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> But then I didn't say they were? Is that a question?
by NuclearPM 12d ago
> But then I didn't say they were?
Is that a question?
- jamiek88 12d agoI fucking love how the fact that English is totally, totally, literally non prescriptive breaks engineering type people’s brains. Perfectly fine use of colloquial commenting? Yes. Against the ‘rule’ you were taught in primary school English? Also yes. That’s why English is so interesting.
- khazhoux 12d agoThanks for asking, NuclearPM. It was not actually a question. In informal English a question mark can follow a plain statement, where then it indicates a non-specific uncertainty. In the case above, the sentence could be interpreted generally as: “I didn’t say they were... and I'm not sure what gave impression I did" or "I didn't say they were... I think you misinterpreted." Does that make sense?
- karim79 12d agoEnglish be like this man. It's everything all-in-one. Fascinating language I tells you. Much like all other languages which be fascinating.
- petesergeant 11d agoI would argue against the siblings and say, yes, it's a question; it's a shortening and softening of the rhetorical "But then I didn't say they were, did I?"