Can we make something...
"The question is can we make something out of this that serves a purpose or really not."
(The Guardian.)
Is can we make something out of this that serves a purpose or really not a direct question in the sentence above? And if so, why isn't the question mark put at the end of that sentence?
Top answer
tkacka15 Is can we make something out of this that serves a purpose or really not a direct question in the sentence above? No. It's phrased as a direct question, but it has no quotation marks around it.
- tkacka15 Is can we make something out of this that serves a purpose or really not a direct question in the sentence above?
- No.
- It's phrased as a direct question, but it has no quotation marks around it.
- In this case we would just say that "The question is X" is the basic structure, and that's a statement, not a question, so a question mark is not used.
- When writers do this it's called a semi-indirect construction.
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tkacka15Is can we make something out of this that serves a purpose or really not a direct question in the sentence above?
No. It's phrased as a direct question, but it has no quotation marks around it. In this case we would just say that "The question is X" is the basic structure, and that's a statement, not a question, so a question mark is not us
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