379. Using Tag Questions the Right Way – English Pronunciation

Welcome to the Influency Podcast. I'm Hadar and this is episode number 379. And today we are going to talk about tag questions. Pretty cool, isn't it? Hey, everyone. Welcome, welcome, welcome. So today I want to talk about both grammar and intonation. Intonation is the music of the language, the melody you hear when people speak. And a lot of times because it doesn't have any semantic information or weight to it, so we don't think the melody is going to have information for us that we need to understand the message. We tend to filter it out so we don't hear it, we don't notice it even. However, as you'll see or hear in this episode, intonation does adds another layer of information. And usually we call it the hidden information, the underlying information, the subtext, because there is a difference in how we say things. There's a difference in meaning. And we're going to talk about that as we talk about tag questions. Tag questions is a type of questions that people tend to ask, and it has a very specific and clear and consistent grammatical structure. So this episode is all about that, the grammar and the intonation. So I hope you enjoyed this episode. And by the way, there is a free resource to help you get through the content and understand it in a better way. So you can download it by simply going to the link in the description and you can practice along. Because it's one thing to understand something, it's another thing to put it into practice. And when you put it into practice, you actually get it and you can start using it more consistently. And that's what we want. We want those small wins for you to be able to learn something and use it. Learn something and use it. And this is why generally create those free resources for you. So click the link in the description and get it. Or just go to hadarchemish.com tagquestions in one word, tag questions. All right, my friends, enjoy this episode.

You remember me, don't you? You remember me, don't you?

You didn't forget my birthday, did you? What are tag questions? In this episode, I'm going to talk about what tag questions are, why we actually need tag questions and when we use them, how to use them correctly. And then also the two different intonation patterns that we use when we use tag questions so that you can both understand the meaning, but also understand the hidden meaning behind a sentence. If you're new to my channel, then let me take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Hadar. I'm a non native speaker speaker of English and I am here to help you speak English with clarity, confidence and freedom. You can come check out my website@hadarchemish.com for a ton of free resources and lessons and also you can follow me on social media where I share new content almost every single day. Let's get started. What are tag questions? Tag questions are phrases statement like phrases that we add another small part that is formed as a question so that ultimately we take a statement and we turn it into a question. For It's a great day, isn't it? It's a great day statement, isn't it? We add this part to turn the entire phrase into a question. You didn't forget my birthday, did you? You didn't forget my birthday statement, did you? Question so why do we need tag questions and when do we use them? There are several reasons for why you may want to use tag questions. The first one is to get some kind of response. It's great for small talk or when you're having a conversation and you want someone to respond to what you're saying. For example, it's a great day, isn't it? It's a great day, right? You're making a statement. When you say isn't it? You're inviting the other person to pitch in to also say what they think about. The sushi is really good, isn't it? The sushi is really good. That's what I think, isn't it? I want you to join the conversation and tell me what you think about it. So this is a great tactic to use when you want to have a conversation with someone else. We also use it when we seek some kind of confirmation when we think that something is true, but we want to confirm that it's actually true. For example, you really enjoyed the movie. This is me making a statement because I believe that you enjoyed the movie, didn't you? You really enjoyed the movie statement, didn't you? Tag Question Another reason for why we may use tag questions is when we want to soften a statement when we want to say our opinion, to state our opinion, but we don't want to sound too aggressive or forceful. So for example, if someone suggests an idea, I could respond in it's a great idea, but I could also say it's a great idea, isn't it? Right? So I'm making a statement, but I'm softening it a little bit when I use the tag. Now you can use it. You don't have to. There's nothing wrong about Being assertive. But sometimes in a situation when there are a lot of opinions, you might want to use it. Lastly, we may use it when we want to express uncertainty, when we're actually uncertain of about a certain situation. For example, this is the right way, isn't it? This is the right way. It's a statement, and it sounds certain. If I say it that way, this is the right way. But if I add, isn't it? It may be because I'm a little uncertain about it and I'm seeking for validation. Or maybe I need someone to tell me if it's the right way or not. This is the right way, isn't it? There are different types of tag questions. Today we're going to focus on two a positive statement with a negative tag or a negative statement with a positive tag. So, for example, if I take a positive statement, you remember me. You remember me positive. The tag needs to be in the negative. 4.

You remember me, don't you? You remember me, don't you?

To say you remember me, do you? Would be incorrect.

You remember me, don't you?

If I start with a negative statement, you don't remember me, then the tag needs to be positive, do you?

You don't remember me, do you?

It would be incorrect to say, you.

Don'T remember me, don't you?

Okay, so you always balance it positive with negative, negative with positive. Now, let's talk about the two different intonation patterns that we can use in tag questions and what they mean. So first, let's talk about the patterns. There is rising intonation, where your pitch goes up. Pitch is the tone of voice, the frequency of your voice. So it goes up. Try it with me. We use it a lot for yes, no questions. Are you hungry?

Do you want to go?

Are you sad? So we start low and we go up. And there is falling intonation, usually associated with statement, where we start and then we drop down. I'm hungry. It's dark. Let's go. Let's go. Rising. Let's go. Now, in tag questions, the first part will always have a falling intonation, and then the second part will either have a rising intonation or falling intonation. So let's look at the example. It's a bit late. It's a bit late. That's the first part, the statement falling intonation. It's a bit late. And then the next part isn't. It could be either rising, isn't it? Or falling, isn't it? Try it with me. It's a bit late, isn't it? Rising It's a bit late, isn't it? Now, what's the difference? When you use rising intonation in the second part, the tag, it usually suggests that you are uncertain, that you're seeking for a response that you're asking. You're really asking a question. It's a bit late, isn't it? So usually if I would say it like that, I would want someone to say, yeah, it's really late, or no, you know what? It's not that late. We can still make it happen. Okay, but when I use the falling intonation, it's a bit late, isn't it? I'm not actually seeking for confirmation. I'm not really asking. I'm really making a statement. Okay? And maybe softening it a little bit. It's a bit late, isn't it? Right. It's not open for discussion, really. When I use this falling intonation. Now, let's look at another example.

You remember me, don't you? You remember me, don't you?

I'm actually asking, waiting for a response.

You remember me, don't you?

I know that you remember me, right? I'm just softening it a little bit.

You remember me, don't you?

Right?

Don't try to hide it. I can see it.

You remember me, don't you?

Here. I might be a little surprised that you may not remember me. And I'm actually asking. Let's try another one. He doesn't like spicy food, does he? That's a real question. He doesn't like spicy food, I'm assuming, but I want confirmation. He doesn't like spicy food, does he? He doesn't like spicy food, does he? It's almost like I'm making a statement using this tag question, but I'm making a statement about him and his affiliation with spicy food. Okay, let's try another one. It isn't raining, is it? Try it with me. Rising intonation. It isn't raining. Falling, is it?

Rising?

It isn't raining, is it? Right, I'm making a point here. It isn't raining, is it? So why aren't you outside doing what you need to do now, if you want to practice it a bit more? Because that's the only way to turn something into a habit, both in terms of your grammar and vocabulary and pronunciation. The best way is repetition. I prepared for you a practice sheet with a bunch of different types of tag questions with different intonation patterns for you to practice. There's also an audio recording. It's absolutely free, and I am making it available to you. So click the link below. If you're listening to the podcast, look for the link in the description, download it, and practice with me so you can make it a habit and start using it more frequently, or even just so that you can start understanding it better when people use it around you. Okay, that's it. I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you enjoyed it, please consider liking, sharing and subscribing to my channel and come check out my website, hadar shemesh.com for more information and more resources for you to practice with. Also, if you're a podcast lover, check out the Influency Podcast where I share two episodes every single week. You can find it on your favorite platform. Have a beautiful, beautiful rest of the day. It is a beautiful day, isn't it? I'll see you soon. Talk to you in the next video.

Bye.