question tag
Une 'question tag' est constituée d'une déclaration et d'un 'tag' ( mini- question que nous mettons à la fin d'une phrase en anglais parlé ).
Si la déclaration est positive, le tag est négatif.
She's a nurse, isn't she ?
She's ridiculous, isn't she?
Si la déclaration est négative, le 'tag' est positif.
They don't know how old you are, do they ? She can't practise the violin, can she ?
Si la déclaration utilise un auxiliaire ou un 'modal', le tag utilise le même verbe.
I should buy flowers, shouldn't I ? You were on holiday, weren't you ?
Si la déclaration n'utilise pas de verbe auxiliaire, le tag est do ou did.
She sang very well, didn't she?
They don't like living in a flat, do they?
Pour 'am I' => 'aren't I?' => I'm early, aren't I?
Pour 'Let's' => 'shall we? '=> Let's pay, shall we?
Pour 'Don't' => 'will you ?' => Don't cry, will you ?
1. Sarah won't go to school today, ______________________________ ? 2. You are quick-tempered, ______________________________ ? 3. You've got an interesting job, ______________________________ ? 4. They weren't quick enough, ______________________________ ? 5. Jane doesn't appreciate Tom, ______________________________ ? 6. Your sister is very young, ______________________________ ? 7. Kate has already replied, ______________________________ ? 8. You can swim, ______________________________ ?
9. She won't mind if I don't come, ______________________________ ? 10. There are enough chairs, ______________________________ ? 11. Let's apologize, ______________________________ ?
12. This isn't what you expected, ______________________________ ? 13. I am really silly, ______________________________ ?
14. I shouldn't be so impatient with her, ______________________________ ? 15. Don't forget my phone number, ______________________________ ?
REPONSES:
1) will she 2) aren't you 3) haven't you 4) were they 5) does she 6) isn't she 7) hasn't she 8) can't you 9) will she 10) aren't there 11) shall we 12) is it ? 13) aren't I 14) should I 15) will you
QUESTION TAG (= 'colloquial query' )
Permet de prendre à témoin un interlocuteur pour terminer une phrase moins brutalement.
Plus courant que notre ' n'est-ce pas'.
Prend des formes très variées.
Passe inaperçu dans la conversation anglaise.
ORAL : quand on ne s'attend pas à une réponse, ce qui est le cas le plus fréquent, ce 'tag' n'est pas accentué, son intonation est descendante; quand on s'attend à une réponse, à une
confirmation, celui qui parle est moins sûr de lui, le 'tag' est alors accentué et l'intonation est ascendante.
CONSTRUCTION: si la phrase à laquelle il s'ajoute est affirmative, il comportera une négation, si elle est négative, il n'en comporte pas.
Phrases affirmatives Phrases négatives
Betty is the best, isn't she? James isn't the best, is he?
It was so hot, wasn't it? It wasn't cold, was it?
They drank too much, didn't they? They didn't drink much, did they?
You will keep the house, won't you? You won't go away, will you?
You can swim very fast, can't you? You can't dive, can you?
They have been sleeping, haven't they? They haven't been working, have they?
We (have dinner) at 7.30, don't we? We don't (have dinner) at 7.00, do we?
Remarque : 'have dinner' = verbe 'dîner', se comporte comme n'importe quel verbe ordinaire et non comme le verbe 'have' ce qui explique le 'tag'.
Les 'cas'... nous les verrons... une autre fois!
Test : faire suivre les 12 phrases données d'un 'question tag'.
Questions:
1. You hate this place, ______________________________ ?
2. Joe looked so embarrassed, ______________________________ ? 3. Your father doesn't sleep much, ______________________________ ? 4. The twins are quite funny, ______________________________ ? 5. Mary can't speak Russian, ______________________________
6. This boy runs too fast, ______________________________ ? 7. Ann's so glad to come, ______________________________ ?
8. You and Lisa didn't agree with my mother, ______________________________ ? 9. I play better now, ______________________________ ?
10. You weren't very impressed, ______________________________ ? 11. She'd met them before, ______________________________ ? 12. It wouldn't be too early, ______________________________ ?
REPONSES:
1) don't you 2) didn't he 3) does he 4) aren't they 5) can she 6) doesn't he 7) isn't she 8) did you 9) don't I 10) were you 11) hadn't she 12) would it
Fill in with a question tag.
Questions:
1. You're going to the restaurant,_____________________________ ? 2. You like wine,_____________________________?
3. Mary is here,_____________________________ ?
4. They are not leaving,_____________________________?
5. She knows the waiter,_____________________________ ? 6. We aren't getting dessert,_____________________________ ? 7. It is not raining,_____________________________?
8. You are preparing the meal,_____________________________ ? 9. She likes to watch television,_____________________________ ? 10. You know about the specials,_____________________________ ?
REPONSES:
1. aren't you 2. don't you 3. isn't she 4. are they 5. doesn't she 6. are we 7. is it
8. aren't you 9. doesn't she 10. don't you
