Usenet Posted 19 years ago
Usage
Ending a question with a period?
I just reread The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies, and was struck by the following sentence:
"Where, I wondered, had Arthur picked up such a friend, who was as near as our modern age allows to what used to be called a matinee idol."
(For anyone who wants to examine the original, this is the last sentence of the first paragraph of the second section of the last chapter.)
This awoke a long slumbering puzzle for me: are there circumstances where a long, complex question like this one can properly be ended with a period? I have seen that usage on many occasions, but I don't see how it can be correct. On the other hand, ending such a sentence with a question mark seems awkward.
I applied the rule of thumb for sorting out I/me and he/him: reduce the sentence to its essentials and see whether it looks right. Here the essential sentence appears to be "Where had Arthur picked up such a friend?" In that form it must surely end with a question mark.
I could change the question to a statement by replacing "Where, I wondered" with "I wondered where," but I don't see how that construction could be found in the original.
In this case the author was not only an accomplished author, but also a journalist, professor, Shakespearean actor, and all-around man of letters, with a degree in literature from Oxford. I don't see how he could make a mistake like this, if it is a mistake; nor do I see how it could be otherwise.
"Where, I wondered, had Arthur picked up such a friend, who was as near as our modern age allows to what used to be called a matinee idol."
(For anyone who wants to examine the original, this is the last sentence of the first paragraph of the second section of the last chapter.)
This awoke a long slumbering puzzle for me: are there circumstances where a long, complex question like this one can properly be ended with a period? I have seen that usage on many occasions, but I don't see how it can be correct. On the other hand, ending such a sentence with a question mark seems awkward.
I applied the rule of thumb for sorting out I/me and he/him: reduce the sentence to its essentials and see whether it looks right. Here the essential sentence appears to be "Where had Arthur picked up such a friend?" In that form it must surely end with a question mark.
I could change the question to a statement by replacing "Where, I wondered" with "I wondered where," but I don't see how that construction could be found in the original.
In this case the author was not only an accomplished author, but also a journalist, professor, Shakespearean actor, and all-around man of letters, with a degree in literature from Oxford. I don't see how he could make a mistake like this, if it is a mistake; nor do I see how it could be otherwise.
Top answer
[nq:1]I just reread The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies, and was struck by the following sentence: "Where, I wondered, had ... [/nq] Perhaps it's an unintentional mistake, and nothing more. Mal
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[nq:1]I just reread The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies, and was struck by the following sentence: "Where, I wondered, had ... could make a mistake like this, if it is a mistake; nor do I see how it could be otherwise.[/nq]
Perhaps it's an unintentional mistake, and nothing more.
Mal
Perhaps it's an unintentional mistake, and nothing more.
Mal
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[nq:1]In this case the author was not only an accomplished author, but also a journalist, professor, Shakespearean actor, and all-around man of letters, with a degree in literature from Oxford.[/nq]
And therefore able to do just what he likes and call it a literary device!
And therefore able to do just what he likes and call it a literary device!
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[nq:1]I just reread The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies, and was struck by the following sentence: "Where, I wondered, had ... could make a mistake like this, if it is a mistake; nor do I see how it could be otherwise.[/nq]
I do that all the time; hitting the full-point key is second nature, at the end of a sentence that's why you have proofreaders. Maybe the proofreaders in question should
I do that all the time; hitting the full-point key is second nature, at the end of a sentence that's why you have proofreaders. Maybe the proofreaders in question should
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[nq:2]I just reread The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies, and ... mistake; nor do I see how it could be otherwise.[/nq]
[nq:1]I do that all the time; hitting the full-point key is second nature, at the end of a sentence that's why you have proofreaders. Maybe the proofreaders in question should have worked a little harder.[/nq]
The emphasis should be on the second clause, not the first. W
[nq:1]I do that all the time; hitting the full-point key is second nature, at the end of a sentence that's why you have proofreaders. Maybe the proofreaders in question should have worked a little harder.[/nq]
The emphasis should be on the second clause, not the first. W
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[nq:2]I do that all the time; hitting the full-point key ... the proofreaders in question should have worked a little harder.[/nq]
[nq:1]The emphasis should be on the second clause, not the first. With no inflection, the interrogative form is embedded in the imperative statement, so there is no mistake.[/nq]
Dear *** in Heaven.
[nq:1]The emphasis should be on the second clause, not the first. With no inflection, the interrogative form is embedded in the imperative statement, so there is no mistake.[/nq]
Dear *** in Heaven.
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[nq:1]I just reread The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies, and was struck by the following sentence: "Where, I wondered, had Arthur picked up such a friend, who was as near as our modern age allows to what used to be called a matinee idol."[/nq]
This doesn't seem to be a question to me. It seems to be roughly equivalent, in terms of meaning, to: "I wondered where Arthur had picked up such a fr
This doesn't seem to be a question to me. It seems to be roughly equivalent, in terms of meaning, to: "I wondered where Arthur had picked up such a fr
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[nq:1]I just reread The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies, and was struck by the following sentence: "Where, I wondered, had ... "Where, I wondered" with "I wondered where," but I don't see how that construction could be found in the original.[/nq]
Why not? Take, eg, "I ask you how that construction can be found." With a poetic inversion, that can become "How, I ask you, can that construction
Why not? Take, eg, "I ask you how that construction can be found." With a poetic inversion, that can become "How, I ask you, can that construction
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[nq:1]The emphasis should be on the second clause, not the first. With no inflection, the interrogative form is embedded in the imperative statement, so there is no mistake.[/nq]
I hope you can explain that in more elementary terms. My days of diagramming sentences are long past, and I didn't follow what you said.
Approaching the sentence intuitively, it seems to me that two components are
I hope you can explain that in more elementary terms. My days of diagramming sentences are long past, and I didn't follow what you said.
Approaching the sentence intuitively, it seems to me that two components are
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[nq:2]I just reread The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies, and ... allows to what used to be called a matinee idol."[/nq]
[nq:1]This doesn't seem to be a question to me. It seems to be roughly equivalent, in terms of meaning, to: ... our modern age allows to what used to be called a matinee idol". In which case, there is no mistake.[/nq]
I concur. It's a statement concerning "my" thoughs,
[nq:1]This doesn't seem to be a question to me. It seems to be roughly equivalent, in terms of meaning, to: ... our modern age allows to what used to be called a matinee idol". In which case, there is no mistake.[/nq]
I concur. It's a statement concerning "my" thoughs,
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