5.4        Infinitives and Gerunds

Day 4    Answering Tag Questions

How do we answer a tag question? 應該怎樣回答一個附加問句?

Often, we just say Yes or No. Sometimes we may repeat the tag and reverse it (..., does he? Yes, he does).

 一般我們只會答是或不是。有時候我們也會重覆倒裝了的附加小問句。

But we should be very careful about answering tag questions. In some languages, e.g. Cantonese, a different system of answering is used. Therefore, non-native English speakers sometimes answer in the wrong way. This can lead to a lot of confusion!

但當我們回答附加問句時要非常小心。在某些語言，如廣東話，我們回答的方式跟在英語的不一樣。所以，不是以英語為母語的人仕說英語時不時會用一個錯的方式回答。這可會引起誤會呢!

You should answer a tag question according to the truth of the situation. Your answer should reflect the reality, not (necessarily) the format of the question.

你應該根據事實的真實情況來回答附加問句，而並不是問題的形式。

For example, everyone knows that snow is white. Look at these questions, and the correct answers:

例如，所有人都知道雪是白色的。在以下的句中，就應這樣回答。

Most Hong Kong students answer a question like "Snow isn't black, is it?" with "Yes" (meaning "Yes, I agree with you, that snow isn’t black"). This is the wrong answer in English!

要留意，大多數香港學生回答  “Snow isn't black, is it?"  這句問句時，都會以 "Yes" 作回應來表示他們同意發問者說 ‘snow isn’t black’。但要緊記，在英語中，這可是錯的 !

Here are some more examples, with their correct answers:

The moon goes round the earth, doesn't it? Yes, it does.

The earth is bigger than the moon, isn't it? Yes.

The earth is bigger than the sun, isn't it? No, it isn't!

Asian people don't like rice, do they? Yes, they do!

Elephants live in Europe, don't they? No, they don't!

Men don't have babies, do they? No.

The English alphabet doesn't have 40 letters, does it? No, it doesn't.