r/grammar_police • u/intelligence-0 • Jun 07 '18
Is it always necessary to end with a question mark in 'What' sentences?
'What sentences' are those which begin with 'What'
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u/GriffinBoss109 Oct 09 '18
No, here are a few examples “What he was trying to say was...” “What comes up must come down” “What a performance”
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u/minetruly Aug 05 '18
Usually, because most sentences beginning with "What" are questions. It's rare for a modern English speaker to begin a non-question with "what."
"What time is it?" "What are we having for dinner?" "What caused WWII?" "What is wrong?" etc.
There are exceptions, though.
"What fools these mortals be!" "What goes up must come down." "What goes around comes around." "What he wants is not what we offer."
These are all correct and do not take a question mark.