Use of question mark for dialogue that doesn't sound like a question?

[Voyeurkenneth]

Grammar alert! Do you personally forgo a question mark for dialogue that doesn't sound like a question is being asked? Or do you use a "?" no matter what?

"You said you'd love me forever!" he said.

"Hah! I did say that, didn't I," she replied.
"Hah! I did say that, didn't I?" she replied.


I get context of the scene and the remainder of the dialogue can/should relay intent. But am curious if there's a prevailing convention being practiced among writers.

 

[TheLobster]

It does sound like a question, though, doesn't it?

 

[StillStunned]

It's a tag question, so it takes a question mark.

 

[JusticeGrey]

I will sometimes rewrite sentences to avoid this dilemma, as I try to adhere to proper grammar rules; this is a personal preference.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think the normal custom is to use a question mark; however, there are two ways this can be spoken, and one way sounds more like a question and the other sounds more like a statement, so I think you would be within your rights to choose a question mark or not depending on which one it is.

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

Lol I suppose in my example, both responses might work. But the intonation associated with ["Hah! I did say that, didn't I," she replied.] reflects more of my intent.

 

[StillStunned]

You can skirt the issue by using "innit" instead of "didn't I?"

 

[SimonDoom]

Lol I suppose in my example, both responses might work. But the intonation associated with ["Hah! I did say that, didn't I," she replied.] reflects more of my intent.

A grammar purist would tell you to use the question mark, but I think you can do it without, given what you've said, and it would work fine.

I assume in your context that the other person does not respond to the statement as though it were a question. That makes a difference.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

+

Grammar alert! Do you personally forgo a question mark for dialogue that doesn't sound like a question is being asked? Or do you use a "?" no matter what?

"You said you'd love me forever!" he said.

"Hah! I did say that, didn't I," she replied.
"Hah! I did say that, didn't I?" she replied.


I get context of the scene and the remainder of the dialogue can/should relay intent. But am curious if there's a prevailing convention being practiced among writers.

Interesting conversation. I use non-standard punctuation in dialog quite frequently to denote different inflection or intonation.
All four of these read differently to me, but technically, only the first is "correct."

"Hah! I did say that, didn't I?" she replied.
"Hah! I did say that, didn't I," she replied.
"Hah! I did say that, didn't I!" she replied.
"Hah! I did say that, didn't I..." she replied.

 

[JusticeGrey]

+

Interesting conversation. I use non-standard punctuation in dialog quite frequently to denote different inflection or intonation.
All four of these read differently to me, but technically, only the first is "correct."

"Hah! I did say that, didn't I?" she replied.
"Hah! I did say that, didn't I," she replied.
"Hah! I did say that, didn't I!" she replied.
"Hah! I did say that, didn't I..." she replied.

The last one, with the ellipsis, doesn't set off alarm bells in my head when I read it. It may be technically wrong (ellipses weren't really covered much when I studied English), but it looks right to me, at least.

Someone talking then just trailing off...

 

[AlinaX]

I'm sure, quite recently, I chose to omit the question mark.
I vote for bringing back the percontation point.
"Hah! I did say that, didn't I⸮" she replied.

ETA: Huh, I really like that.

 

[12oclocktales]

Using a modifier after replied might solve the problem:

“Hah! I did say that, didn’t I!” she replied forcibly.
“Hah! I did say that, didn’t I?” she replied with a smile.

 

[JGittes]

I've just had the reverse issue: a sentence within the dialogue that the speaker wants to be a question but is actually a statement. I can't find it right now, and I need to get to the bus. I added the question mark to force the issue.

I seem to recall that most people here say dialogue is a safe haven from perfect grammar anyway.

 

[jehoram]

A grammar purist would tell you to use the question mark, but I think you can do it without, given what you've said, and it would work fine.

I assume in your context that the other person does not respond to the statement as though it were a question. That makes a difference.

I agree with Simon. And so do two other editors who are considered authorities in their field.

It's not a question, it's an emphatic statement. So in this case, it doesn't get the question mark.

 

[SimonDoom]

I seem to recall that most people here say dialogue is a safe haven from perfect grammar anyway.

I think this is true of everything inside the quotation marks. The handling of tagging and surrounding narrative is a different matter, but in this case we're talking about what's inside the quotes.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Just the way my mind works, I guess. I just had a thought... What would, punctuation, in a script, featuring Christopher, Walken, and, William, Shatner, look, like?

 

[Bamagan]

Just the way my mind works, I guess. I just had a thought... What would, punctuation, in a script, featuring Christopher, Walken, and, William, Shatner, look, like?

 

[NotWise]

The last one, with the ellipsis, doesn't set off alarm bells in my head when I read it. It may be technically wrong (ellipses weren't really covered much when I studied English), but it looks right to me, at least.

Someone talking then just trailing off...

I like the ellipses, too.

I've had this same problem before, and I've usually either lived with the question mark or rewritten the line. The latter solution can produce inauthentic dialog, hence I might be using the ellipsis in the future

 

[Bamagan]

I generally favor using '?!' if the text is technically a question but asked rhetorically or with incredulity, etc. Likewise, I'll sometimes use '!?' if I'm trying to indicate that the speaker is not actually asking a question, despite their use of interrogative terminology.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

 

[SimonDoom]

Just the way my mind works, I guess. I just had a thought... What would, punctuation, in a script, featuring Christopher, Walken, and, William, Shatner, look, like?

Shatner: We have. Come back in time. To your. World. I can't, explain how. It would . . . violate, our prime directive. I. Must. Tell. You. You are in, danger. You must, listen to me.

Walken: My father was. Sicilian. He taught me, the tells. They beat lie detectors all to HELL. I know. Captain. That you're lying. So please. Tell me the truth before you suffer damage you won't walk away from. Why. Are you here? You don't. Want to end up. Like the guy in the red shirt. Lying on the ground, over there. Dead. Poor bastard.

 

[stickygirl]

Don't we all love a man with strong ellipses?

 

[krystalg]

As it's written in query format, it must have a question mark. Context determines if a question is rhetorical, but regardless, it's still a question and requires the question mark.

"The tone of this post makes me come off as quite the bitch, doesn't it?" is rhetorical. I'm still asking a question, just not expecting a response.

The question mark designates an up-turn in tone—mirroring our speech patterns—designating questioning. Your cited phrase, "Didn't I?" is simply asking, "Did I not?" To be correctly punctuated, this would call for the question mark, as it alludes to asking if person being spoken to remembers—an outlier being the speaker attempting to recall. Otherwise, it would be a statement: "I did."

If you sound out the same sentence with different punctuation tags, you can readily tell the difference. "You think I cheated." versus "You think I cheated?"

The interrobang, as Bamagan highlighted, is typically used to convey heightened emotions, such as excitement, within a question. "You did what!?"

 

[TheLobster]

I will pedantically note that the dilemma of choosing between question mark and full stop / nothing is a matter of punctuation, not grammar.

And while you can use whatever grammar you(r characters) like in a dialogue, we the readers likely need correct punctuation to make sense of it

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I will pedantically note that the dilemma of choosing between question mark and full stop / nothing is a matter of punctuation, not grammar.

And while you can use whatever grammar you(r characters) like in a dialogue, we the readers likely need correct punctuation to make sense of it

I'm going to disagree with you on this, specifically where it pertains to dialogue.

As an example of where incorrect punctuation is appropriate and impacts the interpretation of what a character is saying, I'll offer that "You. Don't. Understand." is three incomplete sentences and completely incorrect from both a grammar and punctuation standpoint. But I'll also claim that it's appropriate in dialogue in that it conveys a very different message than the 'proper' "You don't understand."

My point is, in dialogue, improper punctuation can and does help the writer present a more nuanced feel for the mood and tone of the speaker.