Punctuation in Questions

Question

In most questions, you put an up-side down question mark or when you shout something, you put an up-side down exclamation mark, but what if you shouted a question?

1. "Why did you burn your homework?" shouted Mrs. Stella."

Would this be the correct translation? : "¿Por qué usted quemar tu tarea?", gritó la señora Stella.

If yes, does that mean that even when someone shouted out a question, you still put question marks and not exclamation marks?

Thanks in advance,

Good question mate. - ray76, Mar 13, 2013

Very good question... had me thinking. =) - DJ_Huero, Mar 13, 2013

Answer 1

Great attempt llamalovers000!

It would be said, "¿Por qué usted quemó su tarea?", gritó señora Stella.

Additionally I found...

Mixtures of question marks and exclamation points

Although it has now become rare, it is correct usage in Spanish to begin a sentence with an opening inverted exclamation mark ("¡") and end it with a question mark ("?"), or vice-versa, for statements that are questions but also have a clear sense of exclamation or surprise such as: ¡Y tú quién te crees que eres? ("Who do you think you are?!"). Normally, the four signs are used, always with one type in the outer side and the other in the inner side (nested)(¿¡Y tú quién te crees que eres!?, ¡¿Y tú quién te crees que eres?!)

Source: RAE (Real Academia Española)

I am sorry to say this, but that's weird and incorrect, I mean, starting an expression with one symbol and ending it with another. Just absurd. - -cae-, Mar 13, 2013

I don’t know about that, -cae-. He sourced it with RAE. As you know, that’s THE governing authority for the Spanish language. In any event, though, very interesting, DJ_Huero! Well done. - brian5764, Mar 13, 2013

Also, the source itself admits that it’s not commonly used anymore. But until RAE declares it incorrect, it’s still correct. - brian5764, Mar 13, 2013

Can’t say for sure, but I think I recall talking about this in some 300- or 400-level Spanish lit. class at some point, about a hundred years ago. Maybe we saw an occurrence of it in some old text. - brian5764, Mar 13, 2013

You're correct brian, and as well an interesting side note I read was at one time in Old Spanish (I think it said 19th century), they actually didn't use the double punctuation. That developed later and became standard. - DJ_Huero, Mar 13, 2013

Of course as we've discussed before, technology, text-talk, and lazy youngeons are the culprit for the digression in languages spoken in the U.S. jajaja - DJ_Huero, Mar 13, 2013

Jaja - DJ_Huero, Mar 13, 2013

Yes indeed! I think that the Chicago Manual of Style says that ?! is naughty, or something. (In English, of course.) - brian5764, Mar 13, 2013

Answer 2

Both:

¡¿Por qué quemaste tu tarea?!

I am sorry DJ, but that what you found about opening with one symbol and closing with other is completely incorrect and has no one grammatical basis.

But as well, your writing is correct as well and probably more common according to the RAE ("the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language"). - DJ_Huero, Mar 13, 2013

I only go by the universal standard cae, but if you are a native you probably have your own regional manner of speaking. As well, you level of grammar will depend on you age and style of speaking as well. Not to mention, the source said it's now rare. - DJ_Huero, Mar 13, 2013

*your - DJ_Huero, Mar 13, 2013