Michael Business Law
Professional Teacher
Use of tag questions in the USA I have two questions about the usage of tag questions in the USA. a) I sometimes teach the word "right" as a universal tag question. Though I don't use it, it is known widely in the UK and, for some students, using that word is enough. But do Americans use "right" for tag questions with children? Would people normally say: e.g. It's not nice to punch your little sister, right? and/or e.g. It's not nice to punch your little sister, is it? In the UK, we use "shall I" and "shall we" for polite requests, suggestions and offers; and also in tag questions. What would Americans usually say instead of "shall" here: b) Let's brush our teeth now, shall we? We'll go to see grandad, shall we? Thanks for your time.
Mar 18, 2017 9:34 PM
Answers · 10
3
I think I use "is it?" more when I want some sort of response, and "right?" when the tag question is rhetorical. Me: "It's not nice to punch your little sister, is it?" Child: "...uh, no.." Me: "So you're not going to do that again, right?" Child: (sidles away from my authoritative presence) Although I might also use "okay?" in either sentence above, it's not as strong, which makes it more comfortable to use between adults: "Get some milk while you're at the grocery store, okay?" "Just call me tomorrow, okay?" "Alright?/All right?" is another tag question that is pretty much interchangeable with "Okay?" "Got it?/Got that?/You got it/that?" is sometimes used to elicit confirmation without implying question or permission: "You are never going to punch your little sister again, ever. You got that?" "Shall we?" is something I only tend to use in a show of exaggerated politeness that is not really politely intended: "So let's just keep going over it until we get it right, shall we?" "Hunh?" is a much weaker tag question: "I bet you're tired of all this rain, too, hunh?" And is sometimes even used in the hope of eliciting disagreement: "Some of the examples above make me sound like a terribly rude person, hunh?"
March 19, 2017
2
You're right, "Shall we" is not generally used by Americans as a tag question. However, we do use "right" at the end of a sentence for all ages but not in the way that "right" is so frequently used in the UK. For example, an American regardless of age could say, "we're going home, right?" when seeking confirmation regarding what will happen. In your example with the child, the adult is seeking confirmation from the child that the latter knows that punching a sibling is not acceptable. Thus, "right,?" and "is it,?" in these contexts confirm/underscore what the other person (child) already knows. Yet when I hear Brits use, "right" a lot at the end of a sentence, it seems to me to be a declarative statement, not a question. "We're not revisiting the issue. Right. Now what else is on the agenda?" "Right" ends a topic and the speaker moves on. In the US, I think a common tag is "OK" for people of all ages and is used both in a declarative way and in a questioning way. For example, "I don't want to go over this again, ok? You're not to use my computer!" "You need to wash your hands before coming to the dinner table, ok?" ("Right" and "is it" don't work in these examples.) One could also hear, "you're not to punch your little sister, ok?" The adult isn't asking the child's opinion of the punching but is stating that it is not to be repeated. The trouble with OK? is that it can sound as if one is asking the other person's permission so parents have been advised not to use it as a tag. Still, a lot of people in the US use, if not overuse, "OK?" Foreigners do need to understand what the tags mean but I'd be cautious about using the expressions without LOTS of exposure in context since there are many nuances -- e.g., tone, social context -- that affect how appropriate they are in a given situation.
March 18, 2017
2
A) For me, the version with "is it?" sounds a bit better than the version with "right?", but both are acceptable. B) By far the most common tag in this situation is "OK?"
March 18, 2017
1
Honestly the sentence would come out - "Stop punching your sister. Or else." But for other tag questions - I'd probably end up with "okay?" "Let's ask your mom if you can have a cookie, okay?" I might use "right?" if I wanted an actual "yes" as a response rather than just compliance. "Shall we?" sounds a little formal and a little overwrought. With little kids, I'd probably not use it unless we were playing princesses or something. I'm not likely to use it at all with adults. That said, it's not so far outside of common usage that I'd even notice if someone else said "shall we?" as their tag question. I don't see any reason to teach your students not to say it. With adults, I'll usually use "okay?" as the tag. Specifically at work, I'll often use "correct?" if I want an answer - but still "okay?" most of the time.
March 19, 2017
Ok thanks, Jerry. I shall read it.
March 19, 2017
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