UNIT
34
Question tags; So / Neither / Nor do I
• Question tags are the short questions at the end of sentences – particularly in everyday English. They are built by using auxiliaries (or modal verbs) and personal pronouns. • If the main part is positive, the tag is negative; if the main part is negative the tag is positive: It’s cold, isn’t it? Anna hasn’t got any brothers or sisters, has she? I should have invited him, shouldn’t I? Nobody showed up, didn’t they? (‘they’ is used as a pronoun for somebody, nobody, everybody. etc.) Nothing can stop us, can it? (‘it’ is used as a pronoun for nothing, something, everything, etc.) • When the main sentence has no apparent auxiliary, as in affirmative sentences with present and past simple, you use don’t / doesn’t / didn’t in the tag: You have a son, don’t you? Anne went to Cardiff by train, didn’t she? • The tags used with sentences starting with Let’s... / Don’t… / I’m… use specific tags. Look at the examples: Let’s have a swim, shall we? (suggesting an activity) Don’t call me before 3pm, will you? (asking someone to do something) I’m late, aren’t I? • Their function depends on context and intonation: when the voice goes down () in the tag you are checking if someone agrees with you, giving them an order or you don’t expect an answer as it’s more like a statement; if the voice goes up () you’re asking a genuine question. The view from here’s fantastic, isn’t it? (do you agree with me on the fact it’s beautiful?) Don’t do that again, will you? ( don’t do that, ok? - an order) You haven’t seen my glasses, have you? (have you seen them by any chance? - real question) You couldn’t make me some tea, could you? (please, make me some tea - request) So / neither / nor do I • When you want to show agreement with someone’s statement in a conversation you use so / neither (or nor) + auxiliary / modal verb: affirmative statement: I love lasagna. So do I. negative statement: I can’t swim. Neither can I. (or: Nor can I) • If you want to show disagreement you use the auxiliary or modal in the opposite form: affirmative statement: I had some tea. I didn’t. (negative response) negative statement: I won’t go there. I will. (affirmative response) • To show agreement you can also use ‘Me, too.’ and ‘Me, neither.’ • So / Neither / Nor can also be used for other persons: Karen works from home and so does her husband. John and Rebecca haven’t left yet and neither have we. I didn’t like the film but my sister did. Other functions of question tags and auxiliaries • Question tags and auxiliaries / modals can also be used to show interest or surprise when someone tells you something or to avoid repeating the main verb: Jeff bought a new car last week. Did he? (Really?) I’ve won 1,000 pounds. You haven’t, have you? (I can’t believe it!) Mary looks happier than she did. (‘did’ replaces ‘looked’) Anne said she couldn’t speak French but she can. (‘can’ instead of ‘can speak’) Don’t you like pizza? I do like it but I don’t want it now. (do + verb emphasises the verb)
88
