2.

14 Tag questions

Tag questions(questiontags) are short yes-no questions tagged onto

theendof a statementor command.We shallconsider their intonation

at this point,

than independent intonation

even though they of course involve dependent rather
phrases.
a rise, and there is an
Most questionscan be said either with a fall or with
ta
two possibilities.
important difference of tone meaning between these
genuinely asking for information, the tone will be a
If a tag question is
the other person agrees
yes-no rise.This allows the speaker to check whether
other person to agree or
with what he or she has just said. It is open to the
disagree:

The
We could 'start wvith the

They 'haven't forngotten,

|
'answer is \twenty. /isn't it?

\kitchen .
|
(=Am I right?)

/COuldn't we? ( That's just

|zhave they? (=Can that be the reason they're

my sugestion.)
not here?)

What does vchaise mean?

•\Chair,| /doesn'tit?
Where are they going tomorrow?
|
•\Leicester, /aren't they?
 2.14 Tag questions 49

is an insistent
The other possibility
fall. With a falling tag the speaker insists,
or expects that the other person will agree. Rather than genuinely
assumes asking
for information, the speaker appeals for agreemnent:

The 'viewis magnificent, | isn't it?

We've 'beenhere bevfore, | xhaven't we? (=We both know we have.)

(=l'm sure you agree.)

'Seven'fives are 'thirty-\five, |aren'tthey? (=You know they are.)

Well it's 'not very vgood, |\is it? (=You'll agree it's not very good.)
Sai
In some cases the falling-tone tag has the forceof an exclamation.Exclamations

always have a fall (see 2.17):

Notice the difference of tone meaning in the followingexamples:

() It's \snowing,|\isn't it? (=You can see it is.)

(ii) It's \snowing, |

/isn't it? (=I can't see, I'm not sure.)

()It's
(i) It's
'not vright,
'not vright, |
|is
is it?

it?
(I'm \sure not.)

The effect of a tag with an insistent fall can even be to force the
it's

(=I'm not sure,I'd like your views.)

other person to

control:
agree. It becomes a way of exercising

VMummy, 'can I have some /cake? • have to \see, |\won'twe?

We'll
|\didn't
'Why did Ionly get a C? •Becauseyou made a 'lot of mivstakes,
you?

polarity of the clause to

Most as in the examples given so far, reverse the
tags,
main clause is positive, the tag is negative,
which they are attached: that is, if the
kind
the tag is positive (see4.10). Another
whereas if themain clause is negative,
tag. Here the main clause is positive
and the tag
of tag is the constant-polarity have
always
tags, if they have their own
tone,
isalso positive. Constant-polarity
a rise:

It's

Soyou
\snowing,|
'think you'll
/is it?

|
(\Oh, |I\see.)
\win, /do you? (vI don't

• You like
think you

it,
will.)

|/doyou?
What a 'lovely dress!

made into a separate IP and

As mentioned 4.10, tags are not necessarily
in
a result, it can be difficult
have their own tone. As
therefore do not
necessarily
case of a falling pattern
the corTect analysis. In the
for the analystto determine have a fall tone
clear whether we
patterm, it is not always
Tollowed by a rising
There is a subtle difference
by a rise tone, or a single fall-rise tone.
followed
between these two:

vlawyer, have you?

'qualified as a
on.) i)So you've
as a awyer ,|
have you?
here!) () So you ve 'qualifed
(see 5.6). Version (ii)
question with a high
fall-rise
Version (i) is a declarative
meaning between them
in
by a question. The difference
1S a statementfollowed
50 TONE: GOING UP AND GOING DOWN

corresponds to the difference between the corresponding tagless clauses:

() So you've 'qualified as a vlawyer? (= Have.I got that right?)

(ii) So you've 'qualified as a lawyer! (=I..note this new information.

Tags attached to clause types other than statements are more restricted in their

possibilities.

When attached to an exclamation, a tag virtually always has an insistent fall:

'Whata sursprise, wasn't it?

When attached tO a command, a tag often comes in the tail ratherthan having its

own intonation phrase (see 4.10):

'Comeover here a minute, will you?

'Open the window, would you please ?

If the tag after a command does haveits own IP,the tone is usually an encouraging
rise, giving a softening effect:

'Come over here a minute,

Open thewindow, vwould
window?)
| | /will you?
you, please? ( Would you open the

After a command, a tag with a sounds very insistent. Not

fall all speakers find
this construction intonationally well-formed:

'Answer the phone, will you? (=/Will you answer the phone.||O'bey
me immediately.)

Tag questions are sometimesincluded as parentheses within a statement.Usually

they have an insistent fall, though a yes no rise is also possible:

It's strange,isn't it, how she never wants to do her share of the /work.
We 'find it \difficult, Ndon't we, |to live a virtuous life.(I'm sure you
|
agree.)
We 'find it \difficult. |/dontwe. to live a virtuouslife. (Oram I wrong?)
l
 2.15 Independent elliptical questions

One way of reacting to a statement made by another speaker is to use

a short yes-noquestion,consisting justof an elliptical (

shortened) verb phrase.
This resembles a tag question; but unlike a tag question it involves a change
of speaker. The default tone for an independent elliptical question is a yes-no
rise:

I'm thinking of taking a xbreak. •/Are you?

He's 'just seen Peter. •Has he?

This isa kindof minimal response to keep the conversationgoing. It may indicate

anything from boredom to surprise, depending on the pitch range used. It means
much the same as:

He's 'just seen Peter. Really?

Independent elliptical questions of this type have the same polarity (positive or
negative) as the clause just uttered by the other speaker:

It'wasn't very vgood. • Wasn't it?

They 'didn't have any bread. Didn't they?
 2.15 Independent elliptical 53
questions

A: She 'won'tbe at all vpleased.

A:
B: /Won't

No, | she?
she xwon't.

Independent elliptical questions can also be said with an insistent fall. The tone
meaning oneof slight surpriseorscepticism,but accepting
is that the other speaker

has expressed an opinion. This tone can sound hostile:

I'really ike it here. \Do you? (Iwas a'fraid you wouldn't.)

Well, it's \over /now. • But is it? (Per'haps it visn't over, after
vall.)

There's 'nothing wrong with vgreed. •Jsn'tthere? (I don't angree with you.)

Much less common is a reverse-polarity negative elliptical yes-no question as a

This is a kind of exclamatory
eactionto a positive statement by the other speaker.
fall (2.17):

We 'really thrashed them

Her daughter's 'awfully vclever.
|vthis time. •\Didn't we just!
•\Yes, |
isn't she!
 2.16 Checking

you are speaking you want to check whether you have said
If while
you said, you can use
the right thing, or whether your hearer has understood what
of yes-no
an interjection such as OK? or right?. These interjections are a kind
question, and are accordingly usually said with a yes-no rise:

I'l'get in touch with Martin, | /right?

Youcan 'have it

|
toumorrow,
yousback, 'O/K?(compare:
'all /right?
I'll pay yousback. Is 'that O/K?)

||
I'Il 'pay

In some varieties of English various other such interjections are used - though

not in mainstream British standard English:

IIl'do it tovmorrow, | /yeah?

You 'think you're \clever, | huh?

Why did you vdo it, |zeh?
To ask another speaker to repeat something you did not hear it properly,
because
call this tone meaning
you can say What? or Sorry? or Pardon?, with a rise. We
a pardon-question rise.

'Couldyouturn the /music down? • What?

Pardon?
'Wouldyou pass me the /salt?
I'want to tell you something.
• You /what? (=| can't hear you.)
I

We could 'ask vMillington. • Eh?|What did you say?

as in
With a pardon question youcan query either the entire previous utterance,
in it. In either case, the tone is the
the examples just given, or just one element

pardon-question rise:

I'chose \Thora.
•Who?
• Nell?
'This is Mel.
Are we 'going to win?
• Are we'going to |
win? Of \course we

are!

might go as follows. Speaker A makes

a

A typical conversational interchange

didn't quite catch B
fall-rise. Speaker
statement, perhaps with an implicational
 2.16 Checking

If while youare speaking youwant to check whether youhave said

the right thing, or whether your hearer has understood what yousaid, you can use
an interjection such as OK? or right?. These interjections are a kind of yes-no
question, and are accordingly usually said with a yes-no rise:

I'Il'get in touch with Martin, | /right?

You can 'have it toumorrow. |'all right?
TMpay you \back, |'O/K? (compare: I'lpay youxback. ||s 'thatO/K?)

English various other such interjections are used -though

Insome varieties of

not in mainstream British standard English:

I'll

You
'do it tovmorrow, |
/yeah?

'think you're \clever, |/huh?

'Whydid you vdo it, |/eh?
because you did not hear it properly,
To ask another speaker to repeat something
with a rise. We call this tone meaning
you can say What? or Sorry? or Pardon?,
a pardon-question rise.

'Could you turn the/music down? •What?

me the /salt? • Pardon?
Would you pass

I'want to \tell you something.

|I
• You /what? (= can't hear you.)

We could 'ask vMillington.

• Eh? | What did you say?
utterance, as in
With a pardon you can query either the entire previous
question
case, the tone is the
just given, or just one element in it. In either
the examples
rise:
pardon-question
• Who?
I'chose
This is Mel.
Thora.

Are we 'going to /win?

•Nell?
• Are we 'going
are!
to /win? |Of \course we

might go as follows. Speaker

A makes a
interchange
A typical conversational
fall-rise. Speaker
B didn't quite catch
statement, perhaps with an implicational
 2.16 Checking 55

and utters an with a pardon-question

it. interjection rise. Speaker A repeats what
he said, this time with a definitive fall:

A: The vCruise documents have come.

B: Hub?
A: (lvsaid. ) the cruise documents have come.

The following conversational interchange is similar. But here speaker A asks a

yes-no question. B asks a pardon question.When A repeats his yes-no question,

again he switches to an insistent falltone:

A: Has 'Mrs Partington been in?

B: Sory?
A: Has 'MrsPartington been in?

To check whether you have understood theotherspeaker corectly.you can suggest

an interpretation, to see if it is correct. This too requires a rise: it is a kind of yes-no
question,and takes a yes-no rise.

We`ll'needsome \vegetables. •/Carrots? (=D'you mean /carrots?)

It'll cost 'quite a vlot. •A thousand?
was
I 'talking to my \friend the other day. • Mary? (=By 'friend',do you mean
Mary?)

An echo question uses some or all of the same words as used by the previous
a simple requestfor repe
speaker,but with a pardon-question rise. This may be
tition or clarification, or it may also
express surprise and amazement at what the

other speaker has said:

'haveto do it axgain. T11 'haveto do it a/gain?

You'll
•Do argain?
it

•A/gain?
•Finished the job?
They've 'finished the \job.
Have you 'got your /pen? • My pen?
'Where'sthe bathroom?
•The bathroom?
previousspeaker'sutterance,
There may be broad focus,querying the whole of the
nucleus may be
element. In the latter case the
or narrow focus on someparticular placed it,
the one on which the previous speaker
placed on a different item than
often with ellipsis
of some of the words:

do it avgain.
• Illhave to?
You'll'haveto
•Finished it?

They've 'finished the \job.

•Seeing him?
She's 'seeing him tovnorrow.
placing a pardon
or more words individually,
It is also possible to query two

Se we
question rise nucleus on

was
I
each:

'talking to James Smith.

•James
•A
||
rdigital
Smith?
/camera?
You ll 'need a digital \camera.
56 TONE: GOING UP AND GOING DOWN
the
type of echo question is a second-order question, which echoes
A special

Other speaker'squestion to query it, perhaps with narrowed focus:

Have got my pen?

Have you 'gotyour /pen?
'Where did it shappen?
•Where?| Or \when?

a please-repeat wh question, which

kind of pardon question is
A different
always
involves changing the focused
element into aquestion word. The tone is
wh question there is no fronting of
a rise. In the simplestform of please-repeat
the questionword:

She 'took a what?

She 'took a vtonga.
• She did /what?
• She /what?

the wh word may be fronted. If so,it still bears the nucleus and has
Alternatively

a rising tone:

She 'took a xtonga. •What did she take?

What did you say she took?

Any element of the first speaker's utterance may be queried in this way. The
nucleus always goes on the question word:

'Martin's lost his \cat. •Who's lost hiscat?

•'Martin's done /what?

•'Martin's done /what to his cat?

• 'Martin's lost his /what?

Broad-focus(see3.9) pardon questions request arepetition of everythingthe other

speakerhas just said. Like repetition wh questions, they have a pardon-question
riseon the questionword.

She 'took a stonga. •What was that again?

•Whatdid you say?
What?

Sorry?

On the other hand, if the speaker asks not for a repetition but for a clarification,
we have an ordinarywh question(see 5.9), which will most likely be said with a
definitive fall:

She 'took a xtonga. •What's a xtonga?

The difference between the definitive fall on a wh

question and the pardon
questionrise using the same syntax 1S seen in this pairof examples:

() 'Sophie's brought her xfriend along. •\Who? (=which friend?)

()'Sophie's brought her \friend along. • Who? (=/whohas?)