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Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
Punctuating 2 sentences
Would someone please tell me the proper way to punctuate the following two sentences --
1) What about Social Security, have you filed for any Social Security Disability claim? (common, semi-colon, or question mark after Social Security?)
2) Let me ask you: Before this accident happened, had you ever been involved in any other motor vehicle accidents? (colon or common after "Let me ask you"?)
Thanks for any assistance.
JBM
1) What about Social Security, have you filed for any Social Security Disability claim? (common, semi-colon, or question mark after Social Security?)
2) Let me ask you: Before this accident happened, had you ever been involved in any other motor vehicle accidents? (colon or common after "Let me ask you"?)
Thanks for any assistance.
JBM
Top answer
Hey, JB. Pretty iffy sentences to punctuate. Personally, after the first 'Social Security' and 'Let me ask you', I would use an m-dash.
- Hey, JB.
- Pretty iffy sentences to punctuate.
- Personally, after the first 'Social Security' and 'Let me ask you', I would use an m-dash.
- However, some publications eschew this handy tool.
- More formally, the only good solution to (1) is to create two sentences: 'What about Social Security?
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5 Answers
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Hey, JB.
Pretty iffy sentences to punctuate. Personally, after the first 'Social Security' and 'Let me ask you', I would use an m-dash. However, some publications eschew this handy tool.
More formally, the only good solution to (1) is to create two sentences: 'What about Social Security? Have you filed...?'.
For (2), a 'whether' and some rearrangement would be goo
Pretty iffy sentences to punctuate. Personally, after the first 'Social Security' and 'Let me ask you', I would use an m-dash. However, some publications eschew this handy tool.
More formally, the only good solution to (1) is to create two sentences: 'What about Social Security? Have you filed...?'.
For (2), a 'whether' and some rearrangement would be goo
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Thanks MisterM..
Rearranging is not a possibility. I am transcribing a deposition. It has to be verbatim. Now you say to make "What about Social Security?" a separate sentence. That is possible. My question was: Is it a sentence? Is "what" the verb? That is what I was confused about. Thanks, again!
JB
Rearranging is not a possibility. I am transcribing a deposition. It has to be verbatim. Now you say to make "What about Social Security?" a separate sentence. That is possible. My question was: Is it a sentence? Is "what" the verb? That is what I was confused about. Thanks, again!
JB
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About your question: 'What about Social Security?' came so naturally that I did not notice. It is however, a recognized form-- an irregular wh-question used mainly in conversation, fragmentary and used as a directive. There has been ellipsis of some words, including the verb: 'what (have you done) about Social Security?' Since this is a recorded conversation, its use is more natural than the i
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Thanks, Mister M,
I think I have settled the issue. Guess I was being a little too nit-picky! I mainly just wanted to know the correct way to punctuate.
Thanks again. I'll be back with future grammar questions!
JBM
I think I have settled the issue. Guess I was being a little too nit-picky! I mainly just wanted to know the correct way to punctuate.
Thanks again. I'll be back with future grammar questions!
JBM
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Good, JB.
Actually, this thread has been rolling around in my mind-- as to how to punctuate transcribed speech when one is trying to write it down verbatim, as in court depositions. (Unless there are indeed a set of special rules preserved somewhere) I would think there would be a lot of m-dashes, comma splices, ellipses, and fragmentary sentences used, because that is the way we speak.
Actually, this thread has been rolling around in my mind-- as to how to punctuate transcribed speech when one is trying to write it down verbatim, as in court depositions. (Unless there are indeed a set of special rules preserved somewhere) I would think there would be a lot of m-dashes, comma splices, ellipses, and fragmentary sentences used, because that is the way we speak.
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