Practice
Question marks: direct questions, polite requests, and quoted speech
Where is the library? is a direct question, so it ends with a question mark. Please tell me where the library is gives an instruction, so it ends with a full stop.
Use a question mark after a direct question and choose a full stop when a sentence only reports or gives information.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Could you bring your passport, please? /kʊd juː brɪŋ jɔː ˈpɑːspɔːt pliːz/
The short answer
Put a question mark after a direct question, including a polite request written as a question. Use a full stop when the sentence reports a question or gives an instruction.
Could you open the window?
Why it works: The speaker is politely asking someone to do something, so the sentence is a direct question.
3 more examples
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Why is the shop closed today?
This directly asks for a reason, so it needs a question mark.
Not this:
I know whythe shop is closed today. What changes: The sentence reports knowledge. It does not directly ask the reader a question, so it ends with a full stop. -
Could you bring your passport, please?
Could you makes a polite request in question form, so use a question mark.
Not this:
Please bringyour passport. What changes: This is an instruction, not a question. A full stop finishes the sentence. -
You have met our new teacher, haven't you?
The tag asks the listener to confirm the statement, so it ends with a question mark.
Not this:
You have metour new teacher. What changes: This gives information without asking for confirmation, so it ends with a full stop.
Read the full guide
Look at the sentence's purpose before you choose its final mark. Ask yourself: is someone expecting an answer, or are they giving information or an instruction? This check also helps with longer sentences that contain a question inside them.
Step 1: find the direct question
A direct question asks the reader or listener for information. It can begin with a question word, as in Where do you live?, or with an auxiliary verb, as in Are you ready? Put the question mark after the last word of the complete question.
What time does the film start?
Choose the ending mark: Is this your bag__
Use a question mark: Is this your bag? The speaker wants an answer.
Step 2: keep polite requests as questions
Could you, would you, and can you often introduce polite requests. They ask another person to act, so they normally take a question mark. The request can sound friendly and still be a real question in grammar and punctuation.
Would you wait here for a moment?
Would you wait here for a moment? asks politely. Please wait here for a moment. gives an instruction.
Choose the correct ending: Can you check the address__
Use a question mark: Can you check the address? The sentence asks someone to do something.
Step 3: do not mark every question word
An indirect question is a question idea inside another sentence. The final mark follows the purpose of the whole sentence. I do not know where he lives is a statement. Can you tell me where he lives? is a direct question because the whole sentence asks for information.
She asked whether the train was late.
Where is the train? is a direct question. She asked whether the train was late. reports a question.
Choose the ending: Please tell me when the office opens__
Use a full stop: Please tell me when the office opens. The main sentence is an instruction.
Step 4: use a question mark with a tag
A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement. It asks the other person to agree or confirm. Common tags include isn't it?, don't you?, and didn't they? The question mark comes after the tag.
The meeting is on Monday, isn't it?
Add the final mark: You called Sam yesterday, didn't you__
Write: You called Sam yesterday, didn't you? The tag asks for confirmation.
Step 5: keep a quoted question together
When you quote someone's direct question, keep its question mark with the quoted words. The mark comes before the closing quotation mark because it belongs to the question itself. Do not add a second full stop after that quoted question.
The guide asked, 'Are you ready?'
The guide asked, 'Are you ready?' quotes the exact question. The guide asked whether we were ready. reports it without a question mark.
Choose the correct punctuation: She asked, 'Where are the keys__'
Write: She asked, 'Where are the keys?' The question mark belongs inside the quotation marks.
Before you go
Remember this
Use a question mark after a direct question, a polite request in question form, or a question tag. Use a full stop after a statement, an instruction, or an indirect question that is part of a larger statement.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Question marks: direct questions, polite requests, and quoted speech"
When should I use a question mark?
Use a question mark after a direct question that asks for information or a response. For example, Why is the shop closed today? asks directly, while I know why the shop is closed today. is a statement.
Why is the shop closed today?
Do polite requests need a question mark?
Yes, when the request is written as a question. Could you bring your passport, please? asks someone to act. Please bring your passport. is an instruction, so it ends with a full stop.
I know why the shop is closed today.
Why does an indirect question sometimes end with a full stop?
Look at the whole sentence. I know why the shop is closed today. reports information, so it has a full stop. A direct question such as Why is the shop closed today? has a question mark.
Could you bring your passport, please?
Does a question tag take a question mark?
Yes. A tag asks the listener to confirm something. You have met our new teacher, haven't you? ends with a question mark because the speaker expects confirmation.
Please bring your passport.
Where does the question mark go in quoted speech?
Keep the mark with the quoted direct question: The guide asked, 'Are you ready?' The question mark comes before the closing quotation mark because it belongs to the spoken question.
You have met our new teacher, haven't you?