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Is it appropriate to use a question mark at the end of a compound sentence where the first independent clause is a question but the second is a statement? For example:

Do you want attribution for that quotation, because I'm definitely sharing it and want to know if I should give you credit?

or

Do you want attribution for that quotation, because I'm definitely sharing it and want to know if I should give you credit.

I suppose this could work, but it's a little niche, as the second clause might not always be appropriate for a parenthetical.

Do you want attribution for that quotation (because I'm definitely sharing it and want to know if I should give you credit)?

Adam Wuerl
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    I would write it as the parenthetical. –  Aug 25 '11 at 12:46
  • Use two sentences. End the first one with a question mark. Start the second with Because. You'll feel no pain; only your English teacher will feel it. – John Lawler Mar 26 '23 at 22:03

2 Answers2

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Because the second statement doesn't ask a question, I would consider writing it as a separate sentence:

Do you want attribution for that quotation? Because I'm definitely sharing it, and I want to know if I should give you credit.

It's clearer that way.

NVZ
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Thursagen
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  • Do you want attribution for that quotation? because I'm definitely sharing it, and I want to know if I should give you credit. – GEdgar Aug 25 '11 at 12:38
  • Why did you change the "b" in "because" from upper to lower case? – jimreed Aug 25 '11 at 13:49
  • Instead of a new sentence, perhaps just replace the comma with a question mark in the middle of the sentence. – GEdgar Aug 25 '11 at 14:34
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    I rolled back the change. The core of Thursagen's answer was to make it two sentences, so your suggestion of lowercasing the b to keep it one sentence isn't just a small tweak, but rather a complete change. I'd suggest making it its own answer. – Dusty Aug 25 '11 at 15:03
  • @Dusty Me too. An anonymous user's suggestion was approved by reviewers, and I disagree with the edit. – NVZ Jun 22 '17 at 20:29
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According to this site I found: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/question.htm , the first way you phrased it is suppose to be correct.

EmericRotoro
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    While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. – Glorfindel Feb 09 '17 at 14:07
  • And yep, the linked page changed. – Heartspring Mar 26 '23 at 21:27