tag question

WESTERN UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ARTS, SCHOOL OF ARTS, HUMANITIES & LANGUAGESHUMANITIES & LANGUAGES

YEAR III, SEMESTER IYEAR III, SEMESTER ICORE ENGLISH CORE ENGLISH

CHAPTER IVCHAPTER IVDISCOURSE MARKERSDISCOURSE MARKERS

UNG SREYPEUV

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Tag questions are not ordinary question/real questions. We can use them to check information. They expect the listener to agree. Use a falling tone

E.g. 1. You’re 18 years old, aren’t you? 2. You live in Phnom Penh, don’t

you? 3. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it? 4. Kungan isn’t handsome, is he?

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We can also use this type of tag question to help a conversation

E.g. A: It’s a good film, isn’t it? B: Yes, it’s great. The acting is

wonderful.Tag questions can be more like ordinary questions, the speaker does not know sth for sure. Use a rising tone

E.g. 1. You’re 18 years old, aren’t you? 2. You live in Liverpool, don’t you?

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Note the negative of tag after ‘I am’E.g. I’m late, aren’t I? Notice the auxiliaries in these questions tags

E.g. 1. Let’s go, shall we? 2. Give me a hand, will you? 3. Don’t forget to post my letter, will you?

4. Nobody phoned, did they?

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These occur after positive sentences. The tag is positive and the intonation rises. The speaker repeats what he/she has just heard and uses the tag to express interest, surprise, concern, or some other reaction.

E.g. 1. So you’re Kevin’s sister, are you? I’ve heard a lot about you.

2. So you like rap music, do you? Well, I just listen to this.

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There is no inversion in the tag and the intonation rises. The tag emphasizes the idea in the main clause by repeating it, and these tags are used to express that the speaker knows exactly what he/she is talking about.

E.g. 1. She’s a clever girl, she is. 2. You’re blind, you are.

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It’s possible to introduce the subject of the sentence in the tag. In this case, there can be inversion.

E.g. 1. She’s a lovely dancer, Jane is.

2. Likes his food, does Malcolm.

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Macfarlane, M. (2008). English practice grammar. Britain:

Garnet Publishing Ltd. Oxenden, C.; Koening, C.L.; Seligson, P.; &Clandfield, L. (2010). New

English file (Advanced). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Soars, L. & J. (2003). New new headway (3rd ed). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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