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Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Punctuation used for a rhetorical question

Is is necessary to use a question mark at the end of rhetorical question? Here is my sentence:

Do we not now know that the "grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men."

I have italicized the quote.

Thanks!
  

Top answer

I would use a ? here, Guest: 1. Do we not now know that the "grace of *** that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men"?

— MrPedantic

  • I would use a ?
  • here, Guest: 1.
  • Do we not now know that the "grace of *** that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men"?
  • – and in most 'rhetorical questions'.
  • If you're writing 'literary' English, it's permissible to omit the question mark after a rhetorical question; especially in a passage of fiction that is supposed to represent 'thought'.
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2 Answers
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I would use a ? here, Guest:

1. Do we not now know that the "grace of *** that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men"?

– and in most 'rhetorical questions'.

If you're writing 'literary' English, it's permissible to omit the question mark after a rhetorical question; especially in a passage of fiction that is supposed to represent 'thought'.

MrP
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Yes, you need to use a question mark at the end of all questions, rhetorical or not. Here, because the original quote is not a question, but your sentence is, albeit a rhetorical question, the question mark goes outside the quote, and you lose the end stop period. It should look like this:

Do we not now know that the "grace of *** that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men"?
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