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Anonymous Posted 5 years ago
Grammar

Guess what as exclamation or question?

Hi Friends,

Should 'guess what/you know what' be followed by a question mark or an exclamation point? Are they both okay?

For example: I thought I'd be fired. But guess what/you know what? I was promoted.

Thanks, friends.

  

Top answer

Strictly speaking, an exclamation is not a question. Guess what! is in the form of an imperative.

— Clive

  • Strictly speaking, an exclamation is not a question.
  • Guess what!
  • is in the form of an imperative.
  • But you could argue that 'Guess what' is short for the question Can you guess what?
  • So, either punctuation is OK, depending on the context Clive
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1 Answers
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Strictly speaking, an exclamation is not a question.

Guess what! is in the form of an imperative.

But you could argue that 'Guess what' is short for the question Can you guess what?


So, either punctuation is OK, depending on the context

Clive

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