

[KeithD]

I think the basic point on punctuation at Literotica is that Literotica doesn't go very far in permitting nonstandard author preferences, so it doesn't really matter, in terms of posting at Literotica, whether individual authors are accorded their punctuation quirks. To post at Literotica, you have to pass the Literotica submissions editor. It's her view of proper punctuation that matters here. Discussions of what's permitted anywhere else is irrelevant if you want to have your stories posted here. (This goes for the thread before this one as well.)

 

[SimonDoom]

I think the basic point on punctuation at Literotica is that Literotica doesn't go very far in permitting nonstandard author preferences, so it doesn't really matter, in terms of posting at Literotica, whether individual authors are accorded their punctuation quirks. To post at Literotica, you have to pass the Literotica submissions editor. It's her view of proper punctuation that matters here. Discussions of what's permitted anywhere else is irrelevant if you want to have your stories posted here. (This goes for the thread before this one as well.)

The enforcement of those standards can be a bit quirky at times, but generally speaking the punctuation standards aren't very high. I see stories all the time at Literotica, even now, that don't conform to punctuation norms, especially concerning the handling of dialogue. I'm sure the snippet that NotWise asked about would get by the Site either way. It's a question that isn't resolved by falling back on Literotica standards.

 

[KeithD]

I'm sure the snippet that NotWise asked about would get by the Site either way. It's a question that isn't resolved by falling back on Literotica standards.

Well, it should, because, as I noted, either way can be correct, depending on what the author intends to convey.

 

[Anna_Exposed]

It’s a tag question and, by convention, requires a question mark even if rhetorical.

 

[KeithD]

It’s a tag question and, by convention, requires a question mark even if rhetorical.

No, it doesn't. I cited an authoritative source, with example. Not if it's meant to be a declarative sentence.

Cite your source and your market. For U.S. publishing, it won't beat the Chicago Manual Style that I cited.

 

[SisterJezabel]

I love how NotWise assumed there could be a quick question on these forums!

 

[NotWise]

I love how NotWise assumed there could be a quick question on these forums!

The question was quick. For the most part, the answer was quick, too. Then there was the discussion, which I hope is fruitful.

 

[Anna_Exposed]

No, it doesn't. I cited an authoritative source, with example. Not if it's meant to be a declarative sentence.

Cite your source and your market. For U.S. publishing, it won't beat the Chicago Manual Style that I cited.

Your example was a different sentence structure. NotWise asked about tag questions.

 

[NotWise]

It is a tag question.

I found a fairly lengthy discussion of tag questions on English Club.

Here is part of what they had to say:

Intonation

We can change the meaning of a tag question with the musical pitch of our voice. With rising intonation, it sounds like a real question. But if our intonation falls, it sounds more like a statement that doesn't require a real answer:

[reformatted from a table so it's readable here]

You don't know where my wallet is, do you? | Spoken with rising intonation, it's a real question
It's a beautiful view, isn't it? | Spoken with a falling intonation, it's not a real question

You can't actually tell by reading their examples whether the intonation is rising or falling. If the speaker is making a statement, then the question mark is misleading because (to me, at least) it implies that the statement is intoned as a question. The only ways I can think of to imply a falling intonation is to punctuate it like a statement, or to use a dialog tag that states explicitly that it wasn't a question. The second option is pretty cumbersome.

 

[HappySpouse]

I believe that the most important thing is that the reader decodes the language the way you intend. The "rules" largely depend on which edition of what manual you are looking in, but typically we must follow the conventions of the day for a reader to properly consume the story.

However, testing those conventions is a great tool for placing a jarring emphasis, as long as it's use is clearly intentional. I find nothing wrong with the three methods you mentioned (question mark, period, writing afterward that it wasn't a question). I would say to be cautious with the use of only a period, because it will carry the weight of a break from convention. Just seeing the words "didn't she" end a sentence without a question mark will make it a noticeable moment. If it is not a moment of substance, it could be interpreted as a mistake. Unless, of course, you always do it that way and the reader will adjust to your individual style.

I'm a musician and I think of this like composing clashing harmonies into a piece of music. Done improperly, the audience will just think the performers missed a note, but done well it can add a lot of depth.

 

[Athalia]

Either way is proper in the example you give, depending on how you want the sentence read. If asking it as a question, use the question mark. If making an accusation, use the period.

I concur. It depends on whether the asker really expects an answer or not. In the first sense, he needs to know this piece of information. In the second sense, he feels that he has all the information he needs.