Questions That Make a Point
A positive question usually means nobody or nothing, and a negative question usually means everybody.
How It Works
An अलंकारिक प्रश्न (rhetorical question) looks like any other question. The speaker already knows the answer and expects the listener to agree.
| Question | What it says |
|---|---|
| एवढ्या पावसात कोण बाहेर जाईल? | Nobody will go out in this rain. |
| चूक कोणाकडून होत नाही? | Everybody makes mistakes. |
| सत्य कधी लपते का? | The truth never stays hidden. |
In these examples a positive question gives a negative meaning, and a negative question gives a positive one. Tone and the situation decide: the same words can also be a real question.
The pattern uses the ordinary question words: कोण (who), काय (what), का (why or whether), कधी (when), किती (how much). A yes-or-no question usually puts का at the end. When the verb moves to the front, का follows it: आला का तो?
Writers use the form in essays, speeches and poetry because it draws the reader in. The reader answers silently, and the point is made. Use it sparingly, because a page full of questions feels like an argument.
The wording is the same as in a real question, so the same rules apply: the verb agrees with its subject, and the sentence ends with a question mark.
Examples (5)
- एवढ्या पावसात कोण बाहेर जाईल?
Who would go out in this much rain?
The question word कोण with a positive verb means nobody.
- आईच्या प्रेमापेक्षा मोठे काय असू शकते?
What could be greater than a mother's love?
-पेक्षा sets up the comparison, and the answer is nothing.
- चूक कोणाकडून होत नाही?
Who does not make mistakes?
A negative question means everybody.
- सत्य कधी लपते का?
Does the truth ever stay hidden?
कधी with का expects the answer never.
- दिवाळीत गोड खायला कोणाला आवडत नाही?
Who does not like eating sweets at Diwali?
The negative verb makes the answer everybody.
Common Mistakes
Using the Hindi word क्या.
क्या सत्य कधी लपते?सत्य कधी लपते का?क्या is Hindi. Marathi puts का after the verb phrase of a yes-or-no question, usually at the end.
Splitting -पेक्षा from its noun.
आईच्या प्रेमा पेक्षा मोठे काय असू शकते?आईच्या प्रेमापेक्षा मोठे काय असू शकते?-पेक्षा is joined to the noun.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Rhetorical questions ask without wanting an answer.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice Questions That Make a Point in Bubblegum
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