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Question tags and Reply Questions

The document provides an overview of question tags and reply questions, explaining their definitions, structures, and purposes in English grammar. It outlines rules for forming question tags, the use of modals, intonation effects, and exceptions to the general rules. Additionally, it introduces reply questions and their structure, emphasizing the importance of politeness and emphasis in advanced contexts.

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Савев Влатко
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5 views

Question tags and Reply Questions

The document provides an overview of question tags and reply questions, explaining their definitions, structures, and purposes in English grammar. It outlines rules for forming question tags, the use of modals, intonation effects, and exceptions to the general rules. Additionally, it introduces reply questions and their structure, emphasizing the importance of politeness and emphasis in advanced contexts.

Uploaded by

Савев Влатко
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Question tags and

Reply Questions
•Title: Understanding Question Tags and Reply Tags
•Level: Intermediate to Advanced English Grammar
•Presented by: Vlatko Savev
Introduction to Question Tags

•Definition: A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement.

•Purpose: To confirm or check information, or to seek agreement/disagreement.

•Structure:
•Positive Statement + Negative Tag (e.g., "You’re coming, aren’t you?")
•Negative Statement + Positive Tag (e.g., "You don’t like pizza, do you?")
Formation of Question Tags

• General Rule:
• If the statement is positive, the tag is negative.
• If the statement is negative, the tag is positive.
• Examples:
• "She is tall, isn't she?"
• "They aren’t coming, are they?"
• Note: The auxiliary verb (e.g., is, are, do, does) matches the
verb tense of the main sentence.
Use of Modals in Question Tags

•If the main verb is a modal verb (can, should, will, etc.), the
same modal is used in the tag.

•Examples:
•"You can swim, can’t you?"
•"She should help, shouldn’t she?"
Intonation and Meaning

• Rising Intonation (upward pitch) = genuine question or


doubt.
• Falling Intonation (downward pitch) = seeking agreement or
confirmation.
• Example:
• Rising: "You’re joining us, aren’t you?" (asking for confirmation)
• Falling: "You’re coming, aren’t you?" (expecting agreement)
Negative Statements and
Question Tags
• When the sentence already contains a negative form (e.g.,
no, never, nobody), the tag will still follow the general rule.
• Examples:
• "Nobody came, did they?"
• "She hasn’t called, has she?"
Exceptions & Irregular Forms

• With ‘Let’s’: "Let’s go, shall we?"


• With ‘I am’: "I’m tired, aren’t I?" (Special exception for "I am")
• Negative words like hardly, seldom, never often require positive tags.
• "She never calls, does she?"
Reply Questions

• What are Reply questions: These are reactions to what has


somebody said or show interest.
• Structure:
• Positive statement+ positive reply question;
• Negative statement+ negative reply question;
• Example:
• “We are going to a concert.” “Are you?”
• “Beyonce hasn’t played here before.” “Hasn’t she?”
Using Question Tags in
Advanced Contexts

• Emphasis & Politeness:


• Tags can express politeness or emphasize a point.
• Example:
• "You wouldn’t mind helping me, would you?" (polite request)
• "That was an amazing movie, wasn’t it?" (emphasizing a shared
opinion)
Practice Time!

• Interactive Exercise: Add question tags to the following sentences:


• "She loves ice cream, ____?"
• "They didn’t attend the meeting, ____?"
• "We should leave soon, ____?"
• "You haven’t seen this movie before, ____?"

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