0
Fireorchid Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Is this question rhetorical?

On a website I work on I frequently read things like this:

Do you have something to promote?
Yes! Then we can help.
I would possibly call this a rhetorical question, which would be why IMO the answer "Yes! Then we can help" sounds so awkward. Is there another name for this kind of question and answer? Can anyone give a description of why this reads awkwardly?
  

Top answer

Hi, It is not a rhetorical question. Do you have something to promote? I can either answer: —Yes, I do.

  • Hi, It is not a rhetorical question.
  • Do you have something to promote?
  • I can either answer: —Yes, I do.
  • or: —No, I don't.
  • There is no obvious answer to this question, as one might not have something to promote.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

2 Answers
0
Hi,
It is not a rhetorical question.

Do you have something to promote?

I can either answer:
—Yes, I do.
or:
—No, I don't.

There is no obvious answer to this question, as one might not have something to promote.

Yes! Then we can help.

It seems like a shortened form to me. I suppose that it implies "If the answer is yes, then we can
0
Thanks, I'd definitely remove the exclamation point too; it was originally written in all caps as well but I couldn't bring myself to reproduce that.

I probably should've provided some context in my original question, so below is an actual example, with some details removed for privacy.

Do you have […] opportunities to promote?

Yes! Then we can help.
[…] and […] use

Related Questions