Punctuation Tip: Polite Requests and Question Marks

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Punctuation Tip: Polite Requests and Question Marks.

No question mark is used for a polite request.

• Would you give us your name and spell it for the record.
• May it please the Court.
• Will you leave the room, please.
• Would you raise your right hand to be sworn in.

Statements can sometimes sound like questions, but they're not direct questions. They're indirect questions, and they don't take a question mark.

• I wonder why he went to the store.
• I wonder if Mary will come to the party.

When mixing direct and indirect questions together, punctuation can be confusing. The simplest way to write that is to put a comma after the indirect question and a question mark after the direct question.

• The question at hand is, who stole the cookies?

Morson's English Guide for Court Reporters suggests using a colon after the word "is."

• The question at hand is: Who stole the cookies?

Some style guides capitalize the first word in a direct question, even though it comes in the middle of a sentence. Capitalizing the first word in the question places more emphasis on the question.

• The question at hand is, Who stole the cookies?

If the question is flipped around, insert the question mark in the middle of the sentence.

• Who stole the cookies? was the question at hand.

As you can see, there are several ways to handle indirect questions as far as punctuation goes. Choose a punctuation reference source to follow in your written documents, and remember to be consistent.