KNOW YOUR PUNCTUATION! [THE QUESTION MARK AND THE EXCLAMATION MARK]

THE QUESTION MARK (?)

Just as the name suggests, the question mark, also known as interrogative mark/point or eroteme, is primarily used to indicate that a question has been asked; it indicates an interrogative clause or phrase.

a. What is she doing here?
b. Will you be around tomorrow?
c. You are hungry, aren't you?
d. Who is your date for the party?
e. Donald Trump is the first US president to be impeached twice. True or false?

• Question mark can also be used to turn a statement into a question.
  a. He is coming home next week?
  b. He proposed to her?
• The question mark is used after a direct question which is inserted into a statement. If the question comes at the end, it is recommended that a comma is used to separate it.

a. The question is, were you at the crime scene?

• Question marks can be used to indicate requests.
  a. Would you proofread this for the team?
  b. Could you fetch the kids for me?
• It is used to indicate editorial uncertainty. In this case, it is enclosed in parentheses or brackets.
  a. The victim was 15 (?) at the time of the incident.
  b. The war broke out in 1938 (?).

THE EXCLAMATION MARK (!)

The exclamation mark is also called exclamation point. Initially, it is referred to as “note of admiration”. The exclamation mark is used to express pain, surprise, shock, excitement, disbelief, fear, admiration, awe, among many other emotional outbursts.

a. Ouch!
b. Wow!
c. Oh!
d. What a surprise!
f. How beautiful she was!

Some writers use the exclamation mark after the question mark, and each time this is done, they do it to make the question more forceful. I wouldn’t know how correct this is, so I would not affirm or disaffirm its usage. The following are examples of constructions they come up with when the exclamation mark is used after the question mark:

a. What is your problem?!
b. Are you out of sight?!

It might be of interest to know that there’s a punctuation mark that combines the question mark and exclamation mark. It is called ‘interrobang’, but I am yet to see it in use.

Where not to use exclamation mark
In formal writings, such as academic writings.

I am sure this post has helped in gaining more insights into the usage of the question mark and exclamation mark. So, watch out for the next, where we shall see how some sets of punctuation marks are used.