The Question Mark
19 rules
Question Mark After a Direct Question
Use a question mark to end any sentence that directly asks a question. This includes questions beginning with who, what, when, where, why, and how, as well as direct questions embedded within quotations. A speaker's inflection can turn any group of words into a question — the same words can be a statement or a question depending on how they are spoken.
Question Mark with Tag Questions (Isn't It, Didn't He)
When a sentence begins as a statement and ends with a short questioning tag that reverses the subject and verb (e.g., 'isn't it?', 'didn't he?', 'wouldn't you?'), end the whole sentence with a question mark. Place a comma between the statement and the tag. The tag's subject is typically a pronoun echoing the noun in the main clause, and the verb tense stays the same even if the full verb isn't repeated.
Statement Followed by a Related Question (Different Subject/Verb)
When a statement is followed by a related question that does not repeat the same subject and verb as the statement, treat them as two separate sentences: end the statement with a period and the question with a question mark. Common patterns include 'Isn't that so?', 'Isn't that correct?', 'Right?', 'Correct?' A semicolon may also be used between the two clauses when both are independent. Some writers use a comma before one-word follow-up questions like 'right?' — an emerging style that is gaining acceptance.
Question Mark When a Question Is Embedded Within a Statement
When a sentence begins as a statement but contains a question inserted in the middle (set off by commas), end the entire sentence with a question mark. The embedded question is enclosed by a pair of commas within the statement. The overall sentence takes the question mark because it contains an interrogative element.
Question Marks in a Series of Connected Questions
When a single sentence contains a series of connected questions with no conjunction (and/or) joining them, place a question mark after each item in the series. Do not capitalize after the question marks unless the word is a proper noun. However, if a conjunction joins the final item (or all items), use commas between items and a single question mark at the end. If each question in the series is a separate complete sentence, capitalize each and end each with its own question mark. When the series items are not parallel to the introductory element, use a dash before the series to prevent misreading.
Question Mark Mid-Sentence with an Added-On Expression
Place a question mark within a sentence (not at the end) when an added-on expression following the question is not itself part of the question, or when the entire question serves as the subject or object of the verb. The word after the mid-sentence question mark is not capitalized (unless it's a proper noun or 'I'). Be careful: moving the question mark to the end of the sentence can change the meaning entirely, because it changes which words are part of the question.
Question Mark with a Brief Afterthought Expression
When a question has a brief afterthought tacked on that won't be misread (such as 'if you remember', 'if you recall', 'if you know'), separate the afterthought with a comma and end the entire sentence with a question mark. However, if the afterthought uses 'can' or 'do' instead of 'if' (making it a separate question in its own right), end the main question with a question mark and start a new sentence for the afterthought. Other kinds of fragments added after a question may begin with a capital letter as a separate sentence.
Question Mark Placement with Quotation Marks
The placement of a question mark relative to quotation marks depends on what is actually the question. If the quoted material is the question, place the question mark inside the closing quotation mark. If the overall sentence is the question but the quoted material is not, place the question mark outside the closing quotation mark. If a quoted question appears within a larger question, place the question mark inside the closing quotation mark (one question mark serves both).
Question Mark Within a Dashed Parenthetical Expression
When a sentence contains a parenthetical expression set off by dashes, and that parenthetical expression is a question, place the question mark inside the closing dash (before it). The main sentence continues after the dash and ends with its own appropriate punctuation.
Question Mark After a Sentence Ending with an Abbreviation
When a question ends with an abbreviation, keep the abbreviation's period and add the question mark after it. Unlike a statement (where the abbreviation's period does double duty), a question still needs its question mark. The result is a period immediately followed by a question mark (e.g., 'etc.?', 'Inc.?').
Question Mark Without Question Word Order (Statement Form as Question)
Use a question mark at the end of a sentence that does not use question word order (verb before subject) when the intent is clearly to ask a question. In depositions and cross-examinations, attorneys frequently use normal subject-verb order while questioning witnesses — for example, 'You were traveling eastbound at the time?' These should be punctuated as questions when context, especially the witness's response, confirms the questioning intent. This is a judgment call: some reporters punctuate strictly by word order (period for statement structure), while others look to intent. When a witness provides a direct answer, it is safe to treat the utterance as a question.
Question Mark After a Fragment That Asks a Question
Use a question mark at the end of a fragment that is asking a question. Fragment questions are extremely common in court testimony — short follow-ups like 'Why?' 'How many?' 'Model?' and 'Before or after?' are complete questions despite lacking full sentence structure. Capitalize them and end them with a question mark.
Recollection Question Stands Alone After Main Question
When a main question is followed by a question about the witness's recollection or remembrance — such as 'Do you remember?' 'Do you recall?' or 'Do you know?' — put a question mark after the main question and let the recollection question stand alone as its own separate sentence with its own question mark. The recollection inquiry is a distinct question, not a tag or afterthought attached to the first.
Question Mark After 'How About' and 'What About' Questions
Put a question mark after the idiomatic question that begins with 'How about...?' or 'What about...?' These are complete questions on their own and should always end with a question mark. If another question follows, it also receives its own question mark.
Question Mark After a Suggested Answer Following a Question
When an attorney asks a question and then tacks on a suggested answer, put a question mark where the question is first asked and another question mark after the suggested answer. The suggested answer is shorthand for a complete question (e.g., 'Before 5:00?' is short for 'Did you leave before 5:00?'). Each part functions as its own interrogative thought.
Question Mark After Each Suggested Answer in a Series
When multiple suggested answers follow a question, put a question mark after the main question and after each suggested answer. Each suggested answer represents its own implied question. Treat them as separate interrogative fragments.
Question Mark When Opening Phrase Asks Its Own Question
Speakers often blend an embedded-question frame ('Can you tell me,' 'Do you remember') with direct-question word order in the second half ('do you have' instead of 'you have'), producing a muddled single utterance. The common reporter approach is to transcribe verbatim — one question, one interrog at the end — reflecting the speaker's single breath and rising inflection. Margie's Interrog.14 offers a grammar-based alternative: split into two questions with an interrog after each ('Do you recall? Was he alone?'). The split reads naturally when the opening was delivered as a distinct standalone beat. Both are defensible; intonation and house style decide. Avoid a single comma between the two parts — that's a comma splice between two complete questions.
Colon Before a Direct Question After a Complete Introductory Sentence
When a complete sentence (or material that could reasonably be construed as one) leads into a direct question, use a colon after the introductory statement. If the question that follows is a grammatically complete sentence, capitalize it. Put a question mark at the end of the question. Common patterns include 'Let me ask you this: Was he alone?' and 'I have one more question: Did you take him to the doctor right away?' This also applies to less formal constructions where the introductory material functions as a complete thought before the question.
No Punctuation Between 'My Question Is' and the Question
When the material before a direct question is not a grammatically complete sentence -- typically the 'My question is...' pattern where 'is' is a linking verb and the question serves as its predicate nominative -- use no punctuation between the introductory words and the question. Put the question mark at the end of the sentence. This is a widely debated pattern because authorities disagree on how to handle it. Some recommend a comma or colon after 'is,' but grammatically, you should not separate a verb from its completer (predicate nominative). The same logic applies to constructions like 'The issue is...' or 'What I want to know is...'