: vs. ?

Share on Facebook

Hoa Thai

#441935 Tue, 13 Nov 07 02:08 AM

1. How about these?
(list of bulleted items)

2. How about these:
(list of bulleted items)

Isn't it wrong to put the question mark (QM) before the list? (It seems intrusive to me).
Without the QM, the second approach is also wrong, right?
In short, where should I place the QM?

Thanks,
Hoa Thai

Hoa Thai

Joined on Mon, Oct 15 2007

Vietnam

Contributing Member (1,100)

Best Regards - Hoa Thai

Question marks

Feebs11

#441965 Tue, 13 Nov 07 03:45 AM

Either use the question mark, or rephrase the sentence: "These can be considered:"

Feebs11

Joined on Thu, Nov 23 2006

Senior Member (4,928)

Question marks

Hoa Thai

#441967 Tue, 13 Nov 07 03:52 AM

Feebs11 wrote:
Either use the question mark, or rephrase the sentence: "These can be considered:"

Hi Feesb,
I do not express my opinion! I question - So where should the question mark be placed? At the end of the last bulleted item?

Thanks again,
Hoa Thai

Hoa Thai

Question marks

Yoong Liat

#441986 Tue, 13 Nov 07 04:44 AM

Hi Hoa Thai

I would choose "How about these?"
(list of bulleted items)

Are the following sentences correct?
He is fat and clumsy.
He was caught unawares.
He is stupid and lazy.

Only one question mark is necessary.

Best wishes

Yoong Liat

Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006

Singapore

Veteran Member (6,013)

Yoong Liat

Question marks

Clive

#442014 Tue, 13 Nov 07 06:42 AM

Hi,

Very generally speaking, the expression 'How about these?' in writing often seems infelicitous and imprecise. Smile [:)]

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (21,212)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Expressions

Hoa Thai

#442040 Tue, 13 Nov 07 08:05 AM

Clive wrote:
Hi,

Very generally speaking, the expression 'How about these?' in writing often seems infelicitous and imprecise.

Clive

Hello Clive,

Thank to you, I've just learned a new word, infelicitous!

If you don't mind, may I pose a few more questions to you?

Question #1: The phrase 'very generally speaking' of yours tells me that the expression 'How about these?' has very little use in writing. So could you kindly show me a few cases when its use is not infelicitous and not imprecise?

For me, the few instances I use that expression are:
a) when I want to follow another question with a final question as an after thought; for instance: Do you think this word is acceptable ....? How about these (list of words) ? Of course, this pattern caused me to ask the original question (i.e., the placing of the question mark when a bulleted list is involved);

b) when I want to embed a suggestion in a question mode. I like to use a question tone more than a direct suggestion tone, not because I lack confidence, but because I feel that suggestion tone is rather pompous when the suggested item(s) is/are not factual and more on the imaginary / abstract side (beauty is in the eye of the beholder). From what you shared with me, in the future I will try to rephrase it in different way such as "Would you like to consider one of these alternatives:"

Question #2: What do you think of the italicized and underlined construction in part a) ? Is there a better alternative? (Perhaps, I should not write anything as an after thought, but I guess for forum exchange it is tolerable).

With special thanks,
Hoa Thai
P.S. By the way, could you kindly suggest anything I could / should change in this writing to make it better (grammar, punctuation, word choice, semantics, etc...)

Hoa Thai

Grammar, Constructions, Expressions, Punctuation, Question marks

Clive

#442283 Tue, 13 Nov 07 10:29 PM

Hi,

Question #1: The phrase 'very generally speaking' of yours tells me that the expression 'How about these?' has very little use in writing. So could you kindly show me a few cases when its use is not infelicitous and not imprecise?

For me, the few instances I use that expression are:
a) when I want to follow another question with a final question as an after thought; for instance: Do you think this word is acceptable ....? How about these (list of words) ? Of course, this pattern caused me to ask the original question (i.e., the placing of the question mark when a bulleted list is involved);

Your example above seems OK, because the first part of what you say defines what you then mean when you ask 'How about these?'. It does, however, still sound rather informal.

Here's a very precise usage of 'how about . . .'.

A: I'd like to talk to you some day next week.

B: OK, how about Wednesday?

'How about . . .' is often used in this way to offer a specific suggestion, eg 'How about a Coke?

However, if I meet someone and they begin by saying 'How about your weekend?', this is a very ill-defined and imprecise and open-ended question. Now I have to take time to think what the questioner really means and how I should answer. Such questions are more typical of students than of native speakers.

b) when I want to embed a suggestion in a question mode. I like to use a question tone more than a direct suggestion tone, not because I lack confidence, but because I feel that suggestion tone is rather pompous when the suggested item(s) is/are not factual and more on the imaginary / abstract side (beauty is in the eye of the beholder). From what you shared with me, in the future I will try to rephrase it in different way such as "Would you like to consider one of these alternatives:" This sounds reasonable.

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

Expressions, Question marks