Is there any difference is placing a question mark before the exclamation mark and placing a question mark after the exclamation mark? More like... the speaker is astonished more or confused more?
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1This is not standard punctuation. But I use it often in informal communications. I look at it this way: a punctuation mark punctuates what precedes it. A question mark marks something as a question and an exclamation mark makes something emphatic. So if you wish to question an emphatic statement then use !? if you wish to make an emphatic question use ?!– JimCommented Jul 30, 2015 at 22:27
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@Jim - Haha! That's the exact opposite of what I said in my answer! Let's see if there are other opinions.– chasly - supports MonicaCommented Jul 30, 2015 at 23:03
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And if you're writing a novel with a Spanish-speaking character who occasionally uses an exclamation mark and a question mark together, should the opening punctuation be in the same order as the close punctuation ("¿¡No?!") or in reverse order ("¡¿No?!")?– Sven YargsCommented Jul 31, 2015 at 0:39
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1In the FIDE Encyclopedia of Chess Openings, which aims to be a multilingual reference by use of a system of (multilingually glossed) symbols, !? denotes 'interesting', 'worthy of attention', while ?! denotes 'dubious'. That system, in this particular, always struck me as logical and intuitively understandable.– JELCommented Jul 31, 2015 at 0:47
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1@SvenYargs I rather like your first meaning with it building and all, but the DRAE advocates the second one (and they like the double use better): Cuando el sentido de una oración es interrogativo y exclamativo a la vez, pueden combinarse ambos signos, abriendo con el de exclamación y cerrando con el de interrogación, o viceversa: ¡Cómo te has atrevido? / ¿Cómo te has atrevido!; o, preferiblemente, abriendo y cerrando con los dos signos a la vez: ¿¡Qué estás diciendo!? / ¡¿Qué estás diciendo?! That way you know at the start.– tchrist ♦Commented Jul 31, 2015 at 3:20
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3 Answers
This punctuation is rarely used. I would say the order depends on the context.
1.
Go away!
Go away?!
2.
Where are you?
Where am I!?
Let's see what others say.
answered Jul 30, 2015 at 22:20
Although it's not something you're really "meant" to do, because a sentence needs only one punctuation mark at the end, I do see this used a lot. Therefore, I'd say it comes down to personal preference and writing style and there is no official right way to do it, so do whatever you think feels right.
The problem with this kind of punctuation is that readers are left trying to guess what you mean. The combination of ? and ! is used in chess notation but has specific meanings that are understood by chess players. Like I tell my students, "you can write whatever you want but if you have to explain or justify what you wrote then it is bad writing."
That said, using a question mark followed by exclamation point in my opinion is ok for dialogue because the exclamation point is adding the vocal tone that is present when people speak, and most readers will see the question mark first and understand what is happening, because we are used to seeing sentences followed by question marks. I don't think it works the other way around, and leads to people guessing or running to style books to find out what it means. Who wants to have to dust off their copy of Strunk and White while reading?
answered Jul 31, 2015 at 0:39
