There are basically 2 types of tag questions: positive and negative.
Like this:
"You are American, aren't you?" = (I think you are American. Is that right?)
"You aren't American, are you?" = (I don't think you are American. Is that right?)
We use tag questions to confirm information that we think we know.
You can change the verbs in sentences to use tag questions in many situations. Like, "this isn't easy, is it?", or "you are getting frustrated, aren't you?". Anyway, so far so good. But a lot of people get confused on how to answer.
Answer these:
- The fire is hot, isn't it? (I think the fire is hot)
- The fire is cold, isn't it? (I think the fire is cold)
- The fire isn't hot, is it? (I think the fire isn't hot)
- The fire isn't cold, is it? (I think the fire isn't cold)
How was it? Could you answer all 4 questions without getting confused? Let's see. The best answers should be:
- Yes, it is. (agreeing)
- No, it isn't! (disagreeing)
- Yes, it is! (disagreeing)
- No, it isn't. (agreeing)
I put #2 and #3 in bold type to show that you are disagreeing with me. Please you a strong voice and shout out that I am wrong!
This was an interesting comment I received on this post:
ReplyDeleteFrom Anonymous
For most of us, English learners, the problem arises when we come to imperatives, such as " Close the door, won't you"? I don't know if I can use " Will you" or "can you" instead of " won't you".
Or do we have another question tag for the following?
" Let's go to the park today, shall we?"
I don't know if " Let's not buy that." Should we say " shan't we" as a question tag for that?
Hey, thanks for the feedback. Very interesting question. And a tough one. Let me give a 2 point response about imperatives and tags.
ReplyDelete1. In my opinion, simple communication is generally best - it's usually more natural, and it's also easier for 2nd language speakers of various levels to understand.
So instead of using imperative + tag (ex. close the door, won't you?), I would tend to use a simple imperative (please close the door), direct request (could you please close the door?), indirect request (would you mind closing the door?). I think these ways would be easier for a wide range of people to understand, AND it's closer to what I (as an American) usually say.
2. If you really want to use tags and imperatives together, then this is what is usually done (but not so usually, look back at point 1.)
- Open the door, will you? (you sound irritated and a bit angry - slightly rude)
- Open the door, won't you? (more polite, this one is generally better to use)
SHALL I: "Shall I" is the correct tag to use with "let's". "Okay" is also used with "let's". It is used to confirm a suggestion. It is used both positively and negatively.
- Let's eat out, shall we?
- Let's not eat out, shall we?
The only time we really use "shan't" is as a tag after "shall". Like this:
- I shall have to finish this soon, shan't I?
But again, going back to my point 1, keep it simple. Unless you've got an English test, it's really not worth it to actually use this sort of grammar. Simplify, simplify, simplify.