27 | End Punctuation

27|End Punctuation

Three marks can signal the end of a sentence: the period, the exclamation point, and the question mark.

27aUse a period to end a declarative sentence, a directive, or an indirect question.

Most sentences are declarative, meaning that they make a statement.

Many people on earth are malnourished.

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For examples of direct questions, see 27c.

A period, not a question mark, ends an indirect question, which states that a question was asked or is being asked.

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27bUse a period after some abbreviations.

A period within a sentence shows that what precedes it has been shortened.

Dr. Lene V. Hau’s speech will be broadcast at 8:00 p.m.

For more on abbreviations, see 36.

The names of many organizations (YMCA, PTA), countries (USA, UK), and people (JFK, FDR) are abbreviated using all capitals without periods. Other abbreviations, such as those for designations of time, use periods. When an abbreviation ends a sentence, follow it with one period, not two.

27cUse a question mark to end a direct question.

For advice on punctuating indirect quotations and questions, see 33. For examples of indirect questions, see 27a.

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

The question mark comes at the end of the question even if the question is part of a longer declarative sentence.

“What’ll I do now?” Marjorie wailed.

27dUse an exclamation point to end an interjection or an urgent command.

An interjection is a word or expression that inserts an outburst of feeling (see 1h).

Rarely used in college writing, an exclamation point signals strong emotion.

We’ve struck an iceberg! We’re sinking! I can’t believe it!

It may mark an interjection or emphasize an urgent directive.

Oh, no! Fire! Hurry up! Help me!

EXERCISE 27-1 Using End Punctuation

If needed, correct end punctuation in the following sentences. Give reasons for any changes you make. Some sentences may be correct. Example:

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  1. The question that still troubles the community after all these years is why federal agents did not act sooner?

  2. I wonder what he was thinking at the time?

  3. If the suspect is convicted, will lawyers appeal the case?

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  1. What will Brad and Emilia do if they can’t take vacations at the same time.

  2. When a tree falls in a forest, but no one hears it, does it make a sound.

  3. What will happen next is anyone’s guess.