Isn't that so in English. Separation questions in English. How to answer separation questions

We continue the conversation about tag questions, dividing questions, and continue to go into the jungle and dive into the depths. The basic grammatical constructions have already been sorted out, but there are still a few cases that are worth paying attention to.

Sentence with negation. It will never be the same, ...?

A negative sentence is not only don’t, isn’t and others wouldn’t- but this and all kinds of never, nowhere, no one - no, never, nothing etc. Accordingly, the tag in these cases must be positive:

You have nothing to declare, do you? You have nothing to declare, right?
We have never done anything illegal, have we? We've never done anything illegal, have we?

Moreover, not only "never and with anyone," but also such adverbs as rarely, seldom, hardly and many others, meaning "rarely" and "barely."

I hardly know you, do I? I hardly know you, right?
They rarely visit their grandmother these days, do they? They rarely visit grandma now, do they?

The dividing question to there is

There is can cause some confusion - the subjects here, apparently there but which pronoun to use? In this case, the pronoun there from turns there is, there are does not change for anything, but it remains there.

There is something about this guy, isn’t there? There's something about this guy, right?
There is nothing to talk about, is there? Nothing to talk about here, right?

The question is "let's". Let’s do it, ...?

First, let's deal with the English “let's”. Let’s is let us so the pronoun in tag question is we. And with a verb (don't look for a logical explanation, it just happened) - shall... But in its entirety it will always look like “ shall we?»

Let’s get wasted, shall we? Let's get drunk, huh?
Let’s never talk about it ever again, shall we? Let's never talk about it again, okay?

And here with this shall we? You can safely take it out of context and use it as a polite invitation, adding the verb if necessary: shall we dance?(let me ask you to dance, madam), shall we?(Well, gentlemen, let's start our meeting already). Let's continue shall we?

The question of the first person. I am a student,…?

How to put the tag question to to be in the first person, singular? We have all heard about isn’t and aren’t, but we have never heard of amn’t - and we didn’t hear it correctly, because there is definitely no such option. But to ask a dividing question with I in three ways:

ain't I? ain’t is such a very, very colloquial form that is almost never mentioned in any textbooks, but it exists perfectly in colloquial speech and songs.
am I not?- grammatically flawless, but sounds a little "dramatic", it remains to stand in an acting pose and raise your hands to the sky. I am indeed a prince of Denmark, am I not? Prince of Denmark or not?
aren’t I? Is the most common form. Yes, grammatically it "does not fit into any gate" and in academic grammars you can hardly find it, but this is exactly what ordinary Americans would say

How to answer the dividing question

Now let's move on 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?"Say" yes, from Russia "or" no, from Russia "? But what if there is 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), and there is a negation in it or not - always as if the not particle was 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 interestingly arranged, 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 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 can you, can’t you, will you, won’t you, would you at the end:

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 intense surprise, excitement, anger, etc. the verb in tag question is not inverted.

Oh my god, you are getting married, are you? Lord, you're getting married, so chtoli?
So you never stole my money, didn’t you? So you didn't steal my money, as I understand it?

Well, that's, perhaps, all about the dividing issues. Good luck.

Dividing question, or in another way Question Tag (Disjunctive Question) is another of the main five types of questions English grammar... In my opinion, it is the most interesting and multifaceted. Basically, this type is a kind of general questions. As you probably already understood, general questions are a base that you cannot do without. General information for all five types of questions, see the article "Types of Questions in English". And now I invite you to consider in detail the dividing issue.

What are Separation Questions and what are they for?

Separation Questions, or Question Tags, are questions that are used to express doubt, surprise and require confirmation or refutation of what was said. Asking separation questions in English language, the speaker does not seek additional information, but simply seeks agreement or disagreement with what was said.

Question Tags get their name from the fact that they are always separated by a comma into two parts. The first part always consists of a declarative sentence, and the second is a short general question(Tag). The tail question at the end of a sentence, or Tag, is translated into Russian in different ways: “isn't it?”, “Isn't it?”, “Yes?”, “Good?”. Example of a Separation Question

The declarative sentence in the first part of the question is always pronounced with a falling intonation. If the speaker asks a dividing question in order to get confirmation or refutation (i.e. the question is really a question), then the second part of the question will have an increasing intonation. If the question is rhetorical, then in the second part the intonation will decrease.
Separation questions are very often used in colloquial speech.

As we already know, the dividing question has two parts. In order to formulate a dividing question, you first need to make a simple declarative sentence in the affirmative or negative form, then put a comma and add a short general question to this sentence, or in other words "Tag".

Remember the basic rule of Separation Questions:

If the first part of the question is affirmative, then "Tag" is negative. Conversely, if the first part of the question is negative, then "Tag" is positive.

V (+)…, tag (-)?
V (-)…, tag (+)?

For example:

She is at home, isn’t she?
(+) (-)
She isn’t at home, is she?
(-) (+)

The rule of "attraction of opposites"

"Tag" consists of an auxiliary or modal verb from the first part of a sentence and a personal pronoun. It's pretty simple. The main difficulty of the dividing questions lies precisely in the correct composition of this little tail ("Tag"). In order not to get confused, remember a few simple rules:

1. If the first part of the sentence contains auxiliary or modal verbs (is, are, has got, have got, can. must, should, ought to, will, shall), as well as the verbs to be or to have (meaning “to have”), then the same verbs will be used in the “tail”, but with the opposite sign.

My sister is a very good dentist, isn’t she? - My sister is a very good dentist, isn't she?
They are not writing now, are they? “They’re not writing now, are they?
Jim has got much money, hasn’t he? - Jim has a lot of money, doesn't he?
Olga can’t swim fast, can she? - Olga can't swim fast, right?
Students must come to University in time, mustn’t they? - Students should come to the university on time, right?
You will cross the street at the green light, won’t you? - You will cross the road to the green light, huh?

2. If in the first part of the sentence there are neither auxiliary nor modal verbs, then in the "tail" will be used auxiliary do. If the main verb in the first part of the sentence is in tense Present Simple, then the verb do in the tail will have the form do (don "t) or does (doesn" t). If the main verb is in Past simple, then in the "tail" - did (didn "t).

Olga met her boy-friend yesterday, didn’t she? - Olga met her boyfriend yesterday, right?
Father didn’t buy car last week, did he? “Dad didn't buy a car last week, did he?
I go swimming every Friday, don’t I? - I want to sail every Friday, don't I?
Your brother doesn’t like vegetables, does he? - Your brother doesn't like vegetables, does he?
They worked faster two days ago, didn’t they? “They worked faster two days ago, right?

Exceptions

1. If in the first part of the sentence "I am" acts as the subject and predicate, then the "tail" will look like this: "aren" t I? ", No matter how strange it may seem.

I am right, aren’t I? - I'm right, right?
I am playing well, aren’t I? - I play well, right?

2. If the verb to have has an idiomatic meaning, then the auxiliary verb do will be used in the tail. You will understand what idiomatic meaning is from the following examples:

My parents have dinner in the cafe, don’t they? (the expression "to have dinner" has a figurative, that is, idiomatic meaning)
I have a good idea, don’t I? (Idiom again! The expression "to have an idea" means "come to mind")
They had a lot of time last year, didn’t they? (And another idiom! The expression "to have time" means "to have time")

3. "Tails" to dividing issues with incentive coloring are special. Remember the following cases:

a) The dividing question expressing a request, order, order, may have any of the following "tails" - will you, won’t you, can you, could you.

Please, open the window, will you? - Please open the window, okay?
Speak Russian, can you? - Speak Russian, okay?
Come up to the blackboard, won’t you? - Come to the board, okay?

b) The dividing question, urging not to do anything, has a "tail" - "will you?"

Don’t go there, will you? - Don't go there, okay?
Don’t shout at parents, will you? - Don't yell at your parents, okay?
Don’t move, will you? - Don't move, okay?

c) Separating questions that begin with "Let" s ... "have a tail" shall we ".

Let’s have breakfast, shall we? - Let's have breakfast, okay?
Let’s begin it, shall we? - Let's start, okay?
Let’s go there, shall we? - Let's go there, okay?

d) Separation questions that begin with "Let me / him ..." have a tail "will you" or "won" t you.

Let him have a rest, will you? (won "t you?) - Give him a break, okay?
Let me decide, will you? (won "t you?) - Let me decide, okay?

Traps for the inattentive

1. In English, there are no two negations in one sentence. In order not to fall into the trap, you need to remember that if in the first part of the dividing question there are words with a negative meaning (none, no one, nobody, nothing, never, scarcely, hardly, hardly ever, barely, seldom), then the "tail" will be positive.

We’ve never been there, have we? - We've never been there, have we?
They found nobody, did they? “They didn't find anyone, did they?

2. If in the first part of the dividing question the following words are used as the subject: these, those, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, nobody, no one, then the pronoun they will be used in the tail.

These are yours, aren’t they? - They're yours, aren't they?
Everybody took the test, didn’t they? - Everybody takes the test, right?
Somebody has come, haven’t they? - Someone came, didn't they?
No one knows this young writer, do they? “Nobody knows this young writer, do they?

Answers to Separation Questions

Separation questions are usually answered with short affirmative or negative answers.

Today is Friday, isn't it? - Yes, it is. (Today is Friday, isn't it? - Yes.)
She doesn’t like coffee, does she? - No, she doesn’t. (She doesn't like coffee, does she? - Yes, she doesn't.)

In answers to dividing questions in which the first part is affirmative, expressions are often used: "That" s right. "," That "s so.", "Quite so.", "Quite right."

They've been there before, haven’t they? −That "s right. (They've been there before, haven't they? - Right.)
They returned from the trip yesterday, didn’t they? - That’s so. (They returned from a trip yesterday, didn't they? - That's right.)

In English, “yes” is always used in an affirmative answer and “no” in a negative answer. Compare with the answers in Russian.

The term “tag question” is usually not very helpful to an English learner. But the "question with a ponytail" is what is called rings a bell! This formulation is familiar from school, and any student knows the main feature of this type of question:

Feature: if there is negation in the statement, then it is not in the tail and vice versa.

For example:

Parents want their children to make good grades, don’t they?
Parents don’t want their children to behave unwell, do they?

However, there is a dark side to recurring questions that is not related to the presence or absence of negation in the main sentence. This side is the very structure of the main sentence. There are many pitfalls here. Let us examine these difficulties with specific examples.

1) He has to do it himself, doesn’t he?

He has two cats, doesn’t he?

He has got two cats, hasn’t he?

2) Table 1. Tag questions

4) Table 3. Tag questions

You hardly know him, do you?

5) I am ..., aren’t I / am I not?

I am right, aren’t I?

I am right, am I not?

6) Let’s…., Shall we?

Let’s go to the beach, shall we?

, will you?

, would you?

, can you?

7) Table 4. Tag questions

Help me, will you?

Shut up, can't you?

8) Please DO NOT do anything +, will you?

Don’t forget, will you?

9) Request or request for information = negative offer + positive question

You haven’t seen my pen, have you? - Have you seen my pen?

You couldn’t lend me a dollar, could you? - Will you lend me a dollar?

10) There are two pens on the table, aren "t there?

11) This is Mr. Brown, isn't it?

12) There used to be a lot of cafes in the down, didn’t there?

IMPORTANT!!! A negative sentence is not only where NOT / NO is necessarily present. It is also a sentence that contains so-called negative words. If they are in the sentence, then a "tail" is added to it WITHOUT NOT !!! These words include:

(THE) ONLY
REFUSE
DOUBT
AGAINST
WITHOUT
UNABLE
UNLIKELY
+ ALL WORDS FROM ITEMS 3 AND 4.

From the previous lessons, you know general and specific questions. Another type of question is the so-called tail questions. In English they are called tag-questions.

Rules for the construction and use of questions with a tail

To understand what this means, read a few examples:

This dress is beautiful, isn’t it?

She won’t come, will she?

They haven’t called, have they?

He works in an office, doesn’t he?

As you can see, tag-questions consist of two parts: a sentence with a big word order and a negative part, which is called a tail. The first part can be either positive or negative.

If the first part of the question is positive, then the tail will be negative, for example:

We are going to the park, aren’t we?

People can wait outside, can’t they?

The tail consists of an auxiliary verb, an abbreviated particle not and a pronoun that replaces the subject from the first part of the question. The tail is translated into Russian simply: “isn't it?”, “Is it true?”.

If the first part of the question is negative, the tail will be positive. In this case, negation can be expressed not only by the not particle, but also by negative words, such as never, no one, etc.:

She never was here, was she?

It isn’t funny, is it?

Important! If the first part of the question is in Present Simple or Past Simple, the auxiliary verbs do, does, or did are used in the tail:

Julia comes to her mother every Saturday, doesn’t she?

I wrote it right, didn’t I?

They don’t live the next door, do they?

If you answer the tag-question with "Yes", then you agree with the positive part of the question, if with "No", then with the negative:

You live in France, don’t you? - Yes, I do. (I live in France.) No, I don’t. (I don’t live in France.)

She isn’t sleeping, is she? - Yes, she is. (She is sleeping.) No, she isn’t. (She isn’t sleeping.)

In requests and motivating sentences starting with a verb, can you are used in the tail? could you? For example:

Open the window, can you? Wait outside, could you?

In sentences starting with Don’t, will you? For example:

Don’t do that, will you?

If the tag-question starts with Let’s, the tail will be: shall we? For example:

Let’s do it together, shall we?

Important! The intonations of tag-questions can be ascending (the voice goes up at the end of a sentence) or descending (the voice goes down). If the voice comes down, the speaker is confident that the first part of the sentence is correct. Such a question sounds like a statement.

If the speaker ends a sentence in a higher pitch, then he is not sure what he is saying. In this case, the proposal does sound like a question.

The weather isn’t going to change soon, is it?

The speaker is sure that the weather will not change, so the intonation in the ponytail is downward. The ponytail is a statement, not a question.

This hat is lovely, isn’t it?

Lesson assignments

Task 1. Supplement the questions with tails.

Tom hasn’t fixed the problem,…. ?
Buy some apples, ...?
My parents are coming back next week,…. ?
The USA is a big country,…. ?
Monica won’t go to Paris, ...?
These trousers are nice,…?
Don’t do that again, ...?
Rachel is your sister,…?
Bring me the paper,….?
Let’s listen to this song, ...?

Task 2. Translate.

Maria dances well, doesn't she?
This coat is not very warm, is it?
Don't be silly, okay?
You're cold, aren't you?
Your kids can sing, right?
Peter has never been to Italy, has he?
Let's sit by the window, okay?
We're happy, aren't we?

Answer 1.

has he?
can you? / could you?
aren’t they?
isn’t it?
will she?
are they?
will you?
isn’t she?
can you? / could you?
shall we?

Answer 2.

Maria dances well, doesn’t she?
This coat isn’t very warm, is it?
Don’t be silly, will you?
You feel chilly, don’t you?
Your children can sing, can’t they?
Peter has never been to Italy, has he?
Let’s sit at the window, shall we?
We are happy, aren't we?

Many of us from school know that there are different types of interrogative sentences: general, special, alternative, to the subject, separating. Separating questions are ordinary sentences, but with a special "tail". The tail corresponds to the Russian "isn't it?", "Yes?", "True", "huh?" ...:

e.g. Good weather, is not it?
Do you love me, but?

If the sentence is negative, then the tail is "with a plus", if it is affirmative, then "with a minus". The question ending includes an auxiliary verb and a personal pronoun. The pronoun corresponds to the subject from the first part of the question, and the subject is not necessarily expressed by a pronoun.

e.g. She plays the piano, doesn "t she?
Jack isn "t going to buy a car, is he?

It would seem that everything is simple and logical, but there are some subtleties here that are worth paying attention to.

As you have already noticed, there are only abbreviated forms in negative ponytails. But what then about the verb to be (Present Simple), if it is in the first person singular? There is no shorthand for am + not. The British got out of this situation with the help of a small legalized violation of grammar:

e.g. I am late, aren "t I?

But what kind of tail to attribute to a sentence in which there is a phrase Let`s? In fact, there is nothing difficult here. You just need to think logically. Let`s is an abbreviated form of Let us; us is derived from we. Consequently:

e.g. Let "s go to the cinema, shall we?

Note that the tail is NOT negative here.

Do not forget that if in the first part of the question there are words such as: no, neither, no one, nobody, nothing, then, since they carry a negative component, the tail will be an ordinary interrogative.

e.g. No money is left, is it?
Nothing has changed, has it?

It is also believed that even such words: scarcely, barely, hardly, hardly ever, seldom also have a negative component.

e.g. He hardly ever reads books, does he?
Your wife seldom swears, does she?

Interesting thing - words anyone, anybody, nobody, no one, neither always have a third person singular. BUT in the tail of the dividing question, they will be replaced by a personal pronoun they!

e.g. I don "t think anyone will object, will they?
Neither of our friends complained, did they?

With the help of the same tails, if you use them separately, you can ask again. This questioning will be approximately equal to "Really?" Only in this case, if the phrase is affirmative, then the end of the question will also be an ordinary interrogative, and vice versa.

e.g. - I am doing a karate course at the moment. - Are you?
- He didn "t take your money. - Didn "t he?

It is from the knowledge of the intricacies of such seemingly familiar things that real knowledge of the language develops! All the power is in the little things!