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Recently, I've found myself writing sentences which are statements, but which conclude with a question, either in parentheses or as a quotation, and being unable to decide quite how to punctuate.

For example:

She said, "Are you coming home?" -- versus -- She said, "Are you coming home"?

... and:

He looks unhappy (but isn't he rich?) -- versus -- He looks unhappy (but isn't he rich?).

Also, is this affected by whether on not one is using British Punctuation (cf. the Oxford Comma) or American Punctuation?

Robin Hamilton
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  • Probably a duplicate..... – Drew Jun 09 '17 at 16:36
  • @Roger Sinasohn. The example there is of an overt (or implied -- "The ambassador asked ...") question, concluding in a question. Not quite what I'm asking about, which is how to deal with a statement which concludes with a question, either in parentheses or in quotation marks. Is the entire sentence a statement or a question? – Robin Hamilton Jun 09 '17 at 16:49
  • @Peter Shor Definitely pertinent to my question. I'm still trying to digest what was posted there (following through from your heads-up) but at first glance, it doesn't quite solve my problem (but I may be missing something). – Robin Hamilton Jun 09 '17 at 17:00
  • I think what is niggling my brain here is as much a matter of semantics as it is of punctuation. Is a statement which concludes with a question itself a question or a statement? (which may be making a mountain out of a molehill). The answer would seem to be, "Avoid the occasions of sin!" and rework the Awkward Question in another form. – Robin Hamilton Jun 09 '17 at 17:19
  • You have two questions. In the first, you are quoting a question. Since the quote would have had a question mark, why would leave it out within the quotation marks? You could clarify, also, that she did not say this but asked it: She asked, "Are you coming home?" – Yosef Baskin Jun 09 '17 at 20:15
  • I don't see why the Superman example in the duplicate isn't exactly the same as your 2nd question. – Peter Shor Jun 10 '17 at 12:35
  • @Peter Shore. Yes, the Superman example exactly parallels my second question, so I'll (finally) mark this as solved -- both ?) and ?). are considered "acceptable". However ... (final closing statement follows). – Robin Hamilton Jun 10 '17 at 14:22
  • Writing predates printing. Punctuation only appears after the advent of printing, and the current systems are the result of the of the success of logical rather than rhetorical punctuation which occurs in the course of the seventeenth century (in England). The result is that the "rules" of punctuation are prescriptive in a way that the "rules" of grammar are not -- there's no possible appeal to accepted spoken usage. Thus when we question punctuation, we're sent to style manuals. What we're talking about is a dress code applied to the printed word. Consider Emily Dickinson ... [EndRant] – Robin Hamilton Jun 10 '17 at 14:35
  • @Peter Shor My apologies for misspelling your moniker above -- by the time I noticed, it was too late to Edit! RH – Robin Hamilton Jun 10 '17 at 14:42

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