You Want to Learn about Tag Questions, Don't You?
2024-11-08
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1For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.
2Have you ever been in a conversation and wanted to check your understanding? That is the time to use a tag question in English.
3A tag question is a short question added to a statement.
4The tag includes a pronoun and its matching form of the verb be, or auxiliary verb.
5If the tag question is negative, we shorten the phrase, or use a contraction with the auxiliary verb.
6Here's an example:
7I was visiting a friend and saw a photo on the wall. I said,
8That's a picture of your grandson, isn't it?
9My friend answered,
10Yes, it is. That picture is from when he was two. He's a lot taller now.
11In the example, I wanted to confirm something I thought was true.
12So I started with a positive statement, "That's a picture of your grandson" then I added a negative tag question: "isn't it?" My friend said I was right - the picture was of his grandson.
13English speakers use tag questions to encourage a listener to respond.
14You will often hear teachers using tag questions:
15You remember the history lesson from last week, don't you?
16Some language researchers say that men use tag questions more often than women.
17They think it might show that men have more power in the conversation, and use tags to ask for information or agreement.
18Others say women use a certain kind of tag questions to make the conversation run more smoothly.
19Whatever your gender, when you use a tag question you expect an answer.
20The form of that answer depends on the type of tag question. Let's look at the two types of tag questions.
21We'll talk first about tag questions that follow a positive statement with the verb be.
22They use a reduced form, or contraction.
23Make the tag question with a form of the verb be combined with the negative not and the pronoun.
24The verb be has to match the number and person of the pronoun. Take a look at these examples:
25They are walking to school, aren't they?
26She is taking the bus, isn't she?
27I am supposed to be sitting here, aren't I?
28You're the math teacher, aren't you?
29In these examples, you reverse the order of the pronoun and verb in the tag question.
30"They are" becomes "aren't they?" and "She is" becomes "isn't she?"
31If the statement uses another verb instead of be, the tag question uses an auxiliary verb such as do or have.
32For example, in the song A Little Time the singing duo Beautiful South ask the question,
33You need a little room for your big head,
34Don't you, don't you?
35and
36Your face has been looking like that for hours
37If you ask a negative tag question you expect a positive answer.
38Question: It's raining out, isn't it?
39Expected answer: Yes, it is.
40Now let's look at tag questions that follow a negative statement.
41These are in the affirmative.
42You can use this to confirm that what you are thinking is true, and you expect a negative answer.
43Question: You don't eat all the cake, do you?
44Expected answer: No, I don't.
45Negative sentences with positive tag questions are not as frequent as our first type.
46They use the same form, with reversed word order.
47Tag questions are an example of a big difference between British and American English.
48Language researchers using computer data found that British English speakers used tag questions nine times as often as American English speakers!
49In Understanding and Using English Grammar, Betty Azar says that the intonation (change in pitch) shows the purpose of a tag question.
50If the speaker is trying to confirm information, the tone rises:
51Adam works at VOA, doesn't he?
52Speakers saying something that they are almost certain the listener will agree with use a falling intonation.
53It's a nice day, isn't it?
54I'm Jill Robbins.
55And I'm Jim Tedder.
1For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. 2Have you ever been in a conversation and wanted to check your understanding? That is the time to use a tag question in English. 3A tag question is a short question added to a statement. The tag includes a pronoun and its matching form of the verb be, or auxiliary verb. If the tag question is negative, we shorten the phrase, or use a contraction with the auxiliary verb. Here's an example: 4I was visiting a friend and saw a photo on the wall. I said, 5That's a picture of your grandson, isn't it? 6My friend answered, 7Yes, it is. That picture is from when he was two. He's a lot taller now. 8Purpose of tag questions 9In the example, I wanted to confirm something I thought was true. So I started with a positive statement, "That's a picture of your grandson" then I added a negative tag question: "isn't it?" My friend said I was right - the picture was of his grandson. 10English speakers use tag questions to encourage a listener to respond. You will often hear teachers using tag questions: 11You remember the history lesson from last week, don't you? 12Some language researchers say that men use tag questions more often than women. They think it might show that men have more power in the conversation, and use tags to ask for information or agreement. Others say women use a certain kind of tag questions to make the conversation run more smoothly. 13Whatever your gender, when you use a tag question you expect an answer. The form of that answer depends on the type of tag question. Let's look at the two types of tag questions. 14Positive statements with negative tags 15We'll talk first about tag questions that follow a positive statement with the verb be. They use a reduced form, or contraction. Make the tag question with a form of the verb be combined with the negative not and the pronoun. The verb be has to match the number and person of the pronoun. Take a look at these examples: 16They are walking to school, aren't they? 17She is taking the bus, isn't she? 18I am supposed to be sitting here, aren't I? 19You're the math teacher, aren't you? 20In these examples, you reverse the order of the pronoun and verb in the tag question. "They are" becomes "aren't they?" and "She is" becomes "isn't she?" 21If the statement uses another verb instead of be, the tag question uses an auxiliary verb such as do or have. For example, in the song A Little Time the singing duo Beautiful South ask the question, 22You need a little room for your big head, 23Don't you, don't you? 24and 25Your face has been looking like that for hours 26Hasn't it, hasn't it? 27If you ask a negative tag question you expect a positive answer. 28Question: It's raining out, isn't it? 29Expected answer: Yes, it is. 30Negative statements with positive tags 31Now let's look at tag questions that follow a negative statement. These are in the affirmative. You can use this to confirm that what you are thinking is true, and you expect a negative answer. 32Question: You don't eat all the cake, do you? 33Expected answer: No, I don't. 34Negative sentences with positive tag questions are not as frequent as our first type. They use the same form, with reversed word order. 35British or American? 36Tag questions are an example of a big difference between British and American English. Language researchers using computer data found that British English speakers used tag questions nine times as often as American English speakers! 37Changing question intonation 38In Understanding and Using English Grammar, Betty Azar says that the intonation (change in pitch) shows the purpose of a tag question. If the speaker is trying to confirm information, the tone rises: 39Adam works at VOA, doesn't he? 40Speakers saying something that they are almost certain the listener will agree with use a falling intonation. 41It's a nice day, isn't it? 42I'm Jill Robbins. 43And I'm Jim Tedder. 44Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 45________________________________________________ 46Words in This Story 47reverse - v. to change the order or position of (two things or a series) 48intonation - n. the rise and fall in the sound of your voice when you speak 49pitch - n. the highness or lowness of a sound 50Now it's your turn. Write a sentence with a tag question in the comments. We'll give you feedback.