Question mark needed?

Question

Hello everyone!I have come across sentences like this 'I wonder how your sister destroyed the right?' so many times, is that question mark really needed?I don't understand, I thought that with the word 'wonder' there was no need to use an interrogative mark..Thanks in advance for your help!

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

I think you're right.

Pucca · Answer

Hello Marius!

Then, why is it used? I don't understand, well, I have just being told that it can be used in a dialogue when I told the person that my teacher told me not to use a question mark with 'wonder' in a formal letter.

Is it politically correct? I've seen it so many times that even if it is wrong, I may think it is correct in a future. Same with 'grammer', I was starting to think it was correct.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

'I wonder how your sister destroyed the right?'

I would consider the question mark OK, if a question is indeed intended by the writer, but not in formal English. In formal English, the writer usually does not ask questions in this way.

What does it mean to say that someone destroyed the right? The right what?

Best wishes, Clive

Pucca · Answer

Sorry, 'right' was supposed to be 'ring'

, I took it from a book changing one thing, hehe.

..I don't know how to ask this question, someone told me that even natives don't agree whether the question mark is needed or not, if I understood well, but, then, what should I do? Use it or not?

Thanks!

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Well, if you didn't like my first answer

, you could take this simple approach.

If you are speaking, say 'I wonder how your sister destroyed the ring', and in speech you don't have to worry about whether to write a question mark.

In writing, just write 'How did your sister destroy the ring?'

Best wishes, Clive

Pucca · Answer

Hello Clive!

Nono, I liked your answer! ..but, I wanted to know a bit more.
So, you like the question mark, don't you?

Does the question mark make more difference? Like making it more informal?

I think I want to use it, but, I don't understand how, maybe if I use it, someone may think that I don't know that sometimes 'wonder' can't be used with a question mark. Well, yeap, I only know that I can use it in dialogues, okay, I think I am going to use it!

Thanks once more!

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Sure, English is pretty flexible. Go ahead and use it, and don't worry.

Clivet

Pucca · Answer

Thank you very much, Clive!<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Kooyeen · Answer

PuccaI wonder how your sister destroyed the ring

What?

I would never put a question mark in that sentence, it wouldn't make any sense.
I use punctuation to modify the rhytm and intonation a little... like, uh, yeah, like this. This? Yep, this! Sure? Yes!!!
So a question mark always indicates the kind of intonation of questions to me, and that is not a question, and doesn't have a question intonation either.

I wonder... how did your sister destroy the ring? <-- question
I wonder how your sister distroyed the ring. <--- not a question

Some people say valley girls always talk as if they were asking questions, so they say "Hello? My name is Pamela? I live in LA?", but that's not true, because their intonation is actually different from the one of normal questions.

Pucca · Answer

Yeap, when do you pronounce the question marks with 'wonder' if they are pronounced?

It sounds like making a double question (I don't know how to say it)..

Question mark needed?

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