Blog

First, when the situation is that the attorney has asked a question, using question word order and then does not just keep quiet and get his answer but goes on to clarify, restate, et cetera, we ha...

...You were a what? A supervisor? ...It was a what? A Toyota? My contention is that these questions are just turned around from what they should be. Instead of "What were you?" and "What was it?" ...

The indirect question always occurs in a dependent clause and never has question word order, i.e., never reverses the subject and verb. The indirect question takes a period. ...I want to know wher...

We need a rule to cover all of the things attorneys do after they ask that basic question. This is the pattern that came up in four different questions on FB. ...Do you know where he is right now?...

These begin idiomatic expressions that are asking questions. They are followed by an interrog. The confusion comes, I think, because there is no verb in the expression. ...How about John? Did he g...

These eight expressions are often used when something is being renamed or reiterated: i.e., that is, e.g., for example, to wit, namely, for instance, in other words The punctuation depends upon w...

When the attorney asks a question and then suggests an answer, put a question mark for both. ...What time did he arrive? 10:00? ...Who completed the final report? Tom Hindry? ...What color was the...

The word "what" is an interrogative -- asks a question -- pronoun. In the normal word order, it is, of course, "What was it?" When the sentence is turned around, it is just "bad grammar," and it st...

When a question like "Do you know?" or "Do you recall?" is tacked on at the end of another question, use an interrog for both questions. ...How close were you to the edge of the road? Do you know?...