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Periods, Question Marks, & Exclamation Points
Introduction
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How you end your sentence matters, as it sets the tone for how the reader will interpret your words. Consider the following examples.
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My grandfather is 85 years old?
My grandfather is 85 years old.
My grandfather is 85 years old!
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Each ending gives the sentence a different context of ambiguity, matter of fact, or emphasis. Throughout this module, you will analyze different situations for using ending punctuation.
Learning Outcomes
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By the end of this learning experience, you should feel confident with the following:
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Classifying types of ending punctuation
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Identifying correct uses for periods, question marks, and exclamation points
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Applying end punctuation effectively to set the appropriate sentence tone
What is terminal punctuation?
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Terminal punctuation appears at the end of a complete sentence (independent clause) or follows an interjection. The appropriate placement of a period, question mark, or exclamation point separates one statement from another and signals a pause in the word flow. Correct use of terminal punctuation contributes to the order and readability of the text.
A declarative sentence that makes a statement ends with a period.
The instructor sent an email to her students to ask them to participate in a mid-semester survey.
An interrogative sentence that asks a question ends with a question mark.
Where is the nearest recycling bin for paper?
An imperative sentence that issues a command may end with a period or exclamation point.
Get up and take a break from staring at the computer screen.
Look out for the ice!
An exclamatory sentence that expresses strong emotion ends with an exclamation point.
I can’t wait to get home for spring break!
An interjection that expresses strong emotion may be followed by an exclamation point even though it is not a complete sentence.
Oh no! I left my paper on my desk in my dorm room.
Periods
Periods indicate a neutral sentence, and as such are by far the most common ending punctuation mark. They’ve been at the end of every sentence on this page so far.
Punctuation Clusters
Occasionally, you’ll come across an instance that seems to require multiple punctuation marks right next to each other. Sometimes you need to keep all the marks, but other times, you should leave some out.
You should never use more than one ending punctuation mark in a row (period, question mark exclamation point). When quoting a question, you would end with a question mark, not a question mark and a period:
Carlos leaned forward and asked, “Did you get the answer to number six?”
If an abbreviation, like etc., ends a sentence, you should only use one period.
I think we’ll have enough food. Mary bought the whole store: chips, soda, candy, cereal, etc.
However, you can place a comma immediately after a period, as you can see above with etc.
Periods and parentheses can also appear right next to each other. Sometimes the period comes after the closing parenthesis (as you can see in the first bullet), but sometimes it appears inside the parentheses. (This is an example of a sentence where the period falls within the parentheses.)
Question Marks
A question mark comes at the end of a question. A question is a request for information. The information requested should be provided in the form of an answer.
A rhetorical question is asked to make a point, and does not expect an answer (often the answer is implied or obvious). Some questions are used principally as polite requests (e.g., “Would you pass the salt?”).
All of these questions can be categorized as direct questions, and all of these questions require a question mark at their ends.
Indirect Questions
Indirect questions can be used in many of the same ways as direct ones, but they often emphasize knowledge or lack of knowledge:
I can’t guess how Tamika managed it.
I wonder whether I looked that bad.
Cecil asked where the reports were.
Such clauses correspond to direct questions, which are questions actually asked. The direct questions corresponding to the examples above are How did Tamika manage it? Did I look that bad? Where are the reports? Notice how different word order is used in direct and indirect questions: in direct questions the verb usually comes before the subject, while in indirect questions, the verb appears second. Additionally, question marks should not be used at the end of indirect questions.
Practice
Once you have completed the practice quiz, scroll up inside the quiz box and
click "view score" and see the correct answers.
Exclamation Points
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The exclamation point is a punctuation mark usually used after an interjection or exclamation to indicate strong feelings or high volume, and often marks the end of a sentence. You’ve likely seen this overused on the internet:
!!!!!! I’m jUST SO!!!!!!
While this kind of statement is excessive, there are appropriate ways to use exclamation points. A sentence ending in an exclamation mark may be an exclamation (such as “Wow!” or “Boo!”), or an imperative (“Stop!”), or may indicate astonishment: “They were the footprints of a gigantic duck!”
Informally, exclamation marks may be repeated for additional emphasis (“That’s great!!!”), but this practice is generally considered only acceptable in casual or informal writing, such as text messages or online communication with friends and family.
Cut out all these exclamation points. . . . An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.
— F. Scott Fitzgerald
Some authors, however, most notably Tom Wolfe and Madison Acampora, are known for unashamedly liberal use of the exclamation mark. In comic books, the very frequent use of exclamation mark is common.
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Practice