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Why does the spanish language use upside down exclamation points and question marks?
Mothra820
Spanish is different than English. The syntax of a sentence does not always tell you immediately
whether the sentence is a statement or a question, so using the inverted question mark
at the beginning warns you that a question is on the way and makes everybody's life easier.
Compare the following sentences and their Spanish versions.
There is a lemon tree in her backyard.
Is there a lemon tree in her backyard?
In English, the verb goes to the beginning in the question, so a question mark at the end is enough.
To Spanish now:
En el patio de su casa hay un limonero.
In Spanish the words stay where they are when asking the question, so that is why the Real Academia de la Lengua Española (the country's official institution in language matters) determined that two question marks were needed.
¿En el patio de su casa hay un limonero?
The same applies to exclamation marks. The inverted one at the beginning of the sentence lets you know that the speaker is expressing some kind of emotion whether surprise, anger, bewilderment or whatever.
Hope this helps!
Wiki User
∙ 16y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoWhen you ask a quiestion in Spanish, many times the only difference between a statement and a question is in inflection. Example: Va a la escuela. - You are going to the school. ¿Va a la escuela? - Are you going to the school?
In order to know what inflection to use, you need to be "tipped off" at the beginning of the sentence, and that is the reason for the inverted question mark.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoLike this: ¿
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∙ 11y agoAdd your answer:
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When using an exclamation mark in a question do you end the sentence with the exclamation mark first or the question mark first?
Your question actually points the way to the answer. If the sentence is a question, it should end with a question mark. When you include an exclamation within a question, you also include the exclamation point within the full stop of the sentence.
Where are all the verses in the Bible with exclamation points?
Maybe a better question would be whether Aramaic, Hebrew, or Greek use the exclamation point, since exclamation points--if there are any--would be a function of the English translations.
What do you call periods exclamation points and question marks?
punctuation learn grammer
What are exclamation points on video in window movie maker?
Exclamation points are when the software (windows movie maker) cannot find the file that you are looking for.
Are question marks and explanation points counted as sentences?
No. They end a sentence. such as: What is your favorite color? < this is one sentence with the question mark taking the place of a period because the sentence is a question. or: I like to run! < this is one sentence with an exclamation point taking the place of a period because the sentence shows exclamation.
How many exclamation points are in the NIV Bible?
313
How do you end a statement?
A statement is a declarative sentence, and it ends with a period. Other kinds of sentences are questions, which end with question marks, and exclamations, which end with exclamation points.
Why shouldwe avoid overuse of exclamation points?
Shouting at the reader
How many exclamation points are in the King James Version bible?
1492
Which is the only town to end with a exclamation mark?
I know that Westward Ho! in Devon, England has an exclamation point in its name (what a worthless bit of knowledge) but when I looked in Wikipedia for how the town got its name, there is also mention of a town in Canada, Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, which has two exclamation points in its name. More to the point, both town names end in an exclamation point. Better change the question.
Is the use of question mark and an explanation point proper punctuation?
Not if you have a formal paper. your tone and style should be used to properly emphasize facts. Question marks are used when asking a question and exclamation points are used for common or unstructured literary texts.
What are the two categories of sentences that may end with an exclamation point?
Two categories of sentences that may end with exclamation points are interjections and exclamations. An exclamation mark indicates strong feelings or loud voice.
