2

cambridge.org:
(1) Will patrons kindly note that this restaurant will be closed on 17 July.

There is no question mark but the word order is inverted.
How to explain the presence of inversion here?
What sense does this sentence obtain, having the inverted word order?
What request do I need to type in Google to find the grammar topic with analogous examples?

Improve this question
1
  • 2
    'Will' is an exhortation here, not a question. If it were a question, how would patrons answer it? With "No, we are coming in anyway" ?
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Mar 6 at 20:09

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5

Question syntax is used to make certain requests more tentative, and hence more polite. There is a bit of a grey area, some requests might be questions:

Will you (or "won't you") have a biscuit?

Some are more clearly instructions:

Will you please leave my office

The expression "Will you note that ...." is not intended as a question. It is a tentative (and hence polite) way of saying "Please note that...". But as a rhetorical question, no answer is expected. As a non-question, it is very common to leave this unpunctuated. But it would not be a mistake to add a question mark.

In speech, such a non-question often gets the falling intonation that is typical of statements, not requests.

Improve this answer
2
  • You wrote about the expression "Will you note that ...." the following: "As a rhetorical question, no answer is expected". Does it mean this expression is a rhetorical question or just has an analogous feature without being one?
    – Loviii
    Commented Mar 18 at 10:55
  • in context I'd understand it to be a rhetorical question. I would not respond to it with "Yes I will note it" or "No I won't note it" No answer is expected.
    – James K
    Commented Mar 18 at 18:17

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .