If a sentence contains a complete question, but ends with a statement, should it be punctuated with a question mark?
Example:
Could she go to the store, he wondered
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2What Drm65 says; and a question mark at the end of your sentence would not be right, though people often do that. Whether or not a sentence should end with a question mark depends on whether the main clause is a question; subordinate clauses or other units do not matter.– Cerberus - Reinstate MonicaCommented Oct 10, 2011 at 18:07
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"To be or not to be: that is the question." Your sentence is fine as is, with no question mark.– Peter ShorCommented Oct 11, 2011 at 15:54
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1 Answer
I assume you do not want to put the question in quotes, as if the character were saying it, thus:
"Could she go to the store?" he wondered.
If you want to describe him thinking, then you could put the thought in italics:
Could she go to the store? he wondered.
Or you could rephrase the sentence:
He wondered if she could go to the store.
It is always possible to rearrange/reformat a sentence to avoid putting a question mark where you don't want it, as well as avoid saying a question with no question mark.
