[NEW] Question Marks (Use and Examples) | question mark – NATAVIGUIDES

Question Marks

A question mark is used to show where a question ends. For example:

• Really?
• If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one? (President Abraham Lincoln)
• If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex? (Author Art Hoppe)
• What’s another word for Thesaurus? (Comedian Steven Wright)

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Got it? Take a quick test.

Question Marks to Show Inflection

Occasionally, most commonly in story-telling

• You won the lottery?
• She passed her motorbike test?

Question marks are also used for statements transformed into questions by inflected words or question tags at the end. For example:

Inflected Words

• You won the lottery, eh?
• I’ll see you at 6 o’clock, okay?

Question Tags

• You won the lottery, didn’t you?

(This sentence is transformed into a question by the question tag “didn’t you.”)

Most of the time, the question tag is negative if the statement is positive and vice versa. For example:

• You didn’t win the lottery, did you?

(The question tag is positive because the statement is negative.)

• You won the lottery, did you?

(Sometimes, particularly to express surprise, a positive tag can be used with a positive statement.)

Read more about questions (interrogative sentences).

Using (?) For Uncertainty

Sometimes, in informal writing, a question mark in parentheses (brackets) is used to express uncertainty. For example:

• All (?) the staff will be attending the briefing.

(Here, the author is questioning whether “all the staff” literally means all the staff.)

• A lot of men (?) find ironing therapeutic.

(Here, the author is suggesting that “real” men would not find ironing therapeutic.)

Be Mindful of Indirect Questions

An

Do not use a question mark when an indirect question is embedded within a statement. For example:

• He asked if I had seen the film yet.

(This is an example of an indirect question. The direct question is “Have you seen the film yet?”)

• I’m unsure whether the wether will weather the weather?

(This is not a question. The direct question is “Will the wether [a ram] weather the weather?”)

Read more about indirect questions.

A Polite Request Dressed Up As a Question

Often, a polite request comes in the form a question. There is a lot of leniency on whether such a sentence is ended with a question mark or a period (full stop). For example:

• Would all those in the back row who have been primed to ask a question please find a seat in the front three rows.

(This is a question. However, it is meant as an instruction. As it straddles the ideas of an imperative sentence (a command) and an interrogative sentence (a question), it is acceptable to end it with a period (full stop). A question mark is also acceptable. You can let your instinct guide you.)

Be Mindful of Questions That Look Like Statements

Sometimes, a question feels like a statement. Be sure to use a question mark for a question. For example:

• Do you realize if it weren’t for Edison, we’d be watching TV by candlelight? (Canadian author Al Boliska)

Question Marks in Quotations

When used with quotation marks, a question mark follows logic. In other words, it will be inside the quotation if the quotation is a question, but it will be outside if the whole sentence is a question. For example:

• She said, “Have you finished?” () ()
• She said, “Have you finished?”. () ()

(This is unwieldy but acceptable, particularly in the UK. In the US, this is an unpopular convention.)

• Did she say, “You have finished”? () ()
• Did she say, “Have you finished?”? () ()

(This is unwieldy but acceptable, particularly in the UK. In the US, this is an unpopular convention.)

Here is a real example:

• When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him, “Whose?” (Don Marquis, 1878-1937)

Read more punctuation inside or outside quotation marks.

The Inverted Question Mark

In Spanish, a question is introduced with an inverted (i.e., upside down) question mark. For example:

• ¿Que es eso?

(What is that?)

How To Get an Upside Down Question Mark

In HTML (i.e., for your website), an “upside down question mark” is:

• ¿

In Microsoft Word, there are two way to get an “upside down question mark”:

• 00bf (then press Alt+X)
• Alt+Ctrl+? (which is Alt+Ctrl+Shift+/)

The Rhetorical Question Mark

A

• What’s not to like?
• Wow, who knew he was so talented?

In the 1580s, to recognize that the rhetorical question was not a normal question, English printer Henry Denham invented the “rhetorical-question mark,” which was a vertically reflected one. For a few years after its introduction, it seemed like the rhetorical-question mark would catch on. It didn’t.

A question mark is used to show where a question ends. For example:Occasionally, most commonly in story-telling prose , a question mark is used to turn a sentence structured like statement into a question. The question mark tells the reader to add question inflection to the sentence. For example:Question marks are also used for statements transformed into questions by inflected words or question tags at the end. For example:Most of the time, the question tag is negative if the statement is positive and vice versa. For example:Sometimes, in informal writing, a question mark in parentheses (brackets) is used to express uncertainty. For example:An indirect question is a question embedded inside a statement (i.e., a declarative sentence ) or another question (i.e., an interrogative sentence ).Do not use a question mark when an indirect question is embedded within a statement. For example:Often, a polite request comes in the form a question. There is a lot of leniency on whether such a sentence is ended with a question mark or a period (full stop). For example:Sometimes, a question feels like a statement. Be sure to use a question mark for a question. For example:When used with quotation marks, a question mark follows logic. In other words, it will be inside the quotation if the quotation is a question, but it will be outside if the whole sentence is a question. For example:Here is a real example:In Spanish, a question is introduced with an inverted (i.e., upside down) question mark. For example:In HTML (i.e., for your website), an “upside down question mark” is:In Microsoft Word, there are two way to get an “upside down question mark”: rhetorical question is a question for which no answer is expected.In the 1580s, to recognize that the rhetorical question was not a normal question, English printer Henry Denham invented the “rhetorical-question mark,” which was a vertically reflected one. For a few years after its introduction, it seemed like the rhetorical-question mark would catch on. It didn’t.

Read more about rhetorical questions.

Why Should I Care about Question Marks?

By far the most common error related to question marks is using a question mark for a non-question.

Don’t use a question mark after a non-question.

• She wants to know if you’ve arrived?
• I wonder if he will ever find his mojo?

(These are not questions but statements. They should end in periods (full stops).)

This mistake occurs most commonly when the statement contains an

Read more about indirect questions.

Key Point

• Don’t use a question mark after a statement that contains an indirect question.
• I wonder if it’s true?
• I need to know whether I’m selected?

Ready for the Test?

Here is a confirmatory test for this lesson.

This test can also be:

• Edited (i.e., you can delete questions and play with the order of the questions).
• Printed to create a handout.
• Sent electronically to friends or students.

Here is afor this lesson.This test can also be:

By far the most common error related to question marks is using a question mark for a non-question.This mistake occurs most commonly when the statement contains an indirect question . In these examples, the direct questions would be “Have you arrived?” and “Will he ever find his mojo?”. However, these are not direct questions. They are indirect question embedded within statements.

Question mark symbol is part of any standard keyboard layout. You can type the question mark symbol ? by pressing “Shift + /” keys on the keyboard. However, there are 20 different types of question mark symbols available like upside down question mark. Though there are no keys on the keyboard for these symbols, you can use alt key in Windows PC and option key in MacBook to insert these special question mark symbols.

Shortcuts for Question Mark Symbols

Here is a list of shortcuts for question mark symbols that you can type in Windows and Mac using keyboard.

SymbolNamePC ShortcutMac Shortcut

?Question MarkAlt + 0063Option + 003F

¿Inverted Question MarkAlt + 0191Option + 00BF

;Greek Question MarkAlt + 0894Option + 037E

՞Armenian Question MarkAlt + 1374Option + 055E

؟Arabic Question MarkAlt + 1567Option + 061F

፧Ethiopic Question MarkAlt + 4967Option + 1367

⁇Double Question MarkAlt + 8263Option + 2047

⁈Question Exclamation MarkAlt + 8264Option + 2048

⁉Exclamation Question MarkAlt + 8265Option + 2049

≟Questioned Equal ToAlt + 8799Option + 225F

❓Black Question Mark OrnamentAlt + 10067Option + 2753

❔White Question Mark OrnamentAlt + 10068Option + 2754

⩻Less-Than With Question Mark AboveAlt + 10875Option + 2A7B

⩼Greater-Than With Question Mark AboveAlt + 10876Option + 2A7C

⸮Reversed Question MarkAlt + 11822Option + 2E2E

︖Presentation Form For Vertical Question MarkAlt + 65046Option + FE16

﹖Small Question MarkAlt + 65110Option + FE56

？Fullwidth Question MarkAlt + 65311Option + FF1F

‽InterrobangAlt + 8253Option + 203D

⸘Inverted InterrobangAlt + 11800Option + 2E18

Insert Question Mark Symbols in Windows PC

Follow the below instructions on Windows PC:

• First turn on number lock key.
• Then, press one of the alt keys available on either side of the space bar.
• Type the decimal code from the above table under “Windows Shortcut” column using number pad.
• For example, Alt + 8263 will produce double question mark symbol like ⁇.

If you don’t have the keyboard with separate number pad there is an alternate option for typing question marks in Word documents. Type the hexadecimal code given under “Mac Shortcut” column in the above table. Then, press alt + x keys to toggle the code into a symbol. For example, 2E2E + alt + x will produce the reversed question mark symbol like ⸮.

Insert Question Mark Symbols in Mac

On Mac, you can use option code shortcuts to insert question mark symbols.

• You first need to change the input method to Unicode Hex Input for this to work.
• After changing the input method, press and hold one of the option keys.
• Type the hexadecimal code to make the question mark symbol.
• For example, option + 2048 will make question with exclamation mark like ⁈.

Insert Question Marks in Web Documents

You can also insert different types of question mark symbols in HTML and CSS web documents.

• For example, use decimal code in ≟ format with any HTML tag to insert questioned equal to symbol like ≟.
• Alternatively, you can use hexadecimal code like ≟ inside the HTML tag.
• Instead of HTML, you can also insert the symbols directly in CSS. Use the hexadecimal code in the format \225F; to insert symbols.

Question Mark Emoji

Unicode emoji has three question mark symbols with the following code points.

• U+2049 – Exclamation question mark ⁉
• U+2753 – Question mark ❓
• U+2754 – White question mark ❔

We have already included these question mark emoji in the above shortcuts table, though the names are different. In addition to using keyboard shortcuts, you can also insert emoji using the below methods.

Insert Question Mark Emoji in Windows and Mac

If you want to insert question mark emoji on Windows PC, press “Win Logo + ;” shortcuts keys. This will open the emoji keyboard pop-up. Type “question” on the cursor place to filter the result and insert symbol on your document. This works on Windows 10 and you can insert question mark emoji on all documents, chat conversation and presentations.

Question Mark Emoji Symbols

On MacBook, press “Control + Command + Space” shortcut keys to open Character Viewer app. This app works similar to Windows emoji keyboard. You can search for “question” and insert question mark emoji from Character Viewer app.

Question Mark Symbols in Mac

Question Mark Symbols Shortcuts Reference

Below is a cheatsheet containing the keyboard shortcuts of all 20 different question marks. You can right click and download the image for using as an offline reference.

Shortcuts for Question Mark Symbols