Responding with Yes/No

Question

Hello. A: So you don't like her?B: Yes, I like her.  C: No, I like her.  D: Yes, I do.  E: No, I don't.  I always thought 'yes' is followed by a positive statement and 'no' is followed by a negative one,   but I watched a character from an American TV show say C. Can C be a correct response?  What is the meaning when someone responses just 'Yes' or 'No' to the question A?  I have one more question.1. Still no luck with the problem?2. No, I cracked it.  3. No, still no luck.  4. Yes, still no luck.  Which of the replies are correct?  Thank you

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

A: So you don't like her?
B: Yes, I like her.
C: No, I like her.
D: Yes, I do.
E: No, I don't.

I always thought 'yes' is followed by a positive statement and 'no' is followed by a negative one,
but I watched a character from an American TV show say C. Can C be a correct response? Yes, it can.

Negative questions can be tricky.

Consider Mary: Do you love me? Tom: Yes. This is an easy question for Tom.

Compare Mary: Don't you love me? Tom: Uummmmmm, hmmmm. This is trickier for Tom to answer. In practice, he'd probably answer 'Yes, I do, I love you', rephrasing the matter in positive terms.

Very generally speaking, native speakers tend to avoid negative questions because they feel 'instinctively' that they can be confusing. When such a quesrtion is asked, often the speaker then asks for clarification or clarifies by avoiding a one-word response.

I have one more question.
1. Still no luck with the problem?
2. No, I cracked it.
3. No, still no luck.
4. Yes, still no luck.

Which of the replies are correct?

You'll hear people give all these responses. The phrase that follows 'yes/no' makes the meaning clear. Normally, the facial expression, tone of voice, etc. would aslo clarify.

eg Yes, still no luck. (jumps out of 10th floor window)

eg No, I cracked it (pulls bottle of champagne out of desk drawer)

[ You don't usually 'crack' a problem. ]

Best wishes, Clive

Responding with Yes/No

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