Questions? Yes!

Are there other ways to end a sentence besides a period? Certainly! You can do it with question marks at the end of direct interrogative sentences, which ask questions, and exclamation points at the end of both exclamatory sentences, which express strong emotions and emphasis, and imperative sentences that consist of emphatic commands.

You may be wondering if you should use a question mark at the end of an indirect question. The answer is no. A question mark should not be used when there is no intent to ask a question. Indirect questions and courteous requests such as “Please read this blog to the end.” should always end in a period.

It is advisable to use exclamation points sparingly. The Associated Press and the Chicago Manual of Style both advise that they should only be used when the emphasis does not already exist in a sentence.

Within quotations or material within brackets or parentheses, question marks and exclamation points should be used with any material that is actually part of the question or exclamation, but outside any material used to set off the question or exclamation. For example: “Did you say that?” she asked. “No!” he replied. Note: Within a quotation, the question mark or exclamation mark should not be followed by a comma to set off an attribution such as “he said.”

If a question is being asked about a quote that is not a question itself, the question mark goes outside the quoted material, as in: Did John actually say “you weren’t there”? But if a direct question is asked within a sentence indirectly asking a question, the direct question should be followed by a question mark, such as: Do you need a ride home? Mary was asked. Should a question or exclamation be interpolated inside a declarative sentence, such as The long rainy day—would it ever come to an end?—has finally concluded. —it should be followed by a question mark or exclamation point.

A question mark can also appear within parentheses to indicate doubt, while an exclamation point can appear within parentheses to indicate irony: Laura, rather than Pat, decided (!) to come home after only three hours (?) The Chicago Manual of Style indicates that exclamation points may be used after direct questions that are asked emphatically: When will you ever get the idea!

Unique to the Spanish language, questions and exclamations are enclosed at both ends in question and exclamation marks, with those at the beginning of the sentence positioned upside down, as in ¿Tiene sentido? ¡Claro! (meaning, Does it make sense? Of course!)