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Grammar
Course: Grammar > Unit 6
Lesson 1: Introduction to commasThree ways to end a sentence
David and Paige, KA’s resident grammarians, introduce the three ways to end a sentence: the period, the exclamation point, and the question mark.
Want to join the conversation?
- I though you can use a ? mark for excitement! Like, "Mom! Are you proud of me for getting 100 points?"(65 votes)
- I am pretty sure that you can use both. For example: "Mom! Are you proud of me for getting 100 points?!(8 votes)
- Do you always use exclamation marks with commands?(17 votes)
- No. You use exclamation marks whenever you feel like the sentence needs one. Use exclamation marks sparingly because the more you use them on a page, the less impact each exclamation mark with have.(15 votes)
- I need help! If someone was to ask me a question, like "Are you not going to eat that cookie?" I answer "No" meaning I do want to eat the cookie, but people think I do not. Should I answer this question differently?(7 votes)
- Often in English when one is asked a negative question, it is answered in the same way as a positive question. For example
Aren't you 16 yet?
would be answered the same way asAre you 16 yet?
i.e.Yes
if one is over 16 andNo
if one isn't.
It's a bit counterintuitive, but that's how English works sometimes. Sorry!(12 votes)
- Could you use a ! for a fact that your excited about?(7 votes)
- Hey ya yo do for ANYTHING that you are excited about (OR you are yelling at a sibling)(3 votes)
- Since this is called "Three ways to end a sentence", are there more? If so, what are they?(4 votes)
- The interrobang is another way to end a sentence. Read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrobang(8 votes)
- If you want to yell out your question do you still use an exclamation point or do you sea a question mark? How do I right that?
Example: "Mom! Where is the car!" or "Mom! Where is the car?"(4 votes)- I would use a question mark, and maybe use a dialogue tag to indicate volume.
"Mom? Where's the car?" Taylor hollered.(6 votes)
- Are you allowed to end a sentence like this?''Are you listening to me?!''with an ? mark and a ! mark?(3 votes)
- No, that would be grammatically incorrect. You can use only one type of punctuation at a time to end a sentence.
However, there's a fourth way to end a sentence: the interrobang, ‽, which is a combination of an exclamation mark and a question mark.
Although it is not widely used, this type of end punctuation asks a question in an expressive manner—which is exactly what you are trying to do by using "?!"(2 votes)
- If you said “ The slug left slim all over the trail” can’t you use an exclamation-mark ! and or a period . ?(3 votes)
- I can end that sentence in all three ways. So can YOU!
1) as a statement: "The slug left slime all over the trail.” (This just tells us something)
2) as an exclamation: "The slug left slime all over the trail!” (we had thought it to be dead, but it lives, and slimes!)
3) as a question: "The slug left slime all over the trail?” (we had thought that the slug only slimed up the shrubbery, and now we hear differently, so we're asking for clarification).
Now, you try it. Use the sentence, "Upon rising, she ate pizza."(5 votes)
- Are there more ways to end a sentence besides the comma, the exclamation mark, and the period? If so, what are they?(2 votes)
- There are four:
Period (full stop).
Exclamation mark (!)
Question mark (?)
Interrobang (‽) https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/interrobang/(5 votes)
- why is a question mark or exclamation point at the end of a sentence and not at the beginning like in Spanish?(2 votes)
- That's the way it is in English. When I learned Spanish, starting in 1965, I thought it was weird the way it was done there.(5 votes)
Video transcript
- [Voiceover] Hello
grammarians and hello Paige. - Hi David. - So today, we're gonna talk about the three different
ways to end a sentence. This is what we call a terminal
punctuation of English. Paige, what are those three ways? - So, the first is a period. - Okay. - And then exclamation point. - Poom. - And a question mark. - Swoosh. Poom. - A period is just sort of the standard
ending to a sentence. - Sure. - Right, it's... It goes at the end of,
I think, most sentences. I would say that all of the sentences that we have spoken so far
would probably end in periods. - So what's a good example sentence that we can use a period at the end of? - My mom ate a cookie. - So that's just sort of a straight up, regular ol' sentence? - Yeah. - Just a standard declaration of a fact. - Exactly. - This is a thing that is
true. My mom ate a cookie. - Yes. - Cool, and then we just
put this period there to say that's the end of a... End of line. So then what is, what is
an exclamation point for? What would we use that for? - Yeah, so an exclamation
point is pretty much if someone is excited
about what they're saying. - Okay. - So if I were to say I'm gonna eat so much
candy when I get home! I think that was probably an exclamation. - Sure. - And ends in an exclamation point. - But its not just like
good excitement either. It's not just like, wooh, this is awesome! - Totally. There can
be, you know, anger like go to your room! - Right. - Or like fear. If you said... - Aaah! - Yes. Exactly. - We have the period,
which kind of all purpose terminal punctuation you
can just say a regular declarative sentence. Here is a fact, my mom ate a cookie. Or you can use exclamation points to demonstrate excitement or strong emotion whether good or bad, so
like an interjection like aaah! Or a command like go to you room! Or if your super excited,
I'm gonna eat so much candy! What is this thing used for? Huuuh? - Well, I think that was a perfect example but that thing is used for... That is a question mark which
goes at the end of a question. So it basically just signifies I don't know the answer to this thing and I would like an answer to it please. - So okay. So Paige,
what's an example question that we can throw out
using a question mark? - How about, is this edible? - Well it's the eternal question. (Paige laughs) - I ask myself that everyday. (David laughs) - Okay so we have periods,
just statement of facts, exclamations, expressions
of strong emotion, or question marks, which
ask a question? I guess? (Paige chuckles) - Yeah. - Cool. Thanks Paige. - Thank you for having me. - You can learn anything. David out. - Paige out.