punctuation - 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




Answer



The Chicago Manual of Style notes:



Many writers assume—wrongly—that a colon is always needed before a series or a list. [Section 6.65]



So dispense with the colon entirely:



Is this the one you meant?




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



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