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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Question mark phrase

If I am asking a question in the middle of a compund sentence, and I want to emphasize that one part only is interrogative and the other part declarative, can I treat a question mark as a comma? For example:

Why does he hate me? since I do not hate him.

should it be:

Since I do not hate him, why does he hate me?

This makes sense to me. I know people do speak in the the former manner, and it seems strange to divide it into two sentences. And, I see no reason for having to switch the order of the declarative and interrogative statements when written as opposed to spoken. Sometimes its awkward and undesireable, or changes the emphasis with a change of the order.

As two sentences:
Why does he hate me? I do not hate him.
or:
Why does he hat me? Since, I do not hate him.

Doesn't the latter seperate the word since from the question it's referring to making it's use inapropriate?

Hey, any help is appreciated, but let it be known that I support this new use of the question mark, because if style and effective communication is sacrificed for the rules of grammar the very purpose of the rules grammar the clarification and organization of such things are being ignored.
  

Top answer

Hi, If I am asking a question in the middle of a compund sentence, and I want to emphasize that one part only is interrogative and the other part declarative, can I treat a question mark as a comma? No. For example: Why does he hate me?

  • Hi, If I am asking a question in the middle of a compund sentence, and I want to emphasize that one part only is interrogative and the other part declarative, can I treat a question mark as a comma?
  • No.
  • For example: Why does he hate me?
  • since I do not hate him.
  • No, incorrect.
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1 Answers
0
Hi,
If I am asking a question in the middle of a compund sentence, and I want to emphasize that one part only is interrogative and the other part declarative, can I treat a question mark as a comma? No.
For example:


Why does he hate me? since I do not hate him. No, incorrect.

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