Press "Enter" to skip to content

Question Tags! – Isn’t it / Shall I? / Have you? – Learn English Grammar


[Music]
replicate
[Music]
[Music]
smeet hi stranger
[Music]
rough day what’s up you didn’t see a guy
run through blond-haired adjure he’s a
replicant a replicant in a noodle shop
they’re allergic to noodles aren’t they
heads or brains or whatever explode
don’t they yes sure isn’t
let’s eat noodles shall we
seems like a good day for it you don’t
want noodles here do you Blade Runner
they’re older than you
I’ve even worse can’t be worse than this
meet Kenneth I’m a customer aren’t I you
know you’re more than just a customer
Blade Runner listen if you fell in love
with a replicant
you wouldn’t retire her would you fall
in love with a replicant you know if any
guys for you don’t you
but you couldn’t they kid you honestly I
don’t know I think you could kidnap
that’s the law
[Music]
so let’s imagine that you’ve just met
someone at a party you introduce
yourselves to each other
everything’s great but then after two
seconds what’s her name you think that
her name is fleep fleep could be her
name that sounds like a name so you’ll
want to check
I’m sorry your name is flabé very
commonly in English we use a thing
called question tags that means matching
the subjects and the verb in a question
form after a statement what do you mean
for example here the question tag is
isn’t it that verb is present tense so
we’ll match it in the question tag when
the verbs positive changed negative if
it was negative we change to positive
and the subject of the sentence is your
name
what’s the pronoun for your name it
so the question tag isn’t it intonation
is very important in this example I was
not sure at all about her name and I
show that I’m not sure with my
intonation ah
your name’s fleep isn’t it notice that
rising intonation a use of rising
intonation when I want to show that I’m
not sure about my statement and I want
to check if it’s true follow with me
we’ll do it together
your name’s fleep isn’t it so if a
rising intonation is for I’m not sure
please tell me what do you think a
falling intonation is for Oh your name’s
not fleep your name is Brittany isn’t it
this time I’m very short but I still
want her to confirm my statement let’s
do it together
Oh your name’s Brittany isn’t it cat
become a cat rising intonation I’m not
sure a falling intonation I’m sure I see
this mistake a lot is your name fleep
isn’t it you have two questions there so
that’s not correct a question tag
confirms a statement so your name is
flea byzant it that’s fine I’m making my
statement and I’m checking if it’s true
your best friend has turned into a
zombie but you can’t remember do they
have do some bees have brains I can’t
remember
you’ll make a statement I think you
don’t have brains
okay work with me on this one what’s the
subject we need to match the subject the
subject of this is you what’s the verb
that’s here and it’s in a negative
people tend to use isn’t it for
everything
be very careful don’t do that like here
the verb is do don’t in the negative so
we’ll change the polarity will keep the
tense do okay let’s work on the
intonation I don’t know you you don’t
have brains but I want to check which
intonation should I use rising or
falling of course rising because I’m not
sure you don’t have brains do you say it
with me let’s practice you don’t have
brains do you your turn
if you are sure of this you want to say
ah now it’s you’re fine I know you don’t
have brains falling intonation you don’t
have brains do you British people
especially use tag questions a lot maybe
for confirmation as you just saw but
also to be polite in British culture
it’s considered kind of rude to assume
directly that you are correct
so tag questions are a great way of
being a bit indirect for example
is there a toilet around here no that’s
way too direct what do you want this
person to hate you forever No
so you can make this question seemed a
lot more polite by changing the words of
making it a tag question there’s not a
toilet near here is there notice I use
the intonation that shows I’m not sure a
rising intonation and more importantly I
assumed and negative why a negative well
because if there isn’t a toilet
they haven’t disappointed you I don’t
know it’s weird but if there is a toilet
near here that person can feel good
about their day and say dude yes is
actually a toilet right there
have fun I did a good thing today I feel
good I know that’s weird
but 90% of British culture is talking in
a polite way to people the other 10% T
if you’re usually in a social situation
and you don’t know what to say next well
question tags are great for conversation
and small talk you’re waiting for your
bus you see this person every day but
you’re in England and you’re awkward now
what can you say to this person that
you’ve never met
do you like stuff of course no the most
common example of question tags for
small talk is this one
so you could say nice day isn’t it be
careful though when in England any
conversations which aren’t about the
weather are illegal what’s missing from
this sentence we match the subject it
and that verb is is present tense and
it’s positive in the question tag it’s
negative in present tense
remember keep the tense change the
polarity I use the falling intonation
isn’t it
we the sun is shining it’s warm it is a
nice day but it’s not about whether I’m
right it’s about getting the agreement
from you if they agree with you you have
something in common
this is how is this how we make friends
in England whoa so if she says
yep
I made a new friend today there’s
another reason for using that falling
intonation maybe to check for
understanding from you
for example that’s present tense isn’t
it by asking the question in a question
tag I just want to know that you
understand by confirming by agreeing
with me so I asked that question tagged
with a falling intonation let’s test
your knowledge and therefore my teaching
skills
tonight’s my birthday party and you are
coming I’m not really sure how all my
intonation be and what’s the question
tag say out loud aren’t you
what’s the intonation I’m not sure you
are coming on you and if you are sure
how is the intonation let’s do it
together oh it’s my birthday tonight
you’re coming aren’t you
she is sure that he stole her money
what will the question tag be have a
look at the subject and the verb think
about the intonation as well of course
it’s you this verb is positive and it’s
in the past we change it to a negative
past tense verb you stole my money
didn’t you falling intonation didn’t you
is the question tag
this poor man is naked he’s looking for
his jeans maybe his friend saw them
remembering that we don’t want to assume
something so we’ll say it in a negative
way
you haven’t seen my jeans what’s the
question tag
ready of course you would never assume
that they have done the thing you
haven’t seen my jeans have you
you’ll always love me again I’m not sure
about this so what’s my intonation this
or this
the subject is will how do we change it
we just change the polarity won’t you’ll
always love me won’t you rising because
he’s not sure this is where question
tags go a little bit strange how about
this sentence you know it’s 5 o’clock
that’s finished for today shall we
I said let’s for the suggestion my
question tag was shall shall we
so know that shall matches with let’s be
careful using this one it’s not super
common it’s more of a rhetorical
question I assume we’re all in agreement
at this suggestion so I don’t expect an
answer if you do expect an answer from a
suggestion like let’s go to the cinema
shall we then don’t use that question
tag shall we another way you can use
question tags is this you’re at a
restaurant
it’s the end of a meal and the bill
comes and everyone is like and there’s
just you looking at the bill
really really
what’s the question tag for this we
didn’t change a positive to negative
no we replaced will with shell we’re
kind of offering to do it but in a
certain way I’ll pay the bill shall I
that way of saying it with that
intonation you’re expressing your
disbelief I can’t believe you expect me
to do all of this and you to do nothing
that kind of way or if you live with
someone who’s very lazy they never tidy
never clean you might say oh I’ll do all
of the work shall i and continuing this
kind of confrontational way of using
question tags
when you’re playing xbox on the couch
all day you haven’t got dressed or
showered and your friend comes in and
says so lazy you can be confrontational
with a question tag like this
oh I’m lazy what’s the question tag here
am i in a confrontational way using a
question tag you won’t change the
polarity that’s positive and that’s
positive
oh I’m lazy Am I see the way I’m asking
that and being confrontational
bad boyfriend oh you love me in this
confrontational wait if that’s positive
we don’t change the polarity oh you love
me do you
you want to express this belief at a
negative how do we do that
can’t live without me can you positives
you keep as positives negatives you
change to positives oh you love me do
you can’t live without me can you per
the subjects I in question tags can be
quite strange look at this example
so obviously the whole sentence is I am
handsome he’s very sure
so he’ll use that falling intonation
that’s not the focus though the focus is
on how does this change in a question
tag when the statement is I am blah blah
blah you know that you should change the
polarity to a negative we’re not being
confrontational just a normal question
tag so I’m not is the thing how do I
make I’m not into a question
handsome am I not but that sounds
extremely old-fashioned to say am I not
in modern English we wouldn’t say that
in modern English we would say aren’t I
handsome aren’t I
in summary that’s the old way of doing
it that’s the modern English way of
doing it try your own question tags in
the comments and I’ll reply to you
remember to subscribe hit the bell so
you’ll never miss a class again if you
want to support these lessons you can on
patreon right here and if you want to
see more lessons have a look at these
these are great
[Applause]
[Music]
Please follow and like us: