Law16 mins ago
Question or not?
12 Answers
I was typing an email the other day and a colleague was looking over my shoulder. I finished the email with something like 'I would be grateful if you would give this your attention' and my colleague argued that this sentence should have a question mark on the end. I disputed this but she said it wasn't a statement. She is a senior secretary and i would expect her letter writing skills to be much better than mine - but is she right?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ."I would be grateful if . . " is a (conditional) statement and does not require a question mark.
Your colleague seems to have got things muddled. If you'd have written, "Perhaps you might give this your attention?", the use of 'perhaps' implies a question and thus justifies the question mark.
Similarly, Frederick T. Wood's Current English Usage says that a question mark is used after constructions such as, "I wonder whether . . ", where the sentence has the force of a request. (Your colleague seems to be suggesting that "I would be grateful . . " carries similar weight as a request but I would dispute this).
Conversely, Longman's Guide to English Usage states that it's acceptable to omit the question mark at the end of a question used as a request. They give, "Would you please send me another ten copies so that I can give one to each member of my staff" as an example of a question/request which does not require a question mark (although it would still be acceptable to use one).
Chris
Your colleague seems to have got things muddled. If you'd have written, "Perhaps you might give this your attention?", the use of 'perhaps' implies a question and thus justifies the question mark.
Similarly, Frederick T. Wood's Current English Usage says that a question mark is used after constructions such as, "I wonder whether . . ", where the sentence has the force of a request. (Your colleague seems to be suggesting that "I would be grateful . . " carries similar weight as a request but I would dispute this).
Conversely, Longman's Guide to English Usage states that it's acceptable to omit the question mark at the end of a question used as a request. They give, "Would you please send me another ten copies so that I can give one to each member of my staff" as an example of a question/request which does not require a question mark (although it would still be acceptable to use one).
Chris