Tail questions with modal verbs. "tailed" questions

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.

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.

Disjunctive Questions in English seem at first glance to be the simplest of the rest. In fact, all sorts of hidden difficulties await you here, sometimes not indicated even in the best English grammar textbooks. We tried to put together this big puzzle without missing a single piece.

Let's start with the fact that dividing questions in English are asked to express bewilderment or doubt, to find confirmation of a fact, to find out whether the interlocutor agrees with us or not. They consist of two parts, and the first one is the original sentence to which you are asking a question. You repeat it unchanged. Yes, yes, that's true. No question words or auxiliary verbs are needed. The whole point is in the second part, which is a small “tail” with a whole set of changing words. It’s good at least that it is always translated the same way: isn’t it? is not it? Yes? Truth? right? OK? Fine? and so on.

Question construction

Remember that the construction of the question depends solely on the type of sentence.

• If you are convinced that you are dealing with an affirmative phrase, then the auxiliary verb, particle will successively replace each other in the tail not and a pronoun equivalent to the subject:

You will cook spaghetti and bacon for dinner, won't you? — You'll cook spaghetti and bacon for dinner, right?

• If you come across a negative sentence, then the tail will consist of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun replacing the subject:

They were not playing hide-and-seek at that time yesterday, were they? “They weren’t playing hide and seek at this time yesterday, were they?”

Keep in mind that words nothing, nobody, no one, no, neither, never, scarcely, hardly, barely etc. automatically make the sentence negative:

Nothing was mentioned about it at the meeting, was it? — Nothing was mentioned about this at the meeting, right?

You never visit your aunt, do you? -You never visit your aunt, do you?

Verbs in the tails of separating questions in English

As you can guess, there are plenty to choose from:

• When meeting with to be and we use it. And in sentences with there is / there are these two comrades need to be swapped. Be careful with numerous forms:

Jane was so happy last Friday, wasn't she? — Jane was so happy last Friday, wasn't she?

We are not talking about Nora, are we? “We're not talking about Nora, are we?”

Jack is back home, isn't he? - Jack's back home, right?

There are flowers in all the rooms, aren't there? — There are flowers in all the rooms, aren’t there?

• WITH other verbs in all tense forms, the corresponding auxiliary verbs are used in the tail:

Nelly has lost her laptop hasn't she? — Nellie lost her laptop, right?

Your cat purrs so sweetly, doesn't it? — Your cat purrs so sweetly, doesn’t it?

We will be knitting tomorrow at 3 o’clock, won't we? — We will knit tomorrow at 3 o’clock, right?

• If you get caught modal verb, then we will need it for the tail:

Jerry can speak French, can't he? — Jerry can speak French, right?

You must leave immediately mustn't you? “You have to leave immediately, right?”

• If you need to defuse an offer in imperative mood, That:

1. When making a request or order, use will you? won't you? can you? can't you? could you? couldn't you?

Please, buy some apples and bananas, will you? — Please buy some apples and bananas, okay?

Sit down can't you? - Sit down, okay?

2. Suitable in negative phrases will you:

Don’t touch my books in the living-room, will you? - Don't touch my books in the hall, okay?

3. If a sentence begins with let's- come on (those), then you need to use shall we:

Let's have a party, shall we? - Let's have a party, okay?

4. Do not confuse the previous candidate with words let+ pronoun in objective case. Here, focus on the tail won't you or will you:

Let me explain to you how to get to the station, won't you? - Let me tell you how to get to the station, okay?

Nuances of use

• If you come across this form to be, How am, then you will have to use aren't I or are I in the tail, although we admit that it sounds unusual:

I am late for the class, aren't I? — I'm late for class, aren't I?

• Words anybody, anyone, these, those, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, no one, nobody can easily mislead you. The fact is that if they are present, any question will end with they rather than any other option:

Everybody is so nice out there, aren't they? - Everyone there is so nice, right?

Someone has knocked on my door, haven't they? — Someone knocked on my door, right?

Similarly, we change that, this and everything to it:

Everything is so bright in Christmas Prague, isn't it? — Everything is so bright in Prague at Christmas, isn’t it?

And finally, let's learn how to answer such questions.

• If the first part is affirmative, then you can agree using Yes, express disagreement with No:

You like mineral water with juice, don’t you? - Yes, I do / No, I don’t. — You like mineral water with juice, don’t you? - Not really.

• If it is negative, then No will help you agree, and Yes- to disagree:

You didn’t go to London last year, did you? - No, I didn’t/Yes, I did. — You didn't go to London last year, did you? - Not really.

Disjunctive Questions or Tag-Questions do not pose a threat to the exam grade or your ego, if you push yourself and learn all the possible tails and exceptions, you can consider yourself lucky, if only because the first part of the question does not need to be changed. Therefore, keep your nose up!

Hello friends! Dividing Questions, or Question Tags, are questions that are used to express doubt, surprise and require confirmation or refutation of what has been said.

When asking disjunctive questions in English, the speaker does not seek to obtain additional information, but simply seeks agreement or disagreement with what was said.

How tag questions are formed

If the first part of the question is affirmative, then the second part is negative. The auxiliary verb is placed in the tense in which the predicate verb appears.

For example:

• He is a part time student, isn’t he?
  He is an evening (correspondence) student, isn't he?
• They are twins, aren’t they?
  They are twins, aren't they?
• My sister can speak English very well, can’t she?
  My sister speaks English very well, doesn't she?
• You go to the swimming pool, don’t you?
  You go to the pool, don't you? (Truth?)
• He reads newspapers every day, doesn’t he?
  He reads newspapers every day, doesn't he?
• His sister went abroad, didn’t she?
  His sister went abroad, didn't she?
• Ann, you have told them about our departure, haven’t you?
  Anna, you told them about our departure, didn't you?

If the first part of the question is a negative sentence, then the second part will be in the affirmative form.

For example:

• You don’t go to the swimming-pool, do you?
  You don't go to the pool, do you?
• His sister didn’t go abroad, did she?
  His sister didn't go abroad, did she?
• They aren't twins, are they?
  They're not twins, are they?
• She couldn’t skate last year, could she?
  She couldn't skate last year, could she?

Exceptions to Dividing Questions

There are a few special cases of constructing Tag questions that you should focus on.

1. If in the main part you see I am, then in the tail there won’t be I?

I am 29 years old, aren’t I?

2. If in the main part there is a phrase, then it will need to be used in the tail, according to the basic rules:

There are twenty chairs in the assembly hall, aren’t there?

3. If in the main part you see this is or that is, then at the end of the separating question there will be isn’t it?
This is Greg’s brother, isn’t it?

4. If in the main part you see a sentence starting with Let’s (Let us) - in a short question you need to use shall we? The tail in such sentences is not translated.

Let's change the kitchen design, shall we?- Let's change the kitchen design? / Why don’t we change the kitchen design?

5. If the first part of the dividing question begins with Let me, Let him, Let her, Let them, then the tail will be will you? or won't you?

Let Molly explain her position, will you?

6. If the first part of the disjunctive question is an imperative mood, then the short question will be will you? In the affirmative form of the imperative mood you can use and won’t you?

• Lend me some money, will you?
• Don’t shout at me, will you?

Exercises with answers

2. Complete the dividing questions, paying attention to the form of the verb in the main part.

For example: The film starts at 7 p.m., ……….? – The film starts at 7 p.m., doesn’t it? (The movie starts at 7pm, doesn't it?)

Ronald won’t come, ……….? – Ronald won’t come, will he? (Ronald won't come, will he?)

1. Your sister isn’t married, ……….?
2. You found my keys, ……….?
3. I am very smart, ……….?
4. Jack didn’t pass his exams, ……….?
5. Our love will last forever, ……….?
6. You have never been to China, ……….?
7. Sandra has already got up, ……….?
8. My coffee and croissants are not cold, ……….?
9. They won’t spend all their money, ……….?
10. Tim is fond of tennis table, ……….?
11. This palace was built in the 16th century, ……….?
12. Her son often rides a horse in the country, ……….?
13. The waiters were not polite, ……….?
14. Do you prefer seafood, ……….?
15. The students don’t speak French, ……….?
16. She can’t play the violin, ……….?
17. They can see the mountains from the window, ……….?
18. Your boyfriend doesn’t earn much, ……….?
19. We must talk to our neighbors, ……….?
20. The train must not arrive late, ……….?

Answers

1. is she? (Your sister is not married, is she?)
2. didn't you? (You found my keys, didn't you?)
3. aren't I? (I'm very smart, aren't I?)
4. did he? (Jack didn't pass his exams, did he?)
5. won't it? (Our love will last forever, won't it?)
6. have you? (the word “never” turns the first part of the sentence into a negative) (You've never been to China, have you?)
7. hasn't she? (Sandra is already up, isn't she?)
8. are they? (My coffee and croissants are not cold, are they?)
9. will they? (They won't spend all their money, will they?)
10. isn't he? (Tim is into table tennis, isn't he?)
11. wasn't it? (This palace was built in the 16th century, wasn't it?)
12. doesn't he? (Her son often rides a horse in the village, doesn't he?)
13. were they? (The waiters weren't polite, were they?)
14. don't you? (You prefer seafood, don't you?)
15. do they? (The students don't speak French, do they?)
16. can she? (She can't play the violin, can she?)
17. can't they? (They can see the mountains from the window, right?)
18. does he? (Your friend doesn't earn much, does he?)
19. mustn't we? (We should talk to our neighbors, shouldn't we?)
20. must it? (The train shouldn't arrive late, right?)

Dividing questions in English - Tag Questions

We ask questions to get information. In one case we expect completely new information, in the other we are already partially aware of what is happening and ask for confirmation or refutation of what we know. Also in the latter case, we can express surprise or doubt, that is, these questions are often rhetorical. To obtain new information, we usually use two:

Special.

In what cases are dividing questions used?

A disjunctive question states an assumption that is either affirmative or negative and forms the basis. Depending on the words used and intonation, a sentence can take on different colors. Examples of dividing questions in English:

You are sure of some fact and want to say it again /She is beautiful, isn’t she?/She is beautiful, isn’t she?/.

You are sure of a fact at the moment you voice it, but then suddenly doubts arise, prompting you to misspoke. /Today is Monday, isn’t it? /Today is Monday, right?

You know that two options for the course of events are possible, and first you stipulate the most likely one, and then express the assumption of the second. /He is in the garden now, isn’t he?/He is in the garden now, or not?/.

You know what you could or should do, and you expect help in making a decision (sometimes this happens, including in dialogue with yourself). /I should be careful, shouldn’t I?/.

You suspect that the facts do not correspond to your assumption, but you express hope for a favorable development of the situation. /You have the key, haven’t you?/You have the keys, I hope?/.

You suspect that the worst-case scenario has occurred, but you do not lose hope. /You have no keys, have you?/You don’t have keys, right?/.

You are confident in a fact and voice your assumption, but then you notice that the interlocutor does not unanimously agree with you. /But you weren't there, was you?/But you weren't there... or were you there?/.

You are observant and check whether what you think is real. /You need some rest, aren’t you?/You need some rest, am I right?/.

Analogy in Russian

The Russian and English languages ​​have similar principles for the formation of phrases and the construction of affirmative and negative sentences. Of course, a smooth and direct logic is not always traced here, nevertheless, most of the constructions have an analogy, including dividing questions. The Russian analogue can be expressed in interrogative phrases /Isn’t it so?/, /Or not?/, /Or did?/, /Really?/. How is an English dividing question constructed? Exercises with a step-by-step construction scheme and cross-association clearly show the mechanism for forming an ending from a pronoun and an opposed non-sense verb.

Differences from Russian

The Russian language is much more flexible, and interrogative phrases here are not necessarily isolated at the end of the sentence. They can harmoniously weave into the fabric of the issue, taking any position. They are also less likely to become bipolar. Often such phrases open a sentence, so we don't have to listen to the speaker or read the text to the very end before realizing that the statement isn't really a statement at all. The reason for the difficulty in understanding sentences is mainly the often illogical and cellular grammar of the English language. Dividing questions, of course, can also be predicted - it all depends on the specific case of use and the intonal policy of the interlocutor.

Verbs that can be used

The Russian language allows the expression of such phrases in different phrases, including through the use of any verbs. How does the English language allow you to construct dividing questions? The examples of interrogative endings given in the table at the end of the article cover the main possible spellings. In the second part of the dividing question, only the following verbs can be used:

Actually modal verbs.

True modality

The modality must be true, that is, it is incorrect to use improperly modal (quasi-modal) verbs, even if they perform such a function in the sentence. The actual modal verbs include /can/capable/, /have/commits/, /must/must/, /may/can/, /ought to/.

Pronouns in the second part

In order not to clutter up the speech with repeated words and to avoid tautology, in the interrogative part pronouns corresponding to the subject are used, non-sense verbs are put into the appropriate conjugation, provided that they have a personal form. There is an exception here - together with /I/ in a negative interrogative ending, /aren’t/ is always used instead of /am/. Examples of dividing questions in English with /I/ in the affirmative part of a sentence: /I'm not so bad, am I?/I'm not that bad/, /I am on the path, aren't I?/I'm on the path , is not it so?/.

Construction rules

Such constructions are built from the opposite - if at the beginning you make a positive statement, then the interrogative ending should be with a negative particle, and vice versa. In the first part, a certain assumption is voiced; in the second part, you put a nonsense verb in front of the corresponding pronoun. Thus, the basic scheme for constructing the dividing question is bipolar. The 10 dividing questions in English given in the table below clearly illustrate the principle of constructing endings. This happens regardless of whether you confirm a positive statement or refute a negative one. Only in cases where the first part of the sentence uses words that initially contain negation in their definition, the ending will not be aligned with the pole.

For example: /They will never refuse it, will they?/They will never refuse this, right?/, /Now nowhere we go, are we?/Now we are not going anywhere, right?/.

Complex use cases

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine which pronoun should appear at the end. Such situations arise when a subject is omitted, or when a subject is used instead.

When the subject is omitted, we need to logically assume from which person(s) the action comes, and use a pronoun and a nonsense verb accordingly. There are a number of constructions that are traditionally used with omitted object terms, and the meaning of omitted words is interpreted by default. Such cases need to be remembered and used automatically, using the following examples of dividing questions in English:

/Let"s go to the forest this night, shall we?/Let's go to the forest this night, shall we?/

/Let us go to the forest this night, will you?/You’ll let us go into the forest this night, right?/

With an indefinite pronoun, a chain of reasoning is triggered that excludes the possibility of identifying the individual. We cannot assume anyone specific (neither /he/, nor /she/, nor /it/, nor /you/, nor /I/) in this place, which means we equate the unknown member with the set. That's why we put them at the end.

/Everyone called him by name, didn’t they?/Everyone called him by name, didn’t they?/.