A study on the structural and semantic features of tag questions with reference to vietnamese equivalents based on the bilingual play “ an ideal husband’

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

M.A Thesis

A STUDY ON THE STRUCTURAL AND SEMANTIC
FEATURES OF TAG QUESTIONS WITH REFERENCE TO
VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS BASED ON THE
BILINGUAL PLAY “AN IEAL HUSBAND”

(ĐẶC ĐIỂM CẤU TRÚC VÀ NGỮ NGHĨA CỦA CÂU HỎI CĨ ĐI TRONG TIẾNG
ANH VÀ NHỮNG TƯƠNG ĐƯƠNG TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT DỰA TRÊN TÁC PHẨM
SONG NGỮ „MỘT NGƯỜI CHỒNG LÝ TƯỞNG‟)

ĐÀO THỊ VÂN NGA

Field: English Language
Code: 8220201
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr.Phan Văn Quế

Hanoi, 2018


CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
I, the undersigned, herby certify my authority of the study project report entitle ―A
study on the structural and semantic features of Tag – question with reference to
Vietnamese equivalents based on the bilingual play ― an ideal husband‖ submitted
in partial fufillment of the requirements

for the degree of Master in English

Language. Except where the reference is indicated, no other person‘s work has been
used without due acknowlwdgement in the text of the thesis
Hanoi, 2018
Student’s Signature

Đào Thị Vân Nga

Approved by
SUPERVISOR

( Signature and full name)
Date:.....................................


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful to my family for their support, understanding, and love.
Without your sacrifices throughout these arduous years at Hanoi Open University, I
would not have had the courage to accomplish this study. Thank you so much.
The efforts, guidance, and support of my supervisor were immensely helpful
and encouraging. And Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan Văn Quế was tireless, brave, and
thorough to help me. I acknowledge the work and the lectures of lecturers at Hanoi
Open University. Through your constructive criticisms, excellent methodological
reviews, and insistence on the rubric, these distinguished university members
influenced the quality of this graduation thesis positively.
My appreciation goes to reviewers/inspectors for their excellent works on
editing and ensuring that this work met the standard of Hanoi Open University.


ABSTRACT
The features of tag questions have been one of the big concerns for learners

of linguistics as well as the researchers especially translators who are interested in
masterpieces such as ― An ideal husband‖ by Oscar Wilder. it can be seen that
many studies have been conducted in English and Vietnamese questions in general,
ad tag question in particular. Questions are analyzed in those studies mostly in term
of semantic and pragmatic features. These works have brought about an overview of
tag question in English. Generally, they presented linguistic features of tag
questions- their structure and functions. However, the number of comparative
studies which investigate the similarities and differences in terms of tag questions
between English and Vietnamese are limited. As a result, the current study is carried
out with the aim to compare and contrast tag question in English and Vietnamese
equivalent expression in a translated version of a very famous novel “An ideal
husband” by Oscar Wilder. When finished, this research can serve as a contribution
to bilingual studies especially ones related to language comparison or translation,
thus leading to learners‘ proper comprehension and usage of tag questions.


TABLE OF CONTENT




CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale of the study
Without a shadow of a doubt, communication is at the heart of our everyday lives. The
purpose of verbal communication is to establish and maintain our relationship with
other people, to express our feeling, attitudes and judgments, and to understand what
other people think. Conversations also enable us to take role on asking and answering
questions to achieve the communicational goals.
Tag questions - one of the most important English sentence patterns of speech- plays
such a crucial role in English speakers‘ communications. It mainly consists of

declarative sentence plus tag question. The declarative sentence is used to put forward
a view of speaker, whilst the tag question indicates the necessity to identify the
previously mentioned statement. Learning and understanding tag question enable
learners understand more about this special structure, thus enhancing language users‘
ability to translate tag questions into Vietnamese and vice versa.
Although tag questions represent multi-functionality and a diversity of meaning,
throughout the almost ten-year process of working as an English teacher, I myself
realize that the majority of students do not obtain the relatively full understanding of
the use and usefulness of this question type. In addition, they also are not able to
translate and use it properly, which results in inaccurate translation in certain
situations. Moreover, the comparative analysis of tag questions between English and
Vietnamese is approximately limited. All those above-mentioned reasons have created
the motivation for me to carry out the current thesis on Tag questions in English and
equivalents in Vietnamese. I hope that this research can serve as a contribution to
bilingual studies especially ones related to language comparison or translation, thus
leading to learners‘ proper comprehension and usage of tag questions.

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1.2. Aims and objectives of the study
The study is conducted to understand about the structural and semantic features of
English tag questions, thus compare and contrast tag questions in English and
Vietnamese equivalent expressions in a translated version of a very famous novel ―An
ideal husband‖ by Oscar Wilder. The findings of the study, to some extent, help the
teachers and the learners have better ways to teach and learn English literature through
understanding about English tag questions and the way to translate them into
Vietnamese.
In order to achieve the aims, the study is expected to reach the following objectives:
 Proving an exhaustive description of English tag questions and Vietnamese

equivalents in terms of structures and meanings.
 Identifying the similarities and differences between tag questions in English and
Vietnamese equivalent expressions in the Vietnamese translation version of The
ideal husband by Oscar Wilder
1.3 Research methods
The present study involves a descriptive, comparative and contrastive analysis of
English tag questions and Vietnamese equivalent expressions. English is the
instrumental language employed in the thesis to identify the similarities and differences
between tag questions between these two languages.
The study has been conducted using the following procedures:
 Data collection
A number of materials on mood, modality, and tag questions in English are
investigated in order to build up a theoretical framework for the present thesis.
 Data analysis
Using this theoretical framework as a solid base, a generalization and systematizations
of the relationship between various forms and functions of English tag question is
under investigation.
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 Contrastive analysis
On the basis of author‘s personal experience and knowledge, Vietnamese equivalent
expressions in the translation work are determined using English as the instrumental
language. Similarities and differences between tag questions in English and
Vietnamese equivalent expressions are subsequently identified.
1.4 Research questions
The objectives of the study can be elaborated into these research questions:
i.

What are the structural and semantic features of English tag questions

and their
equivalents in Vietnamese?

ii.

What is the usage of tag questions in the bilingual play ‗An Ideal
Husband by Oscar Wilder?

1.5 Scope of the study
The main focus of the study is a contrastive analysis between English tag questions and
their Vietnamese equivalent in the light of systemic functional grammar. The study is
conducted between the conceptual frameworks of interpersonal metafiction theory,
analyzing compositional features in Vietnamese version of An ideal husband by Oscar
Wilder. Oscar Wilder began to write An Ideal Husband in the summer of 1893, he
completed it later that winter. At the time of when it was written, he was familiarized
to success, and in writing this play he wanted to guarantee himself to stay in the public
eye.
An ideal husband is one of the most serious social comedies that Oscar Wilde
published; it contains bold political tinges, ironically and pessimistically looking at the
current political background. To make the most of comparison in terms of tag
questions between two languages, a version of Vietnamese translation ‗Một người
chồng lý tưởng’ by Hoang Nguyen published by World Publisher in 1998 was chosen
for this study because it has been the only one version which can be found in Vietnam.
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1.6 Design of the study
The thesis is divided into 5 main chapters as follows:
Chapter 1 is the Introduction of the study. It includes the rationale for choosing the
topic, the aims, scope, research questions and design of the study.

Chapter 2 provides theoretical backgrounds for the study. In this chapter, different
types of questions in English are stated. In addition, the author mentions features of
English tag questions in terms of syntactic and semantic features. It also reveals an
exploration of the relationship between the grammatical constructions, interactional
functions and meanings of English tag questions. In this chapter, different types of tag
questions are analyzed with respect to their form, function and meaning.
Chapter 3 Methodology includes the research design, the samples of the collected tag
questions, research procedure including data collection and data analysis, instrument
for analysis and the reliability validity of the thesis.
Chapter 4: Findings and discussion is devoted to the description of the Vietnamese
equivalent expressions in the translated version of An ideal husband by Oscar Wilder
to those expounded for English tag questions in previous part.
Chapter 5 is the concluding remarks together with the suggestions for further study.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Previous studies
Scholars summing up research on question tags, such as McGregor (1995: 91)
or Nässlin (1984: 11) state that tags originally became subject of research mainly in
connection with various grammatical theories, serving as evidence for or against
different theories or concepts. Later receiving interest from sociolinguistics, attention
was devoted mainly to gender differences in usage of question tags (Dubois, Crouch
1975). Regarding more specific context in which the question tags are studied or
encountered, as a phenomenon particular to English they are an issue in English
language teaching, as well as in connection with regional variants of English and
bi/multilingual environment where English coexists and blends with (an)other
language(s) (Cheng, Warren 2001; Klintborg, Staffan 1996). The pragmatic aspects of
question tags play a role in professional communication of various fields, such as law

or health care (Rigney 1999; Roter, Hall, and Aoki 2002).
At present, corpus-based research has been carried out, making use of both
spoken and written corpora (Nässlin 1984; Tottie and Hoffmann 2006; Kimps 2007).
Spoken corpora provide an opportunity to study intonation of question tags and
intonation conditioned differences in their pragmatic functions (Nässlin 1984; Kimps
2007). Specialised corpora can be employed to study and compare usage of question
tags in regional (e.g., Tottie and Hoffmann 2006)1 and social variants (e.g., Stenström
1997),2 particular time periods etc. The corpus–based research is appreciated for being
based on and reflecting actual language usage, thereby recognising a wider range of tag
types and observing their contextual uses in conversation (McGregor 1995).3 It also
enables scholars to map the collocates of particular types of question tags, such as
particles (e.g., Kimps 2007).
Relevant previous studies to the current research are presented in this section.
The previous findings and discussions play as an evidence of descriptive research of
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English tag questions in terms of its form and meaning. Le Dong (1996) carried out a
study on Tag question on the view of semantic and pragmatic and provided some
theoretical background about questions and their common characteristics based on
different aspects, in which Tag question is mentioned. The study carried out by Nguyen
Quang (1998) based on the negative sentence in English. In his study, the author
briefly described different types of tag questions as well as gave useful suggestions to
translator. Nguyen Dang Suu (1998) conducted a study of English question in contrast
with Vietnamese ones. In detail, the author figured out the features of questions in both
English and Vietnamese to have a clear understanding about ways to form a questions
and their equivalent meaning in the two languages. Then, the author studied and
compared the pragmatic-semantic structure. Questions in some books are used as
illustrated examples and as a source to display the mistakes in question translation in
English. Vo Dai Quang (2004) conducted a study to compare and contrast Tag

questions on the fields of semantics in English and Vietnamese. In the study, author
used English as a source and target language in order to find out the semantic features
of English questions.
This chapter has shown that question tags are a topic for translation studies as
they are a language-specific phenomenon. In conclusion, it can be seen that many
studies have been conducted in English and Vietnamese questions in general, ad tag
question in particular. Questions are analyzed in those studies mostly in term of
semantic and pragmatic features. These works have brought about an overview of tag
question in English. Generally, they presented linguistic features of tag questions- their
structure and functions.
However, the number of comparative studies which investigate the similarities
and differences in terms of tag questions between English and Vietnamese are limited.
As a result, the current study is carried out with the aim to compare and contrast tag

6


questions in English and Vietnamese equivalent expressions in a translated version of a
very famous novel “An ideal husband” by Oscar Wilder.
2.2. Overview of questions in English
A question is a linguistic expression used to make a request for information, or
the request made using such an expression. The information requested should be
provided in the form of an answer. Questions have developed a range of uses that go
beyond the simple eliciting of information from another party.Rhetorical questions, for
example, are used to make a point, and are not expected to be answered. Many
languages have special grammatical forms for questions (for example, in the English
sentence "Are you happy?", the inversion of the subject you and the verb are shows it
to be a question rather than a statement). However questions can also be asked without
using these interrogative grammatical structures – for example one may use an
imperative, as in "Tell me your name".There are many kinds of questions.

2.2.1. Yes-No Questions
According to Richard Nordquist, PH.D in English at Armstrong Atlantic State
University, a Yes-No question is ―an interrogative construction that expects an
answer of "yes" or "no."‖ (Cited in About.com Grammar and Composition).
Basing on characteristics of the question or the answer, with the idea that a question is
―the unknown‖, Yes - No question is defined to contain ―opposite choices‖ in which
the affirmative and negative sides are distinguished. (H.T.P, 1980)
Yes / No questions are those questions that expect ‗yes‘ or ‗no‘ as answer. These
questions do not take the question words when, what, where etc.
Yes / No questions are used to check information or ask for confirmation.
 ‗Are you coming with us?‘ ‗Yes.‘
 ‗Has he returned the car?‘ ‗No, he hasn‘t.‘
 ‗Do you live in Chicago?‘ ‗No, I don‘t.‘
 ‗Does she speak English?‘ ‗Yes, she does.‘
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 ‗Did you meet John yesterday?‘ ‗No, I didn‘t.‘
Note the use of auxiliary verbs in the above examples.
When we answer Yes / No questions we do not normally repeat the complete the
question. Instead, we use an appropriate auxiliary verb. This auxiliary is usually
present in the question.
 ‗Does Mike live with you?‘ ‗Yes, he does.‘
 ‗Did Maya tell you she wasn‘t coming?‘ ‗No, she didn‘t.‘
In negative answers we use the auxiliary verb and not. Usually a contracted form is
used.
 ‗Have you ever visited Argentina?‘ ‗Yes, I have.‘
 ‗Will you help me?‘ ‗No, I won‘t.‘ (won‘t = will not)
Here is an overview of Yes / No questions in different tenses.
2.2.2. Tag questions

Question tags are the short questions that we put on the end of sentences – particularly
in spoken English. There are lots of different question tags but the rules are not
difficult to learn.
Positive/negative
If the main part of the sentence is positive, the question tag is negative ….


He’s a doctor, isn’t he?



You work in a bank, don’t you?

... and if the main part of the sentence is negative, the question tag is positive.


You haven’t met him, have you?



She isn’t coming, is she?

With auxiliary verbs
The question tag uses the same verb as the main part of the sentence. If this is an
auxiliary verb (‗have‘, ‗be‘) then the question tag is made with the auxiliary verb.


They’ve gone away for a few days, haven’t they?
8



They weren’t here, were they?



He had met him before, hadn’t he?



This isn’t working, is it?

Without auxiliary verbs
If the main part of the sentence doesn‘t have an auxiliary verb, the question tag uses an
appropriate form of ‗do‘.


I said that, didn’t I?



You don’t recognise me, do you?



She eats meat, doesn’t she?

With modal verbs
If there is a modal verb in the main part of the sentence the question tag uses the same

modal verb.


They couldn’t hear me, could they?



You won’t tell anyone, will you?

With „I am‟
Be careful with question tags with sentences that start ‗I am‘. The question tag for ‗I
am‘ is ‗aren’t I?‘


I’m the fastest, aren’t I?

Intonation
Question tags can either be ‗real‘ questions where you want to know the answer or
simply asking for agreement when we already know the answer.
If the question tag is a real question we use rising intonation. Our tone of voice rises.
If we already know the answer we use falling intonation. Our tone of voice falls.
2.2.3. Alternative questions
This kind of question in English, which means a choice of two persons, objects,
actions, qualities, etc. This question can be set to any member of the proposal. That is,
the alternative question — a question which will be used in the Union or (or).
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The beginning of an alternative question can be auxiliary or modal verb. For example,
take the proposal to form questions: He sent a beautiful postcard to his mother two

days ago. It is very warm outside at this time of the year. That is what could be the
alternative to the first question saying:
 Did he send a postcard or a letter two days ago? — He sent a postcard or a
letter two days ago?
 Did he send a postcard to his mother yesterday or two days ago? — He sent his
mother a postcard yesterday or two days ago?
 Did he send the postcard to his mother or his sister? — He sent a postcard to
his mother or sister?
But the alternative questions to a proposal:
 Is it cold or warm outside? — On the street heat or cold?
 Is it warm inside or ouside? — Heat on the street or at home?
 Is it often warm outside or only at this time of the year? — The street is often
heat or only at this time of year?
If the alternative question contains not one auxiliary verb, but several, the first we put
before the subject, and the rest just after it.
 He has been studying for several years. — He is studying for several years.
Has he been studying or working for several years? — He is a student or
working a few years?
Alternative question in English can also begin with a question word. Then this question
is directly from the special issue, followed by the two homogeneous parts of the
sentence, which are connected by a union or. For example:
 When were you interrupted: at the beginning or in the middle of your speech?
 When you are interrupted in the beginning or middle of a speech?
If the alternative question relates to the subject, the second subject is always preceded
by an auxiliary or modal verb. For example: Did you tell her the truth, or did he?
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How to answer this kind of question in English? Definitely yes / no answer, both in
general matter, it will not turn. Answers must be complete and logical conclusion. For

example:
 Will he try to take part in this or next competitions?
 He will try to take part in these competitions or the next?
Of all the types of questions in English alternative it is one of the easiest. Therefore,
the study of an alternative question in English will not take much of your time.
2.2.4 Wh-questions
According to Elson and Pickett (1988), A Wh-question is a question that
contains an interrogative pro-form to request. There are basic forms of this kind of
question : Where, when, while, what, who, how. Beside that, these interrogative
questions will be extended into different forms in order to ask for the information.
A wh-question is used for seeking content information relating to persons, things, facts,
time, place, reason, manner, etc. Wh-questions differ depending on the kind of content
information sought. Content information associated with persons, things, and facts is
generally sought with one set of wh-words, and content information associated with
time, place, reason, and manner is sought with another set of wh-words.
Persons, things, facts: who, what, whose, which
Time, place, reason, and manner: when, where, why, how
Questioning Subject and Object Positions
With respect to sentence structure, content information associated with persons, things,
and facts occurs in various subject and object positions within a sentence. Consider the
question below and its possible answer.
Q: Who manages your company‘s payroll system.
A: A local payroll firm manages our company‘s payroll system.

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This question with who refers to the content information in the highlighted subject
position of the answer. In this case, the subject is the noun phrase, a local payroll
firm.

In the next set, what refers to the content information in the highlighted object (or
"complement") position in the answer after the verb said. In this case, the object is an
entire clause, that a good accounting system is vital to a company‟s success.
Q: What did the accountant say?
A: The accountant said that a good accounting system is vital to a company‟s
success.
In the next set, which marketing plan refers to the highlighted object of preposition
position after the preposition about in the answer. In this case, the object of the
preposition is a complex noun phrase, the marketing plan that was recently
implemented.
Q: Which marketing plan were you talking about?
A: They were talking about the marketing plan that was recently implemented.
These examples illustrate that the information associated with persons, things, and facts
is generally represented in sentence structure by noun phrases and clauses in various
subject and object positions. In linguistic theory, these are known as "argument
positions."
Questioning Other Sentence Positions
With respect to sentence structure, content information associated with time, place,
reason, and manner does NOT occur in subject and object positions within a sentence.
Consider the question below and its possible answer.
Q: When does your company begin its fiscal year?
A: My company begins its fiscal year on July 1.
This question with when refers to the content information in the highlighted portion of
the answer. The phrase on July 1pertains to time and is not a subject or an object.
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In the next set, the question with why refers to the content information highlighted in
the answer in the clause beginning with because. The clause, which expresses a reason,
is not a subject or an object of the main clause, The accountant debited the account.

Q: Why did the accountant debit that customer‘s account?
A: The accountant debited the account because the customer‟s check bounced.
In linguistic theory, these positions associated with time, place, reason, and manner are
known as "adjunct positions."
There is a fundamental difference between argument and adjunct positions. Argument
positions (subjects, objects) are required in a sentence structure; adjunct positions are
optional. This difference can be seen if the targeted arguments and adjuncts are
removed from the answers to the above questions
2.3 Features of English tag questions
The tag question in the English language is a grammatical structure which can be
added to the clause in conversation or in written representations of speech. The tag
question is mainly added to a declarative sentence (see 1 .a-c), but it can also be added
to imperative sentences (see l.d). In die case of adding a tag question to an imperative
sentence, however, the formation rule may not follow the canonical convention. 1) a.
The weather is hot today, isn‘t it? b. Mary will come tomorrow, won‘t she? c. The little
boy doesn‘t like sleeping early, does he? d. Switch on the lights, could you? Tag
questions are important linguistic devices in the English language which require
―considerable conversational skills‖ to be used and interpreted accurately (Holmes,
1982, p. 61). They are syntactically, prosodically and semantically complicated
(Bennett, 1989; Holmes, 1982; Bublitz, 1979; Armagost, 1972). Tag questions vary in
form and they serve different functions; in addition, intonation has a major role in
classifying them as tag questions (Bublitz, 1979). The level of acceptability of an
utterance as a tag question also varies among native speakers. The host sentence is used
to express the speaker‘s view, while die tag question indicates that this view needs to
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be acknowledged. Most languages have tag questions that serve different purposes.
However, canonical tag questions in the English language are complex and have a form
that is unique to the English language (Bublitz, 1979; Algeo, 1988; Culicover, 1992)

The form of canonical tag questions requires the implementation of various syntactic
and pragmatic rules. In spoken English these rules are implemented automatically and
unconsciously by native speakers of English. Because of the complexity of English
canonical tag questions, second language learners, on the other hand, tend to avoid
using these tag questions when they speak English. They find it difficult to apply the
syntactic rules of tag questions and keep the flow of their speech at the same time.
Non-native speakers of English use them incorrectly, avoid using them, or replace the
canonical form with stereotyped words, which are also called invariant tag questions,
such as right and okay. Canonical tag questions are unique to the English language and
using them appropriately requires a high level of conversational skills. Bublitz (1979)
argues that the English tag question is ―a typical and characteristic feature of the
English language differing from added questions in a number of related languages‖ (p.
5). Various studies have been conducted on the difficulties that speakers of other
languages have in using English canonical tag questions when learning English as a
second language (Beaidsmore, 1979; Cheng, K,, 1995; Cheng, W. & Warren, 2001).
The results of these studies show that ESL learners use tag questions far less frequently
than native speakers. Most languages have stereotyped tag words that go almost with
every sentence. French, for example, uses n ‘est-ce pas, German favours nicht wakr,
Spanish uses no es verdad, and Italian non e ‘ vero. The Arabic language is similar to
these languages in that it has one form of a fixed or stereotyped tag question, which is a
form of constant or unchanging tag question that goes with almost every sentence in
the Arabic language ―alaysa kathaleka‖. Based on my observations as an adult ESL
instructor, Arabic-speaking ESL learners have difficulties in forming and using English
canonical tag questions appropriately because of the syntactic and pragmatic
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requirements of canonical tag questions. Mastering and using tag questions requires a
high level of proficiency in the English language and high level of proficiency doesn‘t
only mean proficiency in English syntax and English grammar. Approaching tag

questions in an ESL class from a syntactic point of view is not enough and will not
help ESL students use them properly. Therefore, there should be an alternative
approach to teach tag questions to adult ESL learners. This approach should include,
besides syntax, a pragmatic theory that explains the real use of tag questions in social
contexts (Bublitz, 1979).
Question or interrogative tags may not be independent clauses as questions proper, but
they do require a response, and present a highly interactive language forms (Downing
& Locke, 2006:187). Tag questions have varied formal expressions in different
languages, ranging from one-word forms to phrasal structure or grammatical
construction, from rising (expressive of doubt and uncertainty) to falling intonation
(expressing a confirmation request). They can also be diversified according to various
degrees of formality, from colloquial, informal to formal.
2.3.1 Structural features of English tag questions
2.3.1.1 Tag questions with declarative stems
Declarative tags are the most common and the best studied (McGregor 1995: 96)
type(s) of question tags. There is a substantial meaning difference between constant
and reverse polarity declarative tags, consisting in the character of commitment of the
speaker to the proposition uttered in the host clause. Whereas in reverse polarity tags
the speaker presents his own opinion, something he knows or (tends to) believe(s)
(Dušková 2003: 319; Cattell 1973: 61; Nässlin 1984: 24), (not necessarily strongly)
holds and advances (McGregor 1995: 96), asserts or denies (Kimps 2007: 274), in
constant polarity tags the speaker presents what has been characterised as not his own
but rather someone else‘s opinion or a tentative utterance (Kimps 2007: 274) based on
interpretation of certain indication (McGregor 1995: 98; Kimps 2007: 274).
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In this type of question, the subject in the tag corresponds to the subject in the stem.
The tag has an opposite value from the stem: if the stem is positive, then the tag is
negative; if the stem is negative, the tag is positive.

C

Tag question

a. You are going.

You are going, aren‘t you?

b. They have done it.

They have done it, haven‘t they?

c. Betty can come.

Betty can come, can‘t she?

d. He isn‘t a vegetarian.

He isn‘t a vegetarian, is he?

The stems in a and b contain the auxiliary verbs are and have, respectively. In the
corresponding tag questions, these same auxiliary verbs are located in the tags but in
their negative form ( aren‘t, haven‘t) . The stem in c has a model (can) , which also
appears in the tag but in its negative form of the copular be (isn‘t), while the
corresponding positive form is appears in the tag.
If the stem in a tag questions does not contain an auxiliary verb, a model, or copular be
. then do appears in the tag.
Stem
He likes her.

Tag question
He like her, doesn‘t he?

Four types of opposite polarity tag questions occur, depending upon whether the stem
is positive or negative and whether on the tag is falling or rising. These four types are:
a. He likes to do that, doesn‘t he?

Positive stem, negative tag

b. He doesn‘t like to do that, does he?

Negative stem, positive tag

c. He likes to do that, doesn‘t he?

Positive stem, negative tag

d. He doesn‘t like to do that, does he

Negative stem, positive tag

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2.3.1.2 Tag questions with imperative stems
It is also possible to use a tag to form an emphatic imperative statement that conveys
urgency, as in the following example:
Hurry up, will you?
This same structure can serve as a polite request or a suggestion.

Hurry up, will you?

Emphatic imperative denoting urgency

Get me a glass of water, would you?

Polite request

Turn out the light, will you?

Polite request

Let‘s talk about that later, shall we?

Suggestion

All of these above examples have the form of regular tag questions. The first element
of each tag question, a modal, has a lower pitch that rises to the second element, the
pronoun you or we.
Same polarity tag questions may have a verb in the tag that is different from the verb in
the stem. Typically, a verb like know, remember, see, understand appears in the tag.
a. We were supposed to meet outside Reminder
of the theater, remember?
b. You‘re supposed to be here at 8 Admonition/ reminder
o‘clock, you know?
c. You hold it like this, see?

Instruction/ request for feedback

d. You know what I‘m talking about, Request for feedback

right?

Notice that in b.c.d, the tags themselves seem to be shortened forms of the tag
questions You remember that, don’t you? You know that, don’t you? You see that, don’t
you? Respectively. Similarly, in d, in which the tag does not have a verb, right can be
considered a shortened form of That’s right, isn’t it?. Depending upon the tone the
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speaker uses and the context in which it is uttered, this kind of same polarity tag
question functions as an admonition, a reminder, an instruction, or a request for
feedback to ensure that the listener understands the speaker.
2.3.1.3 Tag questions with exclamative stems
Tag questions are sometimes used as exclamations. Here the tag seem almost
unnecessary, but is added in hopes of eliciting agreement from the person addresses.
 Oh! That‘s a fantastic car, isn‘t it
A British English equivalent of the American exclamatory tag in the above example is
isn’t it
A fairly recent variation on the tag question as exclamation in American English is the
or what tag placed after a yes/no question. Sentence with or what tag do not ask for
information, but instead demand agreement from the person to whom they are
addressed. Thus the speaker who utter a believes that of course this is a great idea.
Here the pitch jump on what with little or no fall.
 Is this a great idea, or what?
 Do you love it, or what!
 Was that the best performance ever, or what
2.3.2 Semantic features of English tag questions
2.3.2.1 Tag questions with declarative statements
2.3.2.1.1 Reverse polarity tag questions with a final rising tone
According to Anderson (2001:119), a rising tone on the tag constrains the utterance

towards a weak epistemic reading in the sense that the speaker is uncertain as to the
truth of the proposition and presents it as possibly true. The tag of this type behaves
like the epistemic adverbial ‗possibly‘. Moreover, the speaker assumes the proposition
to be a belief shared by both the speaker and the addressee but more salient in the
addressee‘s contextual background. The addressee is, therefore, likely to be able to
verify the proposition.
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