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Message |
JJ
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:14 pm
Post subject: Question mark after query in e-mail |
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Is this question mark appropriate?
When my computer crashed recently I lost your e-mail address. That is to say
your other e-mail address. Would you be kind enough to let me have it again?
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Alan Jones
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:15 pm
Post subject: Re: Question mark after query in e-mail |
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"JJ" <jj@jj.com> wrote in message
news:C%wRe.18636$FA3.13352@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
| Quote: | Is this question mark appropriate?
When my computer crashed recently I lost your e-mail address. That is to
say your other e-mail address. Would you be kind enough to let me have it
again?
|
Yes: appropriate and (or so I think) necessary. Use a question mark when the
intended sense and intonation are those of an enquiry ("Ready? Let's go,
then") but also when the subject and verb are inverted in question form,
even if the sense isn't really an enquiry but perhaps (as in your example) a
request.
There is a difference of opinion about sentences which are in question form
but are really angry exclamations: "Will you kindly stop talking?" or
"...talking!" I use ? but ! is often seen and can't be regarded as an
error.
Alan Jones |
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Adrian Bailey
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:03 pm
Post subject: Re: Question mark after query in e-mail |
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"JJ" <jj@jj.com> wrote in message
news:C%wRe.18636$FA3.13352@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
| Quote: | Is this question mark appropriate?
When my computer crashed recently I lost your e-mail address. That is to
say
your other e-mail address. Would you be kind enough to let me have it
again? |
Yes. Leave it out and the polite request becomes a stern demand.
Adrian
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No Spam
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 6:02 pm
Post subject: Re: Question mark after query in e-mail |
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"Alan Jones" <atj@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:XTxRe.48433$jr4.8782@fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
| Quote: |
"JJ" <jj@jj.com> wrote in message
news:C%wRe.18636$FA3.13352@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Is this question mark appropriate?
When my computer crashed recently I lost your e-mail address. That is to
say your other e-mail address. Would you be kind enough to let me have it
again?
Yes: appropriate and (or so I think) necessary. Use a question mark when
the intended sense and intonation are those of an enquiry ("Ready? Let's
go, then") but also when the subject and verb are inverted in question
form, even if the sense isn't really an enquiry but perhaps (as in your
example) a request.
There is a difference of opinion about sentences which are in question
form but are really angry exclamations: "Will you kindly stop talking?" or
"...talking!" I use ? but ! is often seen and can't be regarded as an
error.
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Sometimes I wonder why a question mark is used? |
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Alan Jones
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2005 2:07 am
Post subject: Re: Question mark after query in e-mail |
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"No Spam" <nospam@hormel.org> wrote in message
news:R5CRe.5074$9i4.1131@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
| Quote: | "Alan Jones" <atj@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:XTxRe.48433$jr4.8782@fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
"JJ" <jj@jj.com> wrote in message
news:C%wRe.18636$FA3.13352@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Is this question mark appropriate?
When my computer crashed recently I lost your e-mail address. That is to
say your other e-mail address. Would you be kind enough to let me have
it again?
Yes: appropriate and (or so I think) necessary. Use a question mark when
the intended sense and intonation are those of an enquiry ("Ready? Let's
go, then") but also when the subject and verb are inverted in question
form, even if the sense isn't really an enquiry but perhaps (as in your
example) a request.
There is a difference of opinion about sentences which are in question
form but are really angry exclamations: "Will you kindly stop talking?"
or "...talking!" I use ? but ! is often seen and can't be regarded as an
error.
Sometimes I wonder why a question mark is used?
|
Usually because the subject-verb order is inverted. A "question"
grammatically is a matter of word order and intonation, even when there is
no real "enquiry". Sentences not in that order but making an enquiry also
get the question mark. Your last message doesn't seem to need the "enquiry"
intonation and isn't in question order; so I would remove the question mark.
But a fairly recent innovation is the question-style rise in pitch even in a
statement, almost as if the speaker is casting doubt or his or her own
statement. Perhaps that's what your question mark is conveying.
Alan Jones |
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JJ
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2005 3:39 am
Post subject: Re: Question mark after query in e-mail |
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Thank you.
"Adrian Bailey" <dadge@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ctzRe.45828$5m3.28849@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
| Quote: | "JJ" <jj@jj.com> wrote in message
news:C%wRe.18636$FA3.13352@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Is this question mark appropriate?
When my computer crashed recently I lost your e-mail address. That is to
say
your other e-mail address. Would you be kind enough to let me have it
again?
Yes. Leave it out and the polite request becomes a stern demand.
Adrian
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