1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:05,639 Wouldn't it be nice if we could learn another language quickly and easily. Oh, 2 00:00:05,679 --> 00:00:09,960 don't worry, this isn't a commercial, just an intro to this lesson. 3 00:00:10,679 --> 00:00:19,120 Isn't that why you're here? Let's go. Welcome to another Happy English 4 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:23,920 podcast, coming to you from New York City. And here's your English teacher, 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,960 Michael. All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's 6 00:00:29,079 --> 00:00:34,600 Michael here from Happy English and I help people speak English better. And this 7 00:00:35,119 --> 00:00:44,719 is Happy English Podcast, Episode seven twelve. Negative questions negative questions are questions 8 00:00:44,759 --> 00:00:51,560 that begin with the negative forms of the be verb and other auxiliary verbs. 9 00:00:52,439 --> 00:00:59,039 Like their cousins tag questions, Negative questions are often used to check what we 10 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:06,239 think is true. Let's look at the construction first. Aren't we going to 11 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:11,319 take a break for lunch? We start the sentence with the negative form of 12 00:01:11,359 --> 00:01:18,239 the be verb aren't, followed by the subject we Aren't we going to take 13 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:23,719 a break for lunch? This has the same meaning as we're going to take 14 00:01:23,799 --> 00:01:30,159 a break for lunch, aren't we? Here's another example. Doesn't the boss 15 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:34,280 want us to attend the meeting? Here? We start the sentence with the 16 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:42,239 negative form of do, which is doesn't, followed by the subject the boss. 17 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:47,400 Doesn't the boss want us to attend the meeting? As I said, 18 00:01:47,799 --> 00:01:53,439 we basically use negative questions to check our understanding of the situation, much like 19 00:01:53,640 --> 00:02:00,560 tag questions are used. Imagine you see someone at a cafe who who looks 20 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:05,439 familiar. Maybe it's someone you met at a party one time. You could 21 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:10,759 check your idea by asking them like this, aren't you Jack's friend. I 22 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:16,039 think we met at his birthday party a few months ago. Here's another situation. 23 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:21,759 You remember that there's a meeting this week, but you didn't put it 24 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:27,039 in your calendar. You can ask your coworker like this, don't we have 25 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:32,000 a sales meeting this week? In both of these examples, we expect the 26 00:02:32,199 --> 00:02:39,240 answer to be yes, and we're really just asking to confirm what we think 27 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:45,439 is true. Of course, in the opposite case, when you think that 28 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:50,759 something is not true or something didn't happen, you can use a negative question. 29 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,400 Here's an example of that. You see your roommate is still sleeping at 30 00:02:55,479 --> 00:03:00,039 nine o'clock in the morning. It seems like she doesn't feel well. You 31 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:05,879 can ask her, aren't you going to go to work today? Don't you 32 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:12,479 feel well? Here's another example Imagine you're at a really boring meeting. You're 33 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:16,479 hoping the meeting will be over soon, but you're pretty sure that's not gonna 34 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:22,439 happen now, so you can turn to your colleague and say something like this, 35 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:28,800 can't we leave yet? Isn't this going to be over soon? In 36 00:03:28,879 --> 00:03:34,240 each of these examples, you basically have a pretty good idea what the answer 37 00:03:34,319 --> 00:03:40,120 is going to be, but you ask the question anyway just to confirm. 38 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:46,520 In a similar way, we use negative questions when we ask rhetorical questions. 39 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:53,159 These are questions that you ask as a way of making a statement, so 40 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:59,360 you don't expect the other person to answer. Oh, wait, a question 41 00:03:59,439 --> 00:04:04,280 you but you don't expect an answer. Oh that's weird man. Yes, 42 00:04:04,919 --> 00:04:13,439 but in English we quite often express our opinions indirectly, and negative questions are 43 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:19,480 one example of that. You probably know statements beginning with wh question words like 44 00:04:19,639 --> 00:04:26,399 what and how? What a nice day? How beautiful? What a fun 45 00:04:26,519 --> 00:04:32,000 party? Well, we can use negative questions in the same way, like 46 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:40,439 this, isn't this a nice day? Aren't these flowers beautiful? Don't they 47 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:45,680 make the best pizza? Here? Questions like these are not really looking for 48 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:54,199 information, They are just used to express your opinion. Let's compare, if 49 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:58,759 I'm at a new school on the first day of class, I may ask 50 00:04:58,879 --> 00:05:04,480 someone, is this the right classroom for Michael's English lessons? I ask a 51 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:11,120 direct question like that because I'm really not sure whether or not this is in 52 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:15,759 fact the right place or not. Is this the right classroom? Is a 53 00:05:15,879 --> 00:05:26,160 genuine question used to obtain information. But maybe I think this is the right 54 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:30,360 classroom, but I'm not one hundred percent sure. I may try checking my 55 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:36,399 idea with a tag question, this is Michael's classroom, isn't it? I 56 00:05:36,439 --> 00:05:42,160 can do the same thing with a negative question, isn't this Michael's classroom? 57 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:46,560 I can find out about whether or not I'm in the right room with either 58 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:55,079 question. But when your friend brings you to their favorite pizzeria and during the 59 00:05:55,160 --> 00:06:00,560 meal says, isn't this a great restaurant, they are not trying to find 60 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:06,920 information. Isn't this a great restaurant? Is a rhetorical question, which is 61 00:06:06,959 --> 00:06:14,639 an indirect way to give an opinion. In the nineteen sixties, the California 62 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:19,680 pop group The Beach Boys asked us one of the most famous rhetorical questions of 63 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:29,399 that decade. Wouldn't it be nice if we were older? That's interesting to 64 00:06:29,439 --> 00:06:33,959 me because nowadays the question I always ask is wouldn't it be nice if I 65 00:06:34,079 --> 00:06:43,160 were younger? We also use negative questions when we offer something or invite someone. 66 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:46,600 Here are some examples of that. Hey, thanks for coming to the 67 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:53,279 office. Won't you sit down? Won't you sit down? Is a polite 68 00:06:53,319 --> 00:06:58,160 way of inviting your guests to have a seat. Here are some other examples. 69 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,439 Wouldn't you like a cool drink? Why don't you let me help you 70 00:07:02,639 --> 00:07:08,759 move that heavy box? Keep in mind, the best way to remember this 71 00:07:09,079 --> 00:07:14,000 and any other word or phrase in English is to take that word or phrase, 72 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,639 write it in a sentence that's true for you or true in your world, 73 00:07:17,959 --> 00:07:24,720 and then memorize your sentences. By the way, can you imagine getting 74 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:29,399 the chance to practice this kind of English with me directly? You can get 75 00:07:29,439 --> 00:07:35,000 more practice using your English when you join my podcast Learner's Study Group. There 76 00:07:35,519 --> 00:07:42,160 you can make new friends, join us for live group coaching every week where 77 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:48,040 we practice these podcast lessons together. Plus you get access to the PDF transcript 78 00:07:48,079 --> 00:07:55,480 and audio download for every Happy English podcast in the past and in the future. 79 00:07:56,199 --> 00:08:01,720 And on top of that each episode has exercise is where you can practice 80 00:08:01,759 --> 00:08:07,600 this English point with speaking and writing checked by me. To learn more or 81 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:13,800 to see some of the example sentences from this lesson, just visit Myhappy English 82 00:08:13,079 --> 00:08:20,279 dot com. That's Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast lesson seven twelve. 83 00:08:20,959 --> 00:08:26,120 Remember, learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible, and 84 00:08:26,199 --> 00:08:31,559 I'm here to help you on your journeys. 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