# Is this the place for a Rhetorical Question?



## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 4, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I guess I need to label my questions as rhetorical or sarcastic





GotGarlic said:


> Hey, that could be a new forum feature!





Zhizara said:


> We need emoticons for those!



Hah!


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## Zhizara (Sep 4, 2014)

Or is it sarcastic.  How would you define a reply?


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## Hoot (Sep 4, 2014)

Maybe rhetoricastic or is it sarcatorial? 
I'm so confused.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 4, 2014)

Can I ever stop asking rhetorical questions sarcastically?


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## Cooking Goddess (Sep 4, 2014)

Is "smart-a.." question an option?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 4, 2014)




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## buckytom (Sep 5, 2014)

no. 

yes.


no.

7.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 5, 2014)

Irony punctuation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia gives some options for physical markers to indicate irony punctuation. 

As does this:

Questioningly Results: Mark It Day - The New Yorker

I rather like ?] to indicate a rhetorical question...


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## Roll_Bones (Sep 5, 2014)

Sounds like you have to much time on your hands.


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## Zhizara (Sep 5, 2014)

I don't know... does this sound like a rhetorical question to you?  (?) 

 Although this was the winner, it just doesn't define rhetorical for me.  The question mark itself seems to me to be asking for a response.  I assume that a true rhetorical question doesn't want an answer.


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## Andy M. (Sep 5, 2014)

Zhizara said:


> I don't know... does this sound like a rhetorical question to you?  (?)
> 
> Although this was the winner, it just doesn't define rhetorical for me.  The question mark itself seems to me to be asking for a response.  I assume that a true rhetorical question doesn't want an answer.



How about a '?' in a circle with a diagonal line through it?


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## Zhizara (Sep 5, 2014)

Nope, too complicated - too many keystrokes.  How about if we repurpose another symbol or find an emoticon that expresses it.  I admit I'm stumped.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 5, 2014)

¿   how about that?


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## taxlady (Sep 5, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> ¿   how about that?


I use that when I'm emphasizing a question.

I think some people use that to mean irony/sarcasm.


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## Cooking Goddess (Sep 5, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> ¿   how about that?


Does that mean you're asking your rhetorical question in Spanish?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 5, 2014)

pthbbbbbt!  That symbol at the end of a sentence...I mean.  You tryna make me crazy¿


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## CWS4322 (Sep 5, 2014)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Does that mean you're asking your rhetorical question in Spanish?


That was my first thought (took me back to 10th grade Spanish class). What's wrong with the ?]--I couldn't find an emoticon, mind you, the teleconference during which I did that search only last 15 minutes. Maybe s/one else has more time than I did today to search for a cutesy emoticon ?].


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## Zhizara (Sep 6, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> ¿   how about that?



That was what I was thinking, but I don't know the code to be able to type it.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 6, 2014)

I just copy and paste from the character map on my computer.


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## GotGarlic (Sep 6, 2014)

You can also do a search for "ascii table" and click on the first result to find the code for all the characters (or bookmark it or save it to your computer). Then hold down the ALT key and type the code on the number keypad (including the zero, if there is one).


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## taxlady (Sep 6, 2014)

When you highlight a character in Character Map, it shows the code in the bottom right hand corner. E.g ¿ is "Alt+0191". Don't type the "+".


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 6, 2014)

No number pad on the laptop so I have forgotten the ASCII code I did know.


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## Zhizara (Sep 6, 2014)

I keep an index card under my laptop for the ones I use regularly, I was feeling too lazy to look it up yesterday.  Thanks,  Taxy!  I've added it to my card.


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## Mad Cook (Sep 7, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> Sounds like you have to much time on your hands.


(_Whisper_) I thought that too.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 7, 2014)

A problem with folks getting along and having fun?


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## Zhizara (Sep 8, 2014)

PF, I think your suggestion of using the upside down question mark, ¿ at the end of a rhetorical suggestion would be a great way to indicate that it is rhetorical and is not expected to be answered.

It would save people d.from getting the wrong impression


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