Punctuation

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Ryan

#8158 Mon, 15 Sep 03 07:29 PM

I came across the sentence below in a dictionary. Are the punctuation marks correctly used?

Could you please keep quiet, so that you won't waken the baby.

Ryan

Ryan

Joined on Sat, Aug 23 2003

New Member (33)

Punctuation

Mike in Japan

#8181 Tue, 16 Sep 03 02:07 AM

Seems O.K. to me Ryan.

Mike in Japan

Joined on Tue, Aug 19 2003

Hazzard County, Japan

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I do like to be beside the seaside

Mike in Japan

#8182 Tue, 16 Sep 03 02:08 AM

Perhaps the comma is not neccessary, but I don't think it does any harm.

Mike in Japan

Commas

Ryan

#8611 Sat, 20 Sep 03 10:50 AM

Dear Mike,

A question mark is not used to end the sentence. This is because it is intended to be a request that expects no replies (rhetorical question). Am I right?

Ryan

Ryan

Question marks

Mike in Japan

#8724 Mon, 22 Sep 03 02:36 AM

That's a curly one Ryan. You may be right, but I'm not sure.

Mike in Japan

Ryan

#8746 Mon, 22 Sep 03 09:18 AM

'curly one' means?

Ryan

ryan smith

#8751 Mon, 22 Sep 03 09:49 AM

I think he means that it's a nasty question. I agree.

However, a question is a question. What's meant to be rhetorical is a matter of interpretation.

I vote for using a question mark.

ryan smith

Joined on Tue, Sep 9 2003

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Full Member (199)

Question marks

Guest

#8790 Mon, 22 Sep 03 03:38 PM

Agreed.

If the 'Could you' was omitted at the start then the sentence is turned into a command so the question mark is not needed. With the 'Could you' included I believe that it is a question so should include a question mark.

Guest

Question marks