Read the following conversational situations. Express your attitude.

1. What are you doing in the bathroom? – What? (irony) I’m having a wash – what do you think?

2. – Why are you having a wash now? – Why? (irony) You know very well I always have a wash when I get home on Saturday, after football.

3. – Dad will miss his lunch if he doesn’t come home soon. Where is he? – Where? (irony) Don’t be silly, you know exactly where he is.

4. – Here, Peter, what are you doing with that cake? – What? Don’t be silly. (sarcasm)

5. – Nora, you look a bit tired. What have you been doing all day? – What? (reproach) I’ve been cleaning the whole house. I said I was going to.

6. – What is it now, Harry? – What? (reproach) I’m tired of lying here on my back wit nothing to do. I hate doing nothing.

7. – Robert, I want you to do something for me. – Why? (reproach) I’m busy – I’m doing my homework.

8. – Well, as a matter of fact the doctor wasn’t called until this morning. – Why not? (reproach)

9. – Oh, I expect we shall be seeing you sooner than that. – When? (admiration)

10. – How many beers do you have after the game of squash? – How many? (challenge)

Alternative Questions

In alternative questions consisting of two sense- groups only the sequence rise+fall is used, as a rule. The two facts expressed in such a question are mutually exclusive, the choice is limited and exhausted. For this reason the final sense-group is pronounced with the falling tone.

E.g. ˈ Is the ˈ mirror ̗ round ∣ or ˎ square?

Shall ̗ I look after the luggage ∣ or will ˎ you?

Exercise 1.

Read the following alternative questions. Concentrate your attention on the nuclear tones of both sense-groups.

1. Are the bedrooms on the ̗ ground floor ∣or on the ˎ first floor?

2. Is the furniture in his house modern or old?

3. Is it a large house or a small one?

4. Do you prefer tea or coffee?

5. Shall I go on or stop here?

6. Does the dress fit you or do you want a larger one?

Exercise 2.

Complete the following sentences using the words in brackets. Concentrate your attention on the nuclear tones of both sense-groups.

1. Do you usually have dinner at home or…? (at the canteen)

2. Do you get up at six …? (at seven)

3. Will you have clear soup…? (cabbage soup)

4. How do you like your tea strong…? (week)

5. Does she study French…? (English)

6. Do you usually have breakfast at eight…? (nine)

7. Do you usually sit up late…? (go to bed early)

8. Did it take you half an hour…? (a quarter of an hour to get there)

9. Did you lay the table for six…? (foe twelve persons)

10. Did you take your exam in English on the 10^th…? (on the 12^th of June)

11. Will you have black…? (white coffee)

Exercise 3.

Complete the questions using the words in brackets. Begin each sentence with a special question and complete it with an alternative one. Concentrate your attention on the intonation.

Model: The man selling fruit came in the morning. (the postman)

– Who came in the ˎ morning, ∣ the man selling ˏ fruit ∣ or the ˎ postman?

1. The dog disappeared while you were buying meat. (took him for a walk)

– When…

2. Robert will go to the University. (to a technical college)

– Where…

3. Robert is studying science. (history)

– What…

4. Robert has gone on to the station. (is packing his suit case in the sitting-room)

– Where…

5. The family will go to the dining car. (will be able to buy something to eat at the junction)

– Where…

6. The Woods are going to Brightshore. (to Spain)

– Where…

7. Harry thinks he had better get back to bed. (might stay up to see his mother-in-law)

– What does Harry prefer…

8. Nora wants Robert to make up the stove for her to have a bath. (to go for awalk with Rex)

– What…

9. Harry is going to relight the stove. (Robert)

– Who…

10. The doctor was sent for last night. (thus morning)

– When…

11. Jack is going to book four seats for next Saturday. (Mike)

– Who…

12. Joyce’s bus arrives at ten past six. (at six)

– When…

13. When Peter Parker finished his university studies, he began teaching in a secondary school. (began teaching adults)

– What did Peter Parker begin…

14. Peter Parker found he was more interested in teaching his own language to foreigners. (foreign languages to schoolboys)

– What was Peter interested in…

15. First Peter went to Africa for two years. (Arabia)

– Where…

16. Mike is looking for the red tie he bought in London a couple of weeks ago. (the black one he wore to the college party)

– What…

17. Malcolm is sitting someexaminations this month. (Jack)

– Who…

18. James is keen on games. (interested in history)

– What…

19. Tennis is James’ favourite sport. (football)

– Which…

20. Pete failed in Latin. (mathematics)

– What subject…

21. The police arrived to the place of the road accident first. (ambulance)

– Who…

22. Young Patrick Ellis drives madly. (carefully)

– How…

23. Felix plays golf. (squash)

– Which game…

24. Charles had hisfirstswim in his new pool this morning. (yesterday)

– When…

25. Charles’ new swimming-pool is 25 feet long. (50 feet long)

– How long…

26. Charles is holding a swimming party on Sunday. (on Friday)

– When…

Tag Questions

I. Balanced Tag Questions (the Basic Structure):

1) Tags with the low rise

2) Tags with the low fall

II. Unbalanced Tag Questions:

1) Positive-to-positive tag questions

2) Negative-to-negative tag questions

III. Other Structures Possible in English

 

Tag (disjunctive) questions are used to verify or check information that we think is true or to check information that we aren’t sure is true. English tag questions can have a rising or a falling intonation pattern.

We show the meaning of the tag question through intonation.

I

Balanced Tag Questions (The Basic Structure)

Tags with the low rise

A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a mini question. The whole sentence is a “tag question” and the mini question at the end is called “a question tag”.

As a rule, the English rising pattern is used when some sort of response is required. These tags make a grammatical statement into a real question. When you want an answer, are asking for information or want someone to do something you use the low rise.

E.g. You are ˈcoming to the ˎparty, │̗ aren’t you?

 

Exercise 1.

Read the following conversational situations; use the low rise in the tags. An answer is expected.

Model: It’s ˎhorrid, │̗̗isn’t it?

 

1. – What’s happened to Mabel? - She wasn’t invited, was she?

2. – I’ve just been talking to Mary. – She wasn’t very helpful, was she?

3. - No, I didn’t go to the cinema with them. – You’d seen the film already, hadn’t you?

4. - Whose turn is it? – Mine, isn’t it?

5. – Peggy wants to stay at home. – That doesn’t matter, does it?

6. – Oh, all right. I’ll get it for you. – You don’t mind, do you?

7. - Why’ve you brought me that spoon? – It’s the one you asked for, isn’t it?

8. – Oh, do let’s go out of here. – You’re surely not frightened, are you?

9. – I may be late tonight. – But you’ll be home in time for dinner, won’t you?

10. – Send that wretched boy to me at once. - You are not going to be hard on him, are you?

11. - Hallo, Jean. You are early. – I’m not too early, am I?

Exercise 2.

Go on reading the situations, use the low rise, and pay attention to the special structure of the tag questions.

1. I’ m late, aren’t I? – No, you are the first to come.

2. I’ m clever, aren’t I? – Sure, the idea is perfect!

3. I’ m not that bad, am I? – Oh my dear chap, you are the best in the class.

4. You’ve never liked me, have you? – What makes you think so?

5. Nobody asked for me, did they? – They did. There were several calls in the morning.

6. Nobody knows, do they? - That’s right; you can go on with your investigation.

7. Nobody is perfect, are they? – That’s the universal truth.

8. Nothing came in the post, did it? – Pity, we’ll have to wait.

9. Nothing bad happened, did it? – I hope not.

10. Everybody is present, aren’t they? – The room is full.

11. He hardly survived, did he? – I should say it was a narrow escape.

12. I’m hardly aiming at getting into the Olympic team, am I? – Who knows.

13. That is scarcely possible, is it? – Let me think about it.

14. It seldom rains here in winter, does it? – I’ve never been here in winter.

15. You used to dance, didn’t you? – Yes, when I was younger but not very often now, I’m getting too old.

16. You do like coffee, don’t you? – Oh I enjoy a cup of coffee on a warm moonlit night.

17. We mustn’t tell her, must we? – Let me think it over.

18. He shouldn’t drive so fast, should he? – He always drives madly. What wild things young men are these days!

19. You have a Ferrari, don’t you? - Yes, I bought it last month.

20. I think he has the book you need, doesn’t he? – I hope he has it.

21. He is unlikely to come here, is he? – I hear he is abroad now.

Notice that we often use tag questions to ask for information or help, starting with a negative statement. This is quite a friendly polite way of making a request.

 

E.g. instead of saying “ Where is the police station? ” (not very polite),

or “Do you know where the police station is?” (slightly more polite),

we could say: “You wouldn’t know where the police station is, would you?”

Exercise 3.