Add Dramatic Punctuation to Text

Question

The candidate is asked to write a function that adds dramatic punctuation to a given text by inserting exclamation marks and question marks based on certain rules.

Codemia · Accepted Answer

To solve the problem of adding dramatic punctuation, I will first define the rules for when to insert exclamation marks and question marks. For instance, I might decide to add an exclamation mark at the end of every sentence that expresses excitement and a question mark for interrogative sentences. I will then iterate through the text, applying these rules accordingly.

The algorithm will involve iterating over each character in the string and checking for sentence-ending punctuation (like '.', '?', or '!'). Based on the preceding context, I will determine whether to add an exclamation mark or a question mark. Here is a sample implementation in Python:

```python
def add_dramatic_punctuation(text):
    result = ''
    for char in text:
        result += char
        if char in ['.', '?']:
            if 'exciting' in result.lower():  # Example rule
                result += '!!!'
            elif 'question' in result.lower():
                result += '??'
    return result
```
This function checks for specific keywords to decide on the punctuation.

The time complexity of this algorithm is O(n), where n is the length of the input string, as we are iterating through the string once. The space complexity is also O(n) due to the storage of the result string.

It's important to consider edge cases, such as an empty string, strings without any punctuation, or strings that only contain punctuation. I would ensure that the function handles these cases gracefully by returning the original string or an appropriate message.

Interviewers will be looking for clarity in your thought process, the ability to implement a solution efficiently, and how well you can explain your code. They will also assess your understanding of complexity and edge cases, as these are crucial in real-world applications.

Add Dramatic Punctuation to Text

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