In conversational speech, we sometimes have to ask our interlocutor again, clarify information, or express doubt. When we know what we are talking about but need confirmation, we use the tags questions form in English. Questions with a tail, or disjunctive questions, are always connected to the preceding sentence, for example:
(Main clause) He is going to the gym, (tag question) isn’t he? He's going to go to the gym, isn't he?
The students passed the biology exam, didn’t they? The students passed the biology exam, didn't they?
In Russian, the dividing question sounds like this:
We'll meet at the cinema tomorrow, right?
We are meeting at the cinema tomorrow, aren’t we?
"Isn't it" in English is a "tail" aren't we? . Other examples of questions with a tail in English:
You work in a bank, don’t you? You work in a bank, don't you?
Your sister can sing, can’t she? Your sister can sing, can't she?
He wouldn’t go to Mexico if he didn’t speak Spanish, would he? He wouldn't go to Mexico if he didn't speak Spanish, would he?
Disjunctive questions in English turn sentences into general questions to which we answer “yes/no questions.”
“Isn’t it so” in English: rules of education
Tags questions consist of one of the auxiliary verbs (be, do or have) or the main verb be, and sometimes a modal verb (can, should). A subject is always used with a verb, which is most often expressed by a pronoun.
The verb in the main part of the sentence determines what the verb in the tag question will be.
For example:
The exception is sentences with the construction “I am”. In this case we use “are” rather than “am”. For example:
I’m the tallest in the class, aren’t I? I'm the tallest in the class, aren't I?
Tag questions in English is a short interrogative part that comes at the end of a sentence. This construction is used mainly in colloquial speech.
Questions with a tail in English can be divided into several types:
The first type of question consists of an affirmative sentence and a negative tag question or a negative sentence with an affirmative tag question. The negative part of the question is most often used in an abbreviated form.
For example:
You work in a bank, don’t you? You work in a bank, don't you?
He’s a doctor, isn’t he? He's a doctor, isn't he?
You haven’t met him, have you? You haven't met him, have you?
She isn’t coming, is she? She won't come, will she?
Typically, we use this type of question to clarify information when we need to confirm already known facts.
For example:
You work with John, don’t you? You work with John, don't you? (I'm pretty sure you work with John, but I need to confirm this, so I'm clarifying).
Your mother is not very old, is she? Your mother is not very old, is she? (I'm guessing that your mother is not very old, but I'm asking again to be sure).
Affirmative disjunctive questions in English (double positives)
This type of question is used mainly when the speaker has just heard some interesting, important news or would like to emphasize his statement or enhance the emotional effect. The basic rule for affirmative questions: if the main part is in the affirmative form, then the tag question is affirmative.
The interlocutor’s reaction to questions of this type is to agree, sympathize, or somehow comment on the information. Affirmative tails are used in informal communication. For example:
My English teacher was lovely. She was a great teacher, was she? My English teacher was very good. She was a great teacher, wasn't she?
You are getting married, are you? Are you really getting married?
Question with a tail in the imperative mood
The imperative mood has no tense, so it is not immediately possible to determine how to form a tag question. Most often we use the form “won’t you” or “will you”, as well as “would”, “could”, “can”.
Using a tag question with the imperative mood slightly softens the tone characteristic of an order or urgent request.
Open the window, won’t you? Won't you open the window?
Turn the TV down, will you? Can you turn off the TV?
Don't shout, will you? I can hear you perfectly well. Stop screaming, come on. I can hear you perfectly.
Come here immediately, can you? Can't come here right now?
The level of formality of the phrase depends on the intonation and type of tag question we choose.
For example, can't you can express impatience and irritation, as in the example:Turn the TV down, can’t you? Well, turn off the TV already!
The intonation of the tail is descending, we do not specify, but show irritation.
Separating questions in sentences where the interlocutor’s opinion is asked
This type of sentence begins with "let's". After let's we use shall in tag questions:
Let’s have some lunch now, shall we? Let's have lunch now, what do you think?
It doesn’t matter whether the sentence is positive or negative, we use “shall we” in any case.
Let’s not go to the restaurant, shall we? Let's not go to the restaurant, what do you think?
Using "right" and "yeah" in colloquial speech instead of tag question
Very often in informal speech, instead of a question with a tail in English, the words “right” and “yeah” are used when we want to ask again or clarify some information.
For example:
So, you’re not going on holiday this year, right? So you're not going on vacation this year, right?
So, you’re not going on holiday this year, are you?
The film starts at about 8, yeah? The movie starts around 8, right?
A more formal expression with a tag question:The film starts at about 8, doesn't it?
Dividing questions that begin with "I think"
In sentences that begin with "I think"», we don't use "do I" in tag question» . Tag question is consistent in meaning with the main information in the sentence:
I think she is a great doctor, isn’t she? I think she's a wonderful doctor, don't you?
When do we start with “I don’t think» - the tail will be positive, and the verb will also agree with the verb in the sentence that conveys the main information.
I don’t think it’s a good idea, is it? I don't think that's a good idea, do you?
I don’t think we should meet her parents tonight, should we? I don't think we need to meet her parents tonight, right?
These rules apply to other verbs that express opinion: feel, believe, suppose.
I suppose they are students, aren’t they? I guess they are students, right?
I can’t believe she really likes him, does she? I can't believe she actually likes him, right?
Using separating questions without subject and auxiliary verb
A very common occurrence in informal conversation is the omission of a subject (usually expressed by a pronoun) and an auxiliary verb.
For example:
Lovely day, isn’t it?(Instead of It is a lovely day, isn’t it?) Wonderful day, isn’t it?
Doing well, are you?(Instead of You are doing well, are you?) You're doing well, aren't you?
Nobody in the office, is there? (Instead of There’s nobody in the office, is there?) There’s no one in the office, is there?
Disjunctive questions: examples of questions with never, no one, nothing
Sentences with negative adverbs never (never), hardly ever (almost never) can cause difficulties in choosing a tag question, since the verb in the main part is in the affirmative form, but the entire sentence is negative in meaning. In sentences of this type, the verb in the tail is used in the positive form.
For example:
They never go on holiday in winter, do they? (not “don’t they” ). They never go on holiday in winter, do they?
Martha hardly ever sleeps at night, does she? Martha hardly sleeps at night, does she?
In sentences with indefinite nouns someone, anyone, no one, everyone, difficulties may arise with the choice of pronoun. In this case we use “they (they)».
For example:
Everyone left the room, didn’t they? Everyone left the room, didn't they?
No one cares about this, do they? Nobody worries about that, right?
Since "no one" already conveys the negative meaning of the sentence, the tail will be positive.
With indefinite nouns something (anything), nothing (nothing), everything (everything) we use “it”» .
Everything is fine, isn’t it? Everything is great, isn't it?
Nothing matters, does it?Nothing matters, right?
The word "nothing" " has a negative meaning, so the tag question will be positive.
Intonation
In dividing questions in English, we usually do not focus on the part in which the question is asked; we do not emphasize the tag question if we are sure that the information is correct. But, if the speaker doubts, then the intonation increases and the tag question comes under stress.
Tag question can be used as a question when we want to hear the answer “yes” or “no”, and therefore we pronounce it with a questioning, rising intonation. But sometimes a question with a tail is needed in order to express agreement with the information already presented. In this case, the intonation is descending.
When you are not sure about something and want to clarify something or get confirmation of your words, you ask the following questions:
“We'll go to the cinema, right? She's a student, isn't she? You didn’t send the documents, did you?”
It is for such cases that there is a special type of question in English - dividing questions (in English tag questions) or question " with a ponytail».
Using such questions, you give your speech lightness and ease, because with their help you express many emotions: politeness, irony, doubt, surprise, dissatisfaction. By the way, our students work on these questions only at the seventh level in the course for adults.
I have prepared an article for you where I'll explain step by step how to set them correctly.
Each tense in English has its own auxiliary verb (do/does, have/has, did, had, will).
The difficulty in constructing a tag question is that you need to be well versed in English tenses in order to correctly formulate the second part of the question.
The main thing to remember is: if the first part of the sentence is affirmative, then the second part is negative.
The scheme for the formation of such proposals will be as follows:
Affirmative sentence + auxiliary verb + not + character?
The first part is an affirmative sentence. The second contains an auxiliary verb with the particle not and a character. Let's look at an example.
Affirmative sentence.
He studies English.
He is studying English.
To add the correct tail, we define the time. The sentence is about a regular action, therefore, the Present Simple tense is used here. In this tense the auxiliary verb for he (he) is does.
Since in the first part we have an affirmation, in the second we need to put a negation. For this we add not to our auxiliary verb does: does not (doesn’t).
The character remains the same as in the first part.
He studies English, doesn't he?
He's studying English, isn't he?
Let's look at examples of such sentences for 3 simple tenses.
| Time (auxiliary verb) | Affirmative sentence | Separated question | |
| Present Simple (do/does) |
They go to work. She likes to dance. |
They go to work don't they? She likes to dance, doesn't she? |
|
| Past Simple (did) |
They married last year. He moved. |
They married last year didn't they? He moved didn't he? |
|
| Future Simple (will) |
He will call you back. We will win. |
He will call you back will not (won't) he? We will win will not (won't) we? |
|
If the sentence is negative, then the second part contains an affirmation. In this case, there is no need to add the not particle in our “tail”.
The question pattern will be as follows:
Negative sentence + auxiliary verb + character?
In fact, when the first part is a negative sentence, it is very easy to construct a tail.
After all, the negation in the first part is already formed using an auxiliary verb and the particle not. Therefore, you don't need to think about which auxiliary verb to use in the "tail", just remove the not particle and use the same auxiliary verb in the 2nd part. We also take the character from the first part.
For example, we have a negative sentence.
They don't like to read.
They don't like to read.
In the “tail” we take the auxiliary verb do without particle not and actor they:
They don't like to read, do they?
They don't like to read, do they?
| Negative sentence | Separated question |
|
She doesn't drink coffee. |
She doesn't drink coffee does she? |
|
They didn't work last summer. |
They didn't work last summer, did they? |
|
We will not meet with you. |
We will not meet with you, will we? |
How to construct a separating question with modal verbs
Modal verbs do not indicate an action (go, read, study), but show an attitude towards these actions (must go, can read, should study).
If a sentence contains a modal verb, we no need use auxiliary.
How to build a tail for affirmative sentences
If the first part is affirmative, the scheme for constructing a dividing question will be as follows.
Affirmative sentence + modal verb + not + character?
The second part of such a sentence contains the same modal verb that was used in the first part, only we add not to it. Let's look at an example.
He can swim.
He can swim.
To form a tail, take the modal verb can and add the negative particle not to it. We also take the character he from the first part.
He can't swim, can't he?
He can swim, can't he?
Let's look at a few more examples.
| Affirmative sentence | Separated question |
|
They should ask you. |
They should ask you, shouldn't they? |
|
She can run fast. |
She can run fast, can't she? |
|
We may take it. |
We may take it, mayn't we? |
How to build a tail for negative sentences
If the first part is negative, then the scheme for forming a dividing question with modal verbs will be as follows.
Negative sentence + modal verb + character?
In our “tail” we take the modal verb and the character from the first part.
For example
She can't dance.
She can't dance.
In the second part we take the modal verb can and the character she.
She can't dance can she?
She can't dance, can she?
Here are some more examples:
| Negative sentence | Separated question |
|
She should not go alone. |
She should not go alone should she? |
|
They couldn't leave a lesson. |
They couldn't leave a lesson could they? |
|
He mightn't agree. |
He mightn't agree, might he? |
How to construct a separating question with the verb to be
Also in English there is a special type of verb - the verb to be. We use it when we say that someone:
- is somewhere (he is in the park);
- is someone (she is a nurse);
- is somehow (the cat is gray).
Depending on the tense in which we use this verb, it changes its form:
- in the present tense - am, are, is;
- in the past tense - was, were;
- in the future tense - will be.
How to build a tail for affirmative sentences
The scheme for forming a dividing question with the verb to be, if the first part is affirmative, looks like this:
Affirmative sentence + verb to be + not + character?
In the second part we put the verb to be in the same tense as in the first part and add not to it. We also take the character from the first part.
For example, we have an affirmative sentence.
He is a doctor.
He is a doctor.
In the “tail” we take our to be - is and add to it not, we also take the actor - he.
He is a doctor, isn't he?
He's a doctor, isn't he?
Let's look at a few more examples.
Now let's look at how to build a “tail” if the first part is negative.
How to build a tail for negative sentences
Scheme for forming a dividing question if the first part is negative:
Negative sentence + verb to be + character?
In the second part we use the verb to be and the character from the first part.
For example
You aren't at school.
You're not at school.
To build the “tail” we take are and you from the first part:
You aren't at school, are you?
You're not at school, are you?
Here are some more examples.
Nuances when constructing a dividing question
1. Please note. Even if in the first part there is a specific character (my friends, his girlfriend, her son), then in the second part they change to short ones: they, she, he.
Wrong
Her son went to school yesterday, didn’t her son?
Right
Her son went to school yesterday, didn’t he?
Her son went to school yesterday, didn't he?
2. After the words everyone, someone, anyone, the tail is used they.
Everyone can do it, can’t they?
Anyone can do this, right?
3. If in the first part of an affirmative sentence there is I am, then in the second part instead of am we bet are and add a particle not.
Wrong
I am beautiful, am not I?
I'm beautiful, aren't I?
Right
I am beautiful, aren't I?
I'm beautiful, aren't I?
4. There are words in English whose meaning is negative:
- never - never;
- rarely - rarely;
- rarely - rarely;
- hardly - hardly;
- barely - barely;
- nothing - nothing;
- nobody - no one.
Such words, due to their negative meaning, change the meaning of an affirmative sentence into a negative one (although we do not have the particle not in the sentence). Therefore, we do not put the particle not in the tail.
Wrong
They never go to the club, don't they?
Right
They never go to the club, do they?
They never went to the club, did they?
That's all. Be sure to write questions in the comments below the article if something is not clear to you.
Now let's move on to practice.
Reinforcement task
Translate the following sentences into English:
1. She's smart, isn't she?
2. They don't eat meat, do they?
3. You watched this film, didn't you?
4. We can wait here, can't we?
5. He will buy a new car, won't he?
6. Her daughter doesn't work here, does she?
7. She didn't buy anything, did she?
8. He can speak English, can't he?
Leave your answers in the comments below the article.
We continue to talk about tag questions, dividing questions, and continue to go into the wilds and dive into the depths. The basic grammatical structures have already been discussed, but there are still a few cases that are worth paying attention to.
Negative sentence. It will never be the same, … ?
A sentence with negation is not only don't, isn't and others wouldn't- but these are all kinds of never, nowhere, no one - no, never, nothing etc. Accordingly, tag in these cases must be positive:
You have nothing to declare, do you? You don't have anything to declare, right?
We have never done anything illegal, have we? We never did anything illegal, right?
Moreover, this includes not only “never and with no one,” but also such adverbs as rarely, rarely, hardly and many others meaning “rarely” and “barely.”
I hardly know you, do I? I barely know you, right?
They rarely visit their grandmother these days, do they? They rarely visit grandma now, don't they?
Dividing question to there is
There is may lead to some confusion - the subject here, apparently there, but what pronoun should I use? In this case, the pronoun there is from the phrases there is, there are doesn't change anything, it stays that way there.
There is something about this guy, isn’t there? There's something about this guy, isn't there?
There is nothing to talk about, is there? There's nothing to talk about here, right?
Question for "let's go." Let's do it, ... ?
First, let's understand the English "let's." Let's is let us, so the pronoun in the tag question is we. And with a verb (don’t look for a logical explanation for this, it just happened that way) – shall. And the whole thing will always look like “ shall we?»
Let's get wasted, shall we? Let's get drunk, shall we?
Let's never talk about it ever again, shall we? Let's never talk about this again, okay?
And here it is shall we? Feel free to take it out of context and use it as a polite invitation, adding a verb if necessary: shall we dance?(let me invite you to dance, madam), shall we?(Well, gentlemen, let's start our meeting already). Let's continue shall we?
First person question. I am a student, … ?
How to put the tag question to be in the first person, singular? We have all heard about isn’t and aren’t, but we have never heard about amn’t - and rightly so, we have not heard of it, because there is definitely no such option. But ask a dividing question with I possible in three ways:
- ain't I? ain’t is such a very, very colloquial form that is almost never mentioned in any textbooks, but exists perfectly in colloquial speech and songs.
- am I not?- grammatically perfect, but sounds a little “dramatic”, all you have to do is stand in an actor’s pose and raise your hands to the sky. I am indeed a prince of Denmark, am I not? Am I the Prince of Denmark or not?
- aren't I?- the most common form. Yes, grammatically it “doesn’t fit into any corners” and you’re unlikely to see it in academic grammars, but that’s exactly what ordinary Americans would say
How to answer a dividing question
Now let's move to the other side of the dialogue - how to answer the tag question? For example, to the question “ You are from Russia, aren’t you?» Should I say “yes, from Russia” or “no, from Russia”? What if there is a negation in the main sentence? " You aren't a spy, are you?- “Yes, not a spy” or “No, not a spy”...
Answer the main part of the question (not the tag), whether it contains a negation or not - always as if there were no particle not. Namely:
You are from Russia, aren’t you? You – are – from Russia. That's right, from Russia. Yes, I am.
You aren't a spy, are you? You – are – a spy(ignore not). No, no, no, not a spy, it’s just that everything here is so interesting, I want to know about everything... No, I'm not.
The Earth is rotating around the Sun, isn’t it? Yes it is.
You haven’t eaten all the cookies, have you? No, I haven't. Maybe it has been stolen by raccoons…
Dividing question for requests
Another, rather rare way to use tag questions is to make your request a little more polite. Just add at the end can you, can’t you, will you, won’t you, would you:
Pass me the bottle, can you? Pass the bottle, please.
Don’t forget the secret passcode again, will you? Please don't forget the secret code, okay?
Dividing question without inversion
And finally, a comment for advanced students. Sometimes, in moments of great surprise, excitement, anger, etc. The verb in a tag question is not inverted.
Oh my god, you are getting married, are you? Lord, you're getting married, right?
So you never stole my money, didn’t you? So you didn’t steal my money, as I understand it?
Well, perhaps that’s all about separation issues. Good luck.
In the case when the speaker wants to receive confirmation of a fact or his words, wants to find out whether the interlocutor agrees with him, expresses bewilderment or doubt, the so-called. dividing question (Disjunctive Question or Tag Question).
In Russian, in these cases, sentences are used with the phrases “isn’t it true?”, “isn’t it?”, “yes?”, “right?”, “isn’t it true?” and so on.
Unlike other types of English questions, which are characterized by reverse word order, a dividing question in its first part retains direct word order, that is, it looks like an ordinary declarative or negative sentence. Only in the second part the word order will be reversed - as in the question.
The second part of the disjunctive question consists of an auxiliary (or modal) verb, grammatically corresponding to the first part, and equivalent to the subject pronoun (the table - it, my friends - they, etc.).
In this case, the following principle is observed: If the first part of the question is an affirmative sentence, then the auxiliary (or modal) verb in the second part will be in a negative form (usually in an abbreviated form). And, conversely, if the first part of the question is negative, the verb in the second part will be in the affirmative form.
He is a chemist, isn't he? - He's a chemist, right?
He isn't a chemist, is he? - He's not a chemist, right?You like fish don't you? - You love fish, right?
You don't like fish, do you? - You don't like fish, do you?
A question with an affirmative first part (and, accordingly, a negative second) is used when the speaker expects to receive an affirmative answer. If a negative answer is expected, the first part will be negative, and the second part will be affirmative.
It should be remembered that dividing questions containing in the first part the words nothing, nobody, no one, no, neither, never, scarcely, hardly, barely etc., will be negative, so their second part must be affirmative:
So, they did nothing, did they? - So they didn't do anything, right?
In dividing questions with a revolution, the pronoun in the second part is there:
There is a toilet on the train, isn't there? - There is a toilet on the train, right?
In dividing questions with the words anybody, anyone, these, those, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, no one, nobody, the pronoun in the second part is they.
Everybody knew it, didn’t they? - And everyone knew about it, right?
Attention: For everything the pronoun is it.
In colloquial speech, the rule of grammatical correspondence between the first and second parts of a dividing question may be violated. Thus, the negative second part usually contains the verb in an abbreviated form: isn't, aren't, don't, can't, haven't, etc. Since am not has no abbreviation, either the full form is used with the pronoun I (Am I not?), or (much more often) the form aren't I?
I am late, am I not? - I'm late, right?
I am late, aren't I? - I'm late, right?
A disjunctive question can take the form of a request, a proposal, or a prohibition (see also Imperative). In this case, if the first part is affirmative, the second can contain the following forms (both affirmative and negative): will you?/won’t you? can you?/can’t you? Could you?/couldn't you?
Be quiet, can't you? - Be quiet, okay?
If the first part is negative, the second part usually uses the form will you?
Don"t touch this, will you? - Don’t touch this, okay?
In dividing questions expressing an invitation to some action and beginning with let's, the second part uses the form shall we?
Let's go to the theatre, shall we? - Let's go to the theater, shall we?
When the speaker really does not know the answer and wants information, the second part of the disjunctive question is pronounced with a rising tone. If only confirmation of a fact or the words of the speaker is required, the second part of the question is pronounced with a lower tone.
In writing, the second part of the separating question is separated by a comma.
The second part of the separating question can be a separate sentence, when the interlocutor simply asks again: “Yes?”, “Really?” etc. In this case, a statement corresponds to an affirmative question, and a negation corresponds to a negative question:
I like snakes. - I love snakes.
- Do you? - Is it true?I haven't seen this film yet. - I haven't watched this film yet.
- Haven't you? - Really?
The answer to the dividing question is based on the following principle. If the first part of the question is affirmative, then Yes will mean agreement, and No will mean disagreement. If the first part of the question is negative, then No will mean agreement, and Yes will mean disagreement. For example:
You like vegetables, don't you? - You like vegetables, right?
- Yes, I do. - I really love (agreement) / No, I don't - On the contrary, I don’t like (disagreement).You don"t like vegetables, do you? - You don’t like vegetables, right?
- No, I don"t - I really don’t like (agreement) / Yes, I do. - On the contrary, I love (disagreement).
Separated question consists of two parts, the first is an affirmation or denial, and the second is a question. This type of question is used when you need to clarify something, ask again, express surprise or doubt.
Due to the peculiarity of its structure, a dividing question is also called a dismembered question, a question with a tail, or a tag question (tag - tag, tail), because the interrogative part (tag) really resembles a short tail, an appendage to the main sentence.
How is a dividing question constructed?
The dividing question consists of two parts:
Sentence (affirmative or negative) + Question (tail)
Let's look at how these parts are arranged.
1. First part is constructed like a regular affirmative or negative sentence.
She is looking for an exit. “She’s looking for a way out.”
She is not looking for an exit. “She’s not looking for a way out.”
2. Question (tail) is built according to the scheme: or from the first part + .
Usually the question is structured like this: if the first part is affirmative, then the question is in negative form, and if it is negative, then the question is in affirmative form. It is also possible that both parts are positive, but more on that later.
Let's look at examples:
She is looking for an exit, isn't she?“She’s looking for a way out, isn’t she?”
She is not looking for an exit, is she?– She’s not looking for a way out, is she?
If in the first part the subject is not expressed by a pronoun, the second part still contains a pronoun that is suitable in meaning.
Sandra is looking for an exit, isn't she?– Sandra is looking for a way out, isn’t she?
I will give several examples when questions with a tail are constructed with auxiliary and modal verbs.
- Dividing question with auxiliary verb
The tail contains the same auxiliary verb as in the first part.
Lucy has fallen from the tree, hasn't she? – Lucy fell from the tree, didn’t she?
We are not going to Mexico, are we? – We're not going to Mexico, are we?
If there is no auxiliary verb in the first part (this is possible if the predicate = verb in or ), the question uses the appropriate form.
We work together don't we? – We work together, don't we?
We worked together didn't we? – We worked together, didn't we?
Henry works alone, doesn't he? – Henry works alone, doesn’t he?
- Separating question with modal verb
Don’t forget: if the first part is a statement, then the question is in the affirmative form (can you?), if the first part is negative, the question is in the negative form (can’t you?).
You can do it, can't you? -You can do it, can't you?
She couldn't be wrong could she? “She couldn't be right, could she?” (or could it?)
We should have turned right, shouldn't we? “We should have turned right, shouldn’t we?”
You shouldn't have left the school, should you? “You didn’t have to leave school, did you?”
Dividing question with “I am” and “aren’t I”
The only case when the question is constructed in a special way is when the first part contains “I am”, then the tail “aren’t I?” is used.
I am staying here, aren't I?– I'm staying here, aren't I?
I am on the right side, aren't I? – I'm on the right side, aren't I?
If the first part is “I am not”, the tail is built as usual.
I am not staying here, am I?– I'm not staying here, am I?
I am not on the right side, am I?– I'm not on the right side, am I?
Intonation and meaning of the dividing question
Disjunctive questions are especially characteristic of colloquial speech; they can be pronounced with different intonations, giving them different shades of meaning (sarcasm, for example). Two cases especially need to be highlighted: when the tail is pronounced with rising and falling intonation.
- Rising intonation
If the question, the tail itself, is pronounced with a rising (interrogative) intonation, the speaker is speaking in an indirect, indirect form, but really asks the question:
You know Harry, don’t you? -You know Harry, don't you?
Here we ask a question, wanting to get an answer: does the interlocutor know Harry or not.
- Falling intonation
If the intonation in a question is descending, as in an affirmative sentence, then this is no longer a question, but a statement in the form of a question. The speaker is confident in what he is “asking”
You know Harry, don’t you? “You know Harry.”
Here we are essentially not asking a question, but asserting that the interlocutor knows Harry
Dividing question where both sides are positive
In many cases, the dividing question is constructed exactly according to the scheme given above; if the first part is positive, then the question is negative, and vice versa. But it is possible that both parts are positive.
A question using the Positive + Positive scheme cannot be used exactly as a question (that is, with the goal of getting an answer). It is suitable specifically for expressing various emotions manifested in speech. The meaning greatly depends on the intonation (surprised, joyful, admiring, envious, sarcastic, etc.) and context.
I will give examples. I will select a Russian translation that will better reflect the nuances of meaning.
- Joyfully: So you bought a new car, did you? Great! - So you bought a new car, right? Great!
- Surprised: So you bought a new car, did you? I thought you said you didn’t need a second car. - So, did you buy a new car or something? I thought you said you didn't need a second car.
- Disapproving: So you bought a new car, did you? And you still owe me a lot of money. – So, you bought a new car, that’s how it is? And you still owe me a lot of money.
- Sarcastically:(a new car is a wreck) So you bought a new car, did you? Wow, I'm impressed! - So you bought a new car? Wow, I'm impressed!
Why don't we like dividing questions?
An interesting feature of dividing questions is that native speakers very often use them in speech, but we carefully avoid them, preferring more direct types of questions.
The reasons are clear. Firstly, the tailed question has a confusing scheme, alien to the Russian language, with positive-negative parts, auxiliary verbs - all this is difficult to add automatically. Secondly, the beauty of this question is that by varying intonations, you can express different things, it is a very conversational, very oral instrument, but it is difficult to play with intonations when the phrase is not built fluently, with pauses. For these reasons, many simply do not use tailed questions in speech - without them, speech does not become incorrect, but with them it can.
Speech without dividing questions really cannot be called illiterate, but if you use them, it will become more natural, natural. Any grammatical structure can be mastered to the point of automatism if you practice well and use it often enough in speech. If your English classes include (and I really hope they do), try to use this type of question from time to time, it will not be very easy at first, and you will soon learn to use them without thinking about the positive-negative scheme.
Friends! I don't currently tutor, but if you need a teacher, I recommend this wonderful site- there are native (and non-native) language teachers there 👅 for all occasions and for any pocket 🙂 I myself took more than 50 lessons with the teachers I found there!
