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Ter Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Question Tag
There is a book, isn't there?
That is a book, isn't that / isn't it?
Why is the second answer, isn't it and not isn't that?
thanks for the help.
That is a book, isn't that / isn't it?
Why is the second answer, isn't it and not isn't that?
thanks for the help.
Top answer
Because demonstratives aren't used in tags; they take the same tags as 'be' because they refer to some noun. In your first sentence, 'there' is existential—it has no locational meaning but simply marks the space of the real subject, 'book', and is repeated in the tag. That [blue thing] is a book, isn't it?
- Because demonstratives aren't used in tags; they take the same tags as 'be' because they refer to some noun.
- In your first sentence, 'there' is existential—it has no locational meaning but simply marks the space of the real subject, 'book', and is repeated in the tag.
- That [blue thing] is a book, isn't it?
- This [blue thing] is a book, isn't it?
- War & Peace is a book, isn't it?
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1 Answers
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Because demonstratives aren't used in tags; they take the same tags as 'be' because they refer to some noun. In your first sentence, 'there' is existential—it has no locational meaning but simply marks the space of the real subject, 'book', and is repeated in the tag.
That [blue thing] is a book, isn't it?
This [blue thing] is a book, isn't it?
War & Peace is a book, isn't
That [blue thing] is a book, isn't it?
This [blue thing] is a book, isn't it?
War & Peace is a book, isn't
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