How to Use Question Marks Correctly

Questions marks are some of the most useful of punctuation marks. It may seem obvious how to use them correctly but there are many common mistakes that people make when including them in written communication. There are a few important factors to remember in order to use question marks properly.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Use question marks at the end of statements that are direct questions. This is the most common and obvious use of questions marks but are sometimes erroneously left out if the writer mistakes a direct question for a rhetorical one, which also should end with a question mark regardless. If you are truly asking your reader a direct question, you should indicate this by including a question mark.

2. Insert question marks into direct statements that you wish to reposition as questions. For example, the statement "So, that's your final decision, is it?" should contain a question mark because the original statement about the decision has been turned into a question.

3. Steer clear of putting question marks at the end of indirect questions. For example, you would not include a question mark at the end of the statement "The mother asked her children whether they remembered to make their beds." Though the statement includes the action of asking a question, it is not a question itself.

4. Include a series of question marks in a statement that includes several questions in a row. To correctly use question marks in this situation, you should include a question mark after each of the follow-up questions. A good example of this would be, "What should we have for dinner? Chicken? Steak? Fish?"

5. Italicize, bold or underline question marks that are included as part of a title. For example, the question mark in the title "Who's the Boss?" should have the same format as the rest of the title.

6. Avoid using question marks for statements that are polite requests. You can use a question mark in this case correctly, but it is not necessary. The statement "Would everyone please leave their bags outside" does not need a question mark to be considered a question.

7. Enclose question marks in quotation marks when the words being quoted form a question, as in "How are you today?" The question mark goes outside the quotation marks if the framing sentence is the question. An example would be, Did I hear someone say "dinner's ready"?

Tips & Warnings

• Never combine question marks with other punctuation marks, such as the exclamation point immediately followed by the question mark, or use several at questions marks in a row in formal writing. This is sometimes done for emphasis in informal writing but is generally considered improper grammar.