Study guide
6.1 Periods, Question Marks & Exclamation Points
AAERT Certified Electronic Transcriber CET
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1 Chapter 1: CET Exam Orientation
1.1 The CET Credential, Exam Format & Eligibility 1.2 The Practical Exam Workflow & a Blueprint-Based Study Plan
2 Chapter 2: Ethics, Conflicts of Interest & Confidentiality
2.1 Ethical Obligations & Avoiding the Appearance of Impropriety 2.2 Conflicts of Interest: Recognizing and Handling Them 2.3 Confidentiality, NDAs, File Security & HIPAA
3 Chapter 3: Professional Behavior, Multi-Channel Audio & Equipment
3.1 Professional Behavior: Impartiality, the Accurate Record & Service 3.2 Multi-Channel Recording & How to Play Channels 3.3 Troubleshooting, Technical Escalation & Equipment Maintenance
4 Chapter 4: Proofreading, Spelling, Capitalization & Numbers
4.1 Proofreading vs. Literary Editing & Why Spelling Matters 4.2 Capitalization in a Transcript 4.3 Numbers in a Transcript
5 Chapter 5: [sic], Abbreviations, Clauses & Commas
5.1 [sic] and Abbreviations 5.2 Clauses & the Core Comma Rules 5.3 Commas in Testimony: Address, Introductory Words, Appositives, Series & Tags
6 Chapter 6: End Punctuation, Colons, Semicolons & Quotation Marks
6.1 Periods, Question Marks & Exclamation Points 6.2 Colons & Semicolons 6.3 Quotation Marks in a Transcript
7 Chapter 7: Apostrophes, Dashes, Hyphens, Ellipses, Slashes & Parentheses
7.1 Apostrophes: Possessives, Contractions & Plurals 7.2 Dashes & Hyphens: Interruptions, Breaks and Compounds 7.3 Ellipses, Slashes & Parentheses
8 Chapter 8: Federal Format, Title Page & Index Page
8.1 Federal District Court Format & Page Specifications 8.2 The Title Page 8.3 The Index Page
9 Chapter 9: Proceedings Page, Headers, Certificate & Colloquy
9.1 The Proceedings Page, Calls to Order & Page Headers 9.2 The Transcriber's Certificate 9.3 Colloquy, Question-and-Answer Format & Paragraphing
10 Chapter 10: Oaths, Parentheticals, Exhibits & Special Procedures
10.1 Swearing Witnesses, Parenthetical Notations & Exhibits 10.2 Quoted Material, Words Spelled on the Record & Italics for Non-English Words 10.3 Strikes, Playbacks, Recordings Played, Asides & Sidebars
11 Chapter 11: Special Designations, Interpreters, Remote Jobs & Verbatim Rules
11.1 Certified Questions, Redactions & Confidential Designations 11.2 Interpreters, Videographers & Remote Proceedings 11.3 Verbatim Transcription: Tics, Substantive Words & Chopped-Down Speech
12 Chapter 12: Interruptions, Indiscernible Speech & Transcriber Judgment Calls
12.1 Interruptions, Indiscernible Speech & Nonverbal Responses 12.2 Log Notes, Case Information, the Court Reporter & Judgment Calls on Names and Speakers
13 Chapter 13: Page Estimates, Originals & Copies, Drafts & Research
13.1 Page Estimates, Original vs. Copy & Rough and Expedited Transcripts 13.2 References, Internet Research & Understanding the Case
14 Chapter 14: Proceedings, Case Types & the Life Cycle of a Case
14.1 Types of Proceedings & Federal Read and Sign 14.2 Types of Cases & the Order of Court and Non-Court Proceedings 14.3 The Life Cycle of a Case
15 Chapter 15: Parties, Legal Documents, Jurisdiction & Venue
15.1 Parties, Participants & Types of Witnesses 15.2 Reading Legal Documents & Using the Docket 15.3 Jurisdiction, Venue & Civil vs. Criminal Proceedings
16 Chapter 16: Case Law, Citations & Jury Selection
16.1 Case Law & the Elements of a Case Citation 16.2 Jury Selection (Voir Dire) & Bench vs. Jury Trials
17 Chapter 17: Legal & Latin Terminology
17.1 Legal Terminology I: Pleadings, Motions, Orders & Procedure 17.2 Legal Terminology II: Evidence, Objections, Rulings & Trial Terms 17.3 Latin Terminology I: Procedure, Courts & Parties 17.4 Latin Terminology II: Doctrine, Evidence & Criminal Law
18 Chapter 18: Medical Terminology
18.1 Medical Terminology I: Word Parts, Directions & Anatomy 18.2 Medical Terminology II: Conditions, Procedures, Medications & Sound-Alikes
6.1 Periods, Question Marks & Exclamation Points
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
The Guide to Judiciary Policy requires that a question in Q and A that is indeed a question be followed by a question mark.
A statement delivered as a question on cross-examination takes a question mark; the same words delivered as an assertion take a period.
An indirect question ("He asked whether I was there") ends with a period, not a question mark.
Exclamation points are rare in transcripts and are used only for genuine exclamations, never to show the transcriber's view of emphasis.
Last updated: September 2026
Speech arrives without punctuation. The transcriber decides where each sentence ends and what kind of sentence it is. Blueprint topics 20201 to 20203 cover the period, the question mark and the exclamation point.
The period
Use a period to end:
statements: I'm the officer in charge.
commands and instructions: Madam, please state your name and spell your last name for the record. (Scalini key)
fragments that stand as complete answers: City of Williston Police Officer. 30 years. Correct.
one-word rulings and responses: Sustained. Overruled. Yes.
indirect questions , which report a question rather than ask it: I asked her if he had any weapons in the house.
Periods after Q and A are optional under both the Guide to Judiciary Policy (§ 520.36.35) and AAERT's sample pages. Use one style consistently.
One period only at the end of a sentence that ends in an abbreviation: He arrived at 3:30 p.m.
The question mark
The Guide to Judiciary Policy (§ 520.36.45) gives the basic rule: "if a question in Q and A is indeed a question, it must be followed by a question mark."
Use a question mark for:
direct questions: What was your shift that day?
tag questions: You were there, weren't you? ...; is that correct?
statements asked as questions. On cross-examination, attorneys often ask by stating a fact with a questioning delivery, and the witness answers it as a question.
Declarative questions: listen to the delivery
AAERT's Scalini key shows both treatments: Q. And he was just basically complying with your requests?
A. Yes.
Q. And you didn't arrest him that night.
A. Correct.
The first line was delivered as a question (rising, asking); the second as an assertion for the witness to confirm. The words alone do not decide it. The delivery and the exchange do. When you truly cannot tell, most transcribers use a question mark if the witness answers it as a question.
Several questions in one breath
Attorneys stack questions. Give each complete question its own question mark:
Are you familiar with the substance of this complaint? In fact, you filed it, correct? Wasn't that in 2001? (AAERT examination sample)
Polite requests
A request phrased as a question may take a question mark or a period depending on delivery. Would you repeat the question, please? (Scalini key, asked as a question). Will you please state your name for the record. is often written with a period when it is a formal instruction. Keep a consistent style.
Question marks inside sentences
When a quoted question sits inside a statement, the question mark goes with the question: I thought, why did someone bring a gun? When the whole sentence is the question, the question mark goes outside any closing quotation mark: Did he say "confidential"?
The exclamation point
Exclamation points are rare in legal transcripts. Use one only when the speaker clearly exclaims, as in a shouted warning or a sudden outburst:
THE BAILIFF: Stop!
A. He yelled, "Get down!"
Do not use an exclamation point to show that the transcriber thinks a statement is surprising, angry or important. A loud objection is still Objection, Your Honor. Adding "!" characterizes the speaker, which a neutral transcriber does not do.
Trailing, interrupted and fragmentary endings
Not every utterance ends cleanly:
- Ending Punctuation Example
- Interrupted by someone else Double dash Q. And what is --
Speaker breaks off, changes course Double dash It's the -- actually, it's the identification area.
A finished fragment Period Not at that time.
An unfinished question left hanging Double dash, not a question mark Q. Did you ever --
Chapter 7 covers dashes in detail.
Worked example
Unpunctuated audio:
did you see a Fenway cab I did tell us what happened it didn't pull into the yard
Transcript: Q. Did you see a Fenway cab?
A. I did.
Q. Tell us what happened.
A. It didn't pull into the yard.
"Tell us what happened" is an instruction, not a question, so it ends with a period.
A longer practice passage
Audio:
and he was cooperative with you throughout the evening yes the 20 or 30 minutes you were with him yes okay he didn't say that he came to hurt Officer Dundee or anything of that nature no he did not say that
Transcript (compare with AAERT's Scalini key): Q. And he was cooperative with you throughout the evening?
A. Yes.
Q. The 20 or 30 minutes you were with him?
A. Yes.
Q. Okay. He didn't say that he came to hurt Officer Dundee
or anything of that nature.
A. No, he did not say that.
Points to notice:
And he was cooperative... is a declarative sentence asked as a question, so it takes a question mark.
The 20 or 30 minutes you were with him? is a fragment, but it is still a question in the exchange.
Okay. stands as its own acknowledgment, so it takes a period.
He didn't say... was delivered as an assertion for the witness to confirm, so it ends with a period.
Two spaces after a period are traditional in fixed-pitch transcripts and appear in AAERT's samples. One space is also widely accepted. Be consistent.
Exam traps
Trap Correct form
A question mark after an indirect question He asked whether I was there.
A period after a true direct question because "it's the attorney talking" Where did Corporal Dundee approach you?
An exclamation point to show anger Objection, Your Honor.
A question mark on an interrupted question Q. Did you ever --
Two periods after an abbreviation at sentence end He left at 5 p.m.