I have a beef with younger writers: Their propensity to see question marks as unnecessary.
Perhaps they feel that avoiding the use of a question mark (where one is, in fact, necessary) makes their writing read more authoritatively.
Whatever their reasoning, such a practice is grammatically incorrect. A question is a question, and should be denoted as such with a concluding question mark.
Ironically, it seems just as many of these young writers employ question marks when it is grammatically incorrect to do so:
“He asked what their labour turnover was?” This question is indirect and does not require a question mark. This is not, however, to be confused with the fact that a question mark is used to indicate a reflective question (although these instances occur primarily in spoken English: “You were showing a profit up until then?”).
Perhaps I’m just a grumpy grammar curmudgeon. But I firmly contend that bids, tenders, proposals and any other formal submissions are the place to show high standards and all-round diligence. There is no more glaring way to demonstrate the opposite than with sloppy grammar.
