Period or Question Mark

Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:53 pm

Since having that revelation of the 'invisible punctuation', I have
tried to read and be aware of the writing style of the author. If it's
a good book, within two paragraphs I find myself totally engrossed and
forgetting to notice the dad-blamed punctuation. I'm a
sentence-at-a-time speed reader—unless I'm reading aloud—and I think
that is what causes me to not notice.

Maybe I should try a boring (but well-written) book.
_________________
Brew
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"Let us dare to read, think, speak and write." ~ John Adams, 1765

Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:10 am

Sue, while some of the replies are excellent suggestions about rewording your sentences, you asked about the first two.

You would punctuate with a period because both sentences are indirect questions instead of direct questions.

Grammar and punctuation are pains at times, but if we do them correctly, the reader doesn't have to stop and wonder what the author meant.
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Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:27 am

Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:44 am

I get real nit-picky sometimes. When I edit my Cuba missile book, I find myself getting stuck on grammar and punctuation in Kennedy's speeches. Am I crazy?!!!! His speeches were like none we've heard from a president in decades. They had a wonderful eloquent style which stops my grammar check quite frequently. In his October 22, 1962 speech, he says, "Our will will be tested." Now the grammar check does not like that word used twice at all.

Carol geek

Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:45 am

Me? I'm terrible about wandering around, discussing everything under the sun except the topic.
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Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:49 am

We cross-posted, Carol.

I loved JFK's speeches, still like to listen. I was only a teen when he was elected, by after the dull, stodgy Eisenhowers, the Kennedys caused a lot of us to become interested in politics for the first time.
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Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Thu Jun 26, 2008 4:45 am

Brenda,
That is what I thought also about the two sentences. Gosh it gets confusing!

Thanks for all the help here, Everyone!

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Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Thu Jun 26, 2008 9:58 am

I have a retired friend who worked as an editor for a major school book publisher and edits for me once in a while. She is very nit-picky. In my Iowa Born and Bred book, I include information about a Union spy operation during the Civil War called Andrews' Raiders. Mr. Andrews was in charge of this operation. Well, I found some official sites where it was Andrews' Raiders, and others where it was Andrews Raiders, and when I contacted the museum that honors this operation, they said it could be either way except their punctuation was Andrews Raiders without the apostrophe. Well, my friend could not accept that. She told me "you know what is right," and to honor her I put the apostrophe in the book.

Carol

Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:11 pm

Dull, Stodgy? Are you picking on me again, Brenda?
Ol' Stodgy.
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Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:46 pm

Pick on you, Dick? How could I ever pick on someone whose mind is warped enough to write for Alfred Hitchcock’s magazine? So you’re safe—for now, even if you do come from Ohio.
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Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:25 am

Don't worry, Dick.

It's when you can't remember the old songs...then, you have a problem. scratch

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One Star Member Joined : 18 Aug 2008 Posts : 29

Speaking of punctuation and such, Brew used the word, "ain't". I love that word. Use it all the time. But I've always been puzzled by it. Clearly the n't is a contraction of "not", such as in the word, "aren't", meaning "are not". But where does the "ai" come from from? scratch

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Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:49 am

Hi, Gary, and welcome to the board!

I've often wondered about that 'ain't' question myself. The American Heritage dictionary has this to say...

But while don't and won't eventually became accepted at all levels of speech and writing, ain't
was to receive a barrage of criticism in the 19th century for having no
set sequence of words from which it can be contracted and for being a
"vulgarism," that is, a term used by the lower classes, although an't at least had been originally used by the upper classes as well.

It is used extensively when double negatives come into play - ie:"I ain't got no money."
_________________
Brew
My website:http://www.philwhitley.com
"Let us dare to read, think, speak and write." ~ John Adams, 1765

Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:50 am

It comes from 'out there,' the same mystical region that changes wash to worsh.
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Subject: Re: Period or Question Mark Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:53 am