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Usenet Posted 16 years ago
Usage
May I ask...
Hi all,
a quick question and perhaps I should point out that I'm not a native speaker.
I'm relatively confident that these two sentences are acceptable:
a) You may ask, "what's wrong with (xxx)?"
b) You may ask what's wrong with (xxx), and I'll tell you.
But what if I want to put the "you may ask" part at the end of the sentence?
c) What's wrong with (xxx), you may ask? (I'll tell you what's wrong with it.)
is c) acceptable, to give the sentence more of a rhetorical spin?
a quick question and perhaps I should point out that I'm not a native speaker.
I'm relatively confident that these two sentences are acceptable:
a) You may ask, "what's wrong with (xxx)?"
b) You may ask what's wrong with (xxx), and I'll tell you.
But what if I want to put the "you may ask" part at the end of the sentence?
c) What's wrong with (xxx), you may ask? (I'll tell you what's wrong with it.)
is c) acceptable, to give the sentence more of a rhetorical spin?
Top answer
[nq:1]Hi all, a quick question and perhaps I should point out that I'm not a native speaker. I'm relatively confident that ... ask?
- [nq:1]Hi all, a quick question and perhaps I should point out that I'm not a native speaker.
- I'm relatively confident that ...
- ask?
- A.
- Version c sounds good to me; I've probably used that structure from time to time over the years.
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3 Answers
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[nq:1]Hi all, a quick question and perhaps I should point out that I'm not a native speaker. I'm relatively confident that ... ask? (I'll tell you what's wrong with it.) is c) acceptable, to give the sentence more of a rhetorical spin?[/nq]
I'm a native speaker of English, at least the version that's spoken in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. Version c sounds good to me; I've probably used that structu
I'm a native speaker of English, at least the version that's spoken in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. Version c sounds good to me; I've probably used that structu
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[nq:1]c) What's wrong with (***), you may ask?[/nq]
Consider another possible formulation and it's clear that your punctuation is correct:
What's wrong, you may ask, with (***)?
In both cases, "you may ask" is a parenthetical expression, not another main clause. A question ending with a parenthesis is still a question, so it still gets a question mark.
You could also punctuate it a
Consider another possible formulation and it's clear that your punctuation is correct:
What's wrong, you may ask, with (***)?
In both cases, "you may ask" is a parenthetical expression, not another main clause. A question ending with a parenthesis is still a question, so it still gets a question mark.
You could also punctuate it a
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[nq:1]Hi all, a quick question and perhaps I should point out that I'm not a native speaker. I'm relatively confident that ... ask? (I'll tell you what's wrong with it.) is c) acceptable, to give the sentence more of a rhetorical spin?[/nq]
Sure. Make a set:
You may ask what's wrong with (***)
What's wrong with (***). you may ask
What, you may ask, is wrong with (***).
What's w
Sure. Make a set:
You may ask what's wrong with (***)
What's wrong with (***). you may ask
What, you may ask, is wrong with (***).
What's w
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