1 Listen to three conversations where people meet for the first time. Which do you think is the best question they use to keep a conversation going?
Suggested answers
The best questions are question tags such as isn’t it?/don’t you?,
and also echo questions such as Is it?
2 Think of three more questions you could ask to get to know someone better.
Students’ own answers
Question tag & Echo tag
GRAMMAR: Question tags and echo questions الأسئلة المذيلة واسئلة الصدى
A question tag: is a short question added to the end of a sentence.
It is formed using do / does / did (in simple tenses) or the auxiliary + a pronoun.
A positive statement usually has a negative question tag and a negative statement has a positive question tag.
• هذا النوع من الأسئلة يطلق عليه الأسئلة المذيلة وتأتي بمعنى " أليس كذلك؟"، باللغة العربية. والسؤال المذيل مختصر يتبع جملة خبرية تسبقه وهذا السؤال عادة ما يخالف الجملة من حيث الاثبات او النفي. • السؤال المذيل يأتي في نهاية الجملة مسبوق بفاصلة ومتبوع بعلامة سؤال ويتكون من فعل مساعد متبوع بضمير وليس اسم
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1. في حالة وجود فعل مساعد من أفعال (Be / Do /Have / Modal)
نقلب الفعل مع الفاعل، ثم ننفي الاثبات أو نثبت النفي، ويجب استبدال الاسم بضمير.
- الانتباه لوجود never في الجملة لانها تفيد النفي، فاذا وجدت في الجملة يكون السؤال المذيل ثابتًا
- الانتباه اللى الاسم في بداية الجملة، اذا كان جمع او مفرد او اسم معدود أو غير معدود أو جملة اسمية
- الانتباه للاختصارات وخاصة ('S/'d)
Examples:
1. Asian people don't like rice, do they?
2. The earth is bigger than the moon, isn't it?
3. Well, I couldn't help it, could I?
4. You won't be late, will you?
5. You haven't got $10 to lend me, have you?
6. After the accident he couldn't use his hands, could he?
7. My father has never surfed the internet, has he?
8. Ali and Khalid didn't go to the party, did they?
9. Early speech recognition software didn't translate, did it?
10. You’ve got all the documents, haven't you?
11. He's still sleeping, isn't he?
12. Tamara's done her work in a perfect way, hasn't she?
13. She'd written the letter, hadn't she?
2. في حالة عدم وجود فعل مساعد نستخدم don't / doesn't / didn’t
اذا لم يكم في الجملة فعل مساعد، ننظر الى الفعل الرئيسي، فاذا كان تصريف أول نضغ don't واذا كان يحتوي على s-es نضع doesn’t، واذا كان تصريف ثاني نضع didn’t
1. The moon goes around the earth, doesn't it?
2. Elephants live in Europe, don't they?
3. She brought her camera, didn’t she ?
- وكذلك الأمر اذا جاء (has / had /have) بدون ان تتبع بتصريف ثالث لا تعتبر فعل مساعد بل فعل تام
1. He has a car, doesn't he?
2. I have enough time, ................
3. She had two cars, ...............?
- وكذلك الأمر اذا جاء (has to / had to /have to) بدون ان تتبع بتصريف ثالث لا تعتبر فعل مساعد بل فعل تام
1. I have to travel to Egypt, don't I?
2. Laila has to put the envelop on the desk, doesn't she?
- اذا جاءت (has / had /have) متبوع بتصريف ثالث تعتبر فعل مساعد وغير ذلك تعامل انها فعل تام
I had a good dinner, didn't I? → had فعل أساسي هنا
I had seen this film before, hadn't I? → had فعل مساعد هنا متبوعة بتصريف ثالث
ملاحظة مهمة: تعتبر إجابة خاطئة إذا لم يتم اختصار الفعل المساعد في حالة النفي They play tennis every day, do not they? |
عندما تأتي الكلمات الاتية في جملة فانها تعتبر منفية أساسا: (never - scarcely - seldom - hardly - barely — rarely - Nothing) He rarely plays football, does he? I could hardly maintain a diet, could I? |
• إذا بدات الجملة ب Anyone - Everyone - Someone - No one / body نستبدلها بالضمير they • Something should be done, shouldn't it? • الجمل التي تبدأ ب Nobody/ Nothing تكون منفية، لذا فان السؤال الذيلي يجب أن يكون مثبت • عند وجود I’d مع better تفكك الى I had better • He'd better do it, hadn't he? • عند وجود I’d مع ratherتفكك الى I would rather |
3. الشواذ (الحالات الاستثنائية التي يجب حفظها)
• لا يجوز ان ننفي الجملة ب amn't لانها لا تختصر
1. I am drinking a juice, aren't I?
• يجوز استخدام am I كصيغة اثبات ل I am not
2. I am not reading a book, am I?
2. She usually comes in late, doesn’t she? | 1. You don’t understand, do you? |
4. They went to school, didn’t they? | 3. You are coming to the party, aren’t you? |
6. She had a break, didn’t she? | 5. They haven’t been to London yet, have they? |
8. This is an amazing house, isn’t it? | 7. We had met them before, hadn’t we? |
10. Those are Martha’s guests, aren’t they? | 9. Nothing has happened so far, has it? |
12. Let’s go to the cinema, shall we? | 11. I can email my CV, can’t I? |
14. I’m still employed, aren’t 1? | 13. Someone has bumped into your car, haven’t they? |
15. Nobody came to the presentation, did they? |
اذا بدات الجملة بـ Let us (Let’s) يكون السؤال المذيل shall we
3. Let’s go home now, shall we?
اذا بدات الجملة بـ Let me يكون السؤال المذيل shall I
4. Let me do this work, shall I?
اذا بدات الجملة بفعل أمر مثبت او منفي نستخدم السؤال المذيل will you
5. Don't play that CD, will you?
Question tags can also be used for:
1. Requests:
• Buy me the newspaper, could you?
• You'll cook the dinner today, won’t you?
2. Invitations: Come to visit us next summer, won't you?
3. Commands:
• Write it down, will you?
• Don’t make a mess, will you?
4. Question tags are also used in echo questions.
The main use of such questions is (to show interest or express surprise and make a conversation go smoothly)
A: I used to live in Moscow.
B: Did you? I bet is was amazing!
- We use tag questions at the end of statements fo ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in English.
Look at the underlined examples of question tags from the dialogues. Then complete the sentences 1-4 below with the words in the box. |
negative | End | Positive | Modal |
• It’s such a great city, isn’t it?
• Wow, so you’d never been there before, had you?
• I shouldn’t be so fussy, should I?
1. A question tag is a short question added to the end of a sentence.
2. We form a question tag using an auxiliary or a modal verb and a pronoun.
3. A positive statement usually has a negative question tag.
4. A negative statement usually has a positive question tag.
Look at these more unusual question tags. Choose the correct words to complete the sentences. Listen and check. |
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• Ought to عند اختصارها مع النفي تصبح oughtn’t وتحذف to
We can rephrase questions starting Shall I...? to use a question tag. This makes it more emphatic. Shall I help you with your homework? I'll help you with your homework, shall I? |
• بعض الأسئلة تحتاج التفكير بعمق قبل الاجابة:
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Echo questions |
Rising inonation في المحادثات الواقعية، عندما تريد أن تعبر عن الدهشة، أو عندما لا تفهم ما قيل، أو حتى للتحقق مما إذا كنت قد سمعت بشكل صحيح، قد تكرر ما قاله الشخص. في هذه الحالة، ستتجه نبرتك إلى الارتفاع تلقائيّا.
I am not getting married anymore!
سؤال الصدى: هو نوع من الأسئلة المباشرة التي تكرر جزءًا أو كل شيء مما قاله شخص آخر لك للتو. عادةً ما نستخدم سؤال الصدى لأننا لم نسمع أو نفهم ما قالوه أو لأننا مندهشون مما قاله المتحدث ولا نستطيع تصديقه. |
3 Look at the underlined examples of question tags from the dialogues. Then complete the sentences 1−4 below with the words in the box.
end modal negative positive |
It’s such a great city, isn’t it? Wow, so you’d never been there before, had you?
I shouldn’t be so fussy, should I?
1 A question tag is a short question added to the end of a sentence.
2 We form a question tag using an auxiliary or a modal verb and a pronoun.
3 A positive statement usually has a negative question tag.
4 A negative statement usually has a positive question tag.
4 PRONUNCIATIONS Listen and match what you hear with intonation pattern A or B below. Which pattern is used for a wh- question and which for confirming something the speaker already knows?
The intonation used on the question tag shows the speaker’s attitude to their question. Falling intonation (pattern B) on the question tag gives the impression that the statement is correct: the speaker is checking or confi rming what they know. Rising intonation (pattern A) on the tag indicates a genuine question.
5 Look at these more unusual question tags. Choose the correct words to complete the sentences. Listen and check.
1 This is silly, isn’t it / this?
2 Nothing ever changes, do / does it?
3 Come and look at this, will / don’t you?
4 Everyone was there, weren’t / wasn’t they?
5 Don’t be late, are / will you?
6 No one likes him, do / does they?
6 In pairs, look at the echo question in italics. Then answer questions 1−3 below.
Habib Actually, it’s my birthday tomorrow.
Faisal Is it? Do you have anything special planned?
1 What is the function of an echo question?
to show interest or show that we’re listening
2 Do we use a positive or a negative question to reply to a positive statement?
We use a positive question to reply to a positive statement.
3 Which intonation pattern from Exercise 4 do we use with an echo question: A or B?
A
7 Complete the conversation with no more than three words in each gap. Listen and check your answers.
Imad Where would you go on holiday if you could go anywhere in the world?
Jamal 1 That’s a good question, isn’t it? I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about it before. Hmm … Somewhere with nice beaches, I guess.
Imad But 2 there are lovely beaches in this country, aren’t there?
Jamal Oh yes, there are, but I’d like to go to a beach where it’s not too hot in the summer. It can be too hot here, 3 can’t it?
Imad Actually, I used to live in France. Jamal 4 Did you? I bet 5it wasn’t too hot there in the summer, was it? Imad No, it was quite cool, actually.
Jamal That sounds great.
8 SPEAKING In pairs, write and role play a conversation. Go to page 94.
student own answers