Q
QUANTIFIERS
Quantifiers are words that precede and modify nouns and that are used to communicate how many or how much.
Selecting the correct quantifier depends on whether they are used with a count or noncount noun. The following quantifiers can be used with count nouns:
Example: many [quantifier] people, a few people, several people, a couple of people, none of the people.
The following quantifiers can be used with noncount nouns:
Example: not much eating, a little eating, a bit of eating, a good deal of eating, no eating.
QUESTION MARK
A question mark closes a question.
Example: What time is it.
A question mark is also used to express a doubt.
Example: He is older (?) than she.
If the question is indirect, no question mark is used.
Example: I wonder whether he will be here.
When a question is asked in the middle of a sentence, the question is set off by commas and the sentence ends with a question mark.
Example: They are arriving, aren’t they, on the noon train?
When the question is enclosed in parentheses, the question mark is inside the parentheses, not at the end of the sentence.
Example: The magazine (did you see it?) describes the city in great detail.
If the question mark is part of a quotation, it is placed inside the closing quotation mark; if it is not a part of the quotation, it is placed outside the closing quotation mark.
Example: The statement ended, “And is that all?”.
Example: What did she mean by “jobless years”.
If the last word in a question is an abbreviation and thus contains a period, the question mark is also used.
Example: Do you think he will arrive by 4 p.m.?
When a statement is made into a question, the question mark is used.
Example: He is arriving today?
Example: Really?
QUESTION TYPES
A variety of question types are used in the English language.
Academic—a question of interest but of no particular use or value
Embedded—a question that is in a sentence but not a question in the context of the sentence
Hypothetical—a question of interest but having no impact on the current situation
Leading—a question that suggests a particular answer
Question Tag—a statement with an auxiliary verb and pronoun added to confirm the statement
Rhetorical—a question with an obvious answer that needs no response
Yes/No—a question that can be answered with yes or no
QUITCLAIM
A quitclaim is a legal document that gives up title to property.
Note: Using quick claim is incorrect.
QUIT, EXIT
For computer-related procedures and manuals, avoid using quit to close a program.
Use exit to describe ending a program.
Use close to describe putting away a document or window.
QUOTATION MARKS
Double quotation marks are used to set off any material quoted in a sentence or paragraph.
Example: The passage he read aloud was from the first chapter: “The discovery of this energy brings us to the problem of how to allow it to be used. The use of atomic power throws us back to the Greek legend of Prometheus and the age-old question of whether force should be exerted against law. The man of today must decide whether he will use this power for destruction or for peaceful purposes.” When he had finished the reading, there was loud applause.
If the quoted material consists of several paragraphs, the opening quotation mark is used at the beginning of the quotation and at the beginning of each paragraph within the quotation.
A closing quotation mark, however, is used only at the conclusion of the quotation. It is not used at the end of each paragraph in the quotation, as many people mistakenly think.
Quotations Within Quotations
Single quotation marks indicate a quotation within the quotation.
Example: He said, “Did you hear John make the statement, ‘I will not go with her,’ or were you not present at the time he spoke?”.
Quotations for Titles
In printed text, the titles of essays, articles, poems, stories, or chapters are set off in quotation marks; titles of plays, books, and periodical publications are italicized.
Example: The name of the article is “I Believe.”.
Example: The title of the book is Project Bloom..
Example: The article “A Brave Man’s Journey” was first published in Harper’s Magazine.
Quotation Marks and Punctuation
Place the close quotation mark outside the comma and the period.
Example: “Don’t stop now,” he said, “when you have so little left to finish.”.
Place the close quotation mark inside the colon and the semicolon.
Example: He called her a “little witch”; that was right after she broke his model plane.
Place the close quotation mark outside an exclamation point or a question mark when the quoted material itself is an exclamation or a question.
Example: “I passed my test!”.
Example: Her response was, “Did he really say that?”.
Place the close quotation mark inside an exclamation point or a question mark when the quoted material alone is not an exclamation or a question.
Example: I can’t believe he actually used the word “idiot”.
Example: Didn’t he claim to be “too tired”.