Sentences ending with both a colon and a question mark
How should sentences that end with both a colon and a question mark be formed? Two examples are below, both questions, but one in which the colon presents a piece of information and the other in which it begins a list.
Is this the one you meant?: http://blah.com/somebody/blog/article/foobarbaz.gif
Do you have any of these symptoms?:
• Headache
• Nausea
• Dizziness
Obviously a question-mark—colon combination is no good, and at best, looks odd. Putting the question mark after the item(s) is no good either. Do they have to be rewritten in a more pointed way such as below or is there another option?
Is the one in the following picture the one you meant?
http://blah.com/somebody/blog/article/foobarbaz.gif
Do you have any of the symptoms below?
• Headache
• Nausea
• Dizziness
Solution 1:
The Chicago Manual of Style notes:
Many writers assume—wrongly—that a colon is always needed before a series or a list. [Section 6.67]
So dispense with the colon entirely:
Is this the one you meant?
- http://blah.com/somebody/blog/article/foobarbaz.gif
Alternatively:
Is this the one you meant: http://blah.com/somebody/blog/article/foobarbaz.gif ?
Or:
Do you have any of the symptoms below?
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
Solution 2:
Or, you could simply do this.
Did you mean http://blah.com/somebody/blog/article/foobarbaz.gif?