GEOS New York – Free English Lesson – One Point English Lesson Blog

Visit Times Square after your GEOS NYC English Class!

New York City. I love it! Broadway shows, live music every night, shopping, amazing sights, and the restaurants….wow! You do like to eat out, don’t you? I know I do. One of my favorite New York restaurants is Lombardies. Since 1906, they have been serving up the best pizza in NYC, cooked in the oldest coal-fired oven in town. You’ve eaten there too, haven’t you?

Today’s lesson is on Tag Questions, and using them as questions for confirmation. These are interesting, aren’t they? I say that because they are not really questions in the usual sense because they are not used to obtain a reply for something unknown. They are used for gaining agreement, confirmation, or understanding. Let’s look at some examples:

“Do you like pizza?” vs. “You like pizza, don’t you?”

When we ask a direct question, such as “Do you like pizza?” we do so because we are seeking information we do not have. I do not know if you like pizza or not, and so I want to know if you do.

When we ask a Tag Question, such as “You like pizza, don’t you?” we are guessing based on information we have and are seeking confirmation. I think you like pizza, and I’m checking to see if I am correct about that. When you use a Tag Question, you are assuming some information and seeking to confirm if you assumptions are correct. Here are some more examples:

Bob has been to Lincoln Center, hasn’t he? (I think he has been there, and I want to make sure)

They won’t be moving to SOHO, will they? (I think they have changed their plans to move to SOHO, and I am just checking)

So, if you have some knowledge, our you think you do, you can check it by using a Tag Question. The grammar works like this. After your statement  use an auxiliary verb + pronoun:

You  have been to the Statue of Liberty,        haven’t          you?
| —————–statement————————| —auxiliary—|—pronoun—|

For this kind of useage, the intonation of the Tag Question goes up at the end.

They love the East Village, don’t they? Use rising intonation for the “don’t they?” Using this kind of intonation gives the meaning that I think they love the East Village, and I want to know for sure.

So there you have it. This was fun, wasn’t it?