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Is it imperative , interrogative or what ? A question I got online asks, " What is the simple subject of the following sentences ? is the sentence imperative or interrogative ?

question 17 : Will you check the tires. using a( full stop) not a question mark. First, is it correct or wrong to start with ( will) and ending the sentence with a full stop ? OR perhaps it is mistyping, but it is not the only question

It is already a request ( polite command ) but how it doesn't end in a question mark ? enter image description here

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    If you're only dealing with writing, use the punctuation. Questions have question marks. That's all you need to know to answer this rather silly question.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Mar 12, 2020 at 18:18
  • @JohnLawler - The one oddball is 17.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Apr 11, 2020 at 19:23
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    There should be a question mark if it's a question, and otherwise one's imagination decides what it sposta be. If the Will is stressed, it's a rather peeved suggestion, though not an imperative. Like I said, it's a silly question.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Apr 11, 2020 at 21:42
  • Does this answer your question? Suggestion phrased as a question
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Aug 15, 2020 at 18:03

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It is already a request ( polite command ) but how it doesn't end in a question mark ?

Question 17 is a courtesy question, (as defined by The Chicago Manual of Style, fifteenth edition 2003), and as such does not require a question mark:

6.74 Courtesy question. A request courteously disguised as a question does not require a question mark.

[Relevant example:] Will the audience please rise.

So it is not really a question but a polite request, as you can see from the example above which takes a more or less identical form.

Reference: https://english.stackexchange.com/a/262363/187344

Is it imperative , interrogative or what ?

I think the way in which the request was 'disguised' as a question here is what confused you, but as this is a request it is imperative.

Imperative Sentences

The third type of sentence in the English language is the imperative sentence. Imperative sentences, or imperatives, make commands or requests. ... Periods and exclamation marks indicate imperative sentences in written English.

Reference - Sentence Purpose - parentingpatch.com

The way you can spot that this is imperative is that it ends in a period, and is a request for someone to do something. Whereas an interrogative sentence ends with a question mark.

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  • Adding to the confusion, there is certainly a chance of using the same words to ask a question for information: "Will you check the tires for me?"
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Mar 12, 2020 at 19:36

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