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Healer Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

Do people use question tags?

I hardly hear people use question tags, whether they are native English speaking people or not. Are they still in use? Sometimes I find that using them sounds somewhat theatrical. In some circumstances I find using the question tags exactly as the grammar dictates sounds somewhat unnatural. I would rather say for example, "You will go there, will you?" than "You will go there, won't you?"

I would like to hear some comments. Thanks!
  

Top answer

Hi, healer Are they still in use? Yes. And they are here to stay, aren't they?

  • Hi, healer Are they still in use?
  • Yes.
  • And they are here to stay, aren't they?
  • Regards
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6 Answers
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Hi,
healerAre they still in use?
Yes. And they are here to stay, aren't they?

Regards
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Then is it all right to say "You went there, did you?" to confirm my thinking when I sense that the hearer did go there. I often feel that saying "You went there, didn't you?" has a connotation of instinctively feeling his or her having not gone there.
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In the affirmative they can have hidden meaning with a certain tone of voice, for example:

You will do xyz, will you? - Can almost sound like a challenge, like "no you won't!"

You did xyz, did you? - Could sound judgmental.

The negative is the correct form for general use. It doesn't suggest a negative answer.
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Thanks! That's what I like to hear. Of course I only want to hear correct things.
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healerI hardly hear people use question tags, whether they are native English speaking people or not.
Strange. I hear them.
healerAre they still in use?
Yes.
healerSometimes I find that using them sounds somewhat theatrical.
There's nothing theatrical about them unless you're talking abou
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Thanks for your input too. Perhaps I need to hear more of those to get used to the way meant to be used.

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