Timeline for Should “Surely I must be wrong” end with a question mark?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2020 at 7:40 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
Commonmark migration
|
|
| Jan 16, 2017 at 12:26 | comment | added | Mahmoud Al-Qudsi | @chrylis I agree entirely. Not being familiar with the stage, I was simply trying (and unable) to imagine a situation where the reply reiterates the question without a rising intonation at the end. I think I can now, though. | |
| Jan 16, 2017 at 9:17 | comment | added | chrylis -cautiouslyoptimistic- | @MahmoudAl-Qudsi My usage would exactly match StoneyB's now that my attention is drawn to it. The punctuation follows the tone, not any grammar. | |
| Jan 16, 2017 at 0:46 | comment | added | Janus Bahs Jacquet | @AndreaLazzarotto It does not seem entirely logical, but that’s how it is. Surely in that case means something like “Logic and common sense would dictate that X is quite obviously the case… and yet I’m not entirely convinced that it really is the case”. There is often a note of incredulity as well: “Surely he can’t be that stupid?” implies that it would be almost outrageous to consider that anyone could be that stupid, but the fact of the matter seems to imply that somehow, ‘he’ really is that stupid. | |
| Jan 15, 2017 at 23:53 | comment | added | Andrea Lazzarotto | “indicates that you are not entirely confident” — May I ask then why would the speaker use “surely”? | |
| Jan 15, 2017 at 23:31 | comment | added | StoneyB on hiatus | @MahmoudAl-Qudsi Perhaps I'm too used to writing for actors -- that period's a 'stage direction' for a disgusted flat reading. | |
| Jan 15, 2017 at 22:49 | comment | added | Mahmoud Al-Qudsi | I can't imagine echoing a statement in sarcasm/annoyance would entail the usage of a period. A double question mark or an interrobang might be more appropriate.. | |
| Jan 14, 2017 at 20:29 | vote | accept | Rach32 | ||
| Jan 14, 2017 at 20:23 | history | answered | StoneyB on hiatus | CC BY-SA 3.0 |