The question mark, unlike the exclamation mark, is essential, and something you must take care to include when it is required:

Did Napoleon represent a real threat to Britain?

Whenever you ask a direct question in your writing, you need to include a question mark: Can I borrow your bike? Is your name Marco? Does metal expand when heated? How long is a piece of string? It is sometimes a little Wore difficult to remember that you are asking a question if you construct a complex sentence with subordinate clauses that delay the arrival of the Question:

The question is, given British naval superiority and the fact that Britain is an island; did Napoleon represent a real threat to Britain?

It is all too easy to forget about the question mark at the end of a long Sentence like th... Read more...