tags

  • Tag questions are attached to clauses that are not interrogatives.
  • A rise in pitch invites the hearer to decide if the preceding proposition is true. A fall invites the hearer to agree.

‘SO’ (end of the sentence)

I don’t quite trust the CEFR level Pearson gives to the following grammar construct. GSE 58 B1+ is defined: ‘so’ in sentence-final positions as a placeholder (substitute) for verbs and verb phrases. It was too expensive. – I told you so. John is from Seattle. – I thought so.   ‘So’ has many possible meanings and uses near the end of sentences.  When we look at the English …

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negative question

Negative questions usually show the speaker’s expectation that the response should be positive. In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 12 in the category of NEGATION is defined as: negative question forms in main clauses and question tags. This is such a general point that overlaps and clashes against so many other points in the …

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right?

Point 16 in the category of QUESTIONS is defined as: ‘RIGHT’ AS AN INFORMAL TAG in informal contexts. A search in iWeb for: * * , right ? 1 I KNOW , RIGHT ? 1260 2 MAKES SENSE , RIGHT ? 866 3 PRETTY COOL , RIGHT ? 735   National Law Review New Jersey …

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Don’t you think ? | Haven’t you heard ?

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 17 in the category of  QUESTIONS is defined as: auxiliary ‘do’ and ‘have’ + ‘n’t’ + subject + main verb to form negative ‘yes/no’ questions. This overlaps point 24 in the category of PRESENT/simple: NEGATIVE TAG QUESTIONS ‘don’t you think’ or ‘don’t you agree’ to look for agreement …

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