Q. Is it incorrect to include a space before a question or exclamation mark? E.g., “Do you like chocolate ?” Thank you.
A. In English? Yes, a space would be incorrect. But if you’re writing for a French audience, such a space would be expected. Just make sure it’s a nonbreaking space (see CMOS 6.129).
If you set your proofing language to French (under Review > Language), Microsoft Word will add a nonbreaking space next to certain marks of punctuation automatically as you type—not only before question marks and exclamation points but before colons and semicolons and between French quotation marks (or guillemets, « ») and the text they enclose. Word includes more than a dozen varieties of French, from Belgian French to Swiss French, and most add these spaces; the setting for Canadian French adds them only for colons and guillemets.
In English, however, such spaces are not required even if you’re quoting a French source verbatim in an otherwise English-language document. For more details, see CMOS 11.31.
Did you know? French typesetters used to add spaces before commas also (but not periods). See “One Space or Two” at CMOS Shop Talk (esp. footnote †).