1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:07,240 Don't you just love studying English? Isn't learning another language really interesting? I 2 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:13,400 guess you're enjoying this podcast, aren't you? Today? This lesson is all 3 00:00:13,439 --> 00:00:23,600 about checking information. Let's check it out. Welcome to another Happy English podcast, 4 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,760 coming to you from New York City. And here's your English teacher, 5 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:34,119 Michael. All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael 6 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:40,399 here from Happy English and I help people speak English better. And this is 7 00:00:40,439 --> 00:00:48,679 Happy English Podcast, Episode seven oh eight. Checking information. For this English 8 00:00:48,799 --> 00:00:53,799 lesson, I'm going to show you a couple of different types of questions that 9 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:59,840 you can ask when you want to check that the information you have is right. 10 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:07,239 Basically, these are tag questions and negative questions. By the end of 11 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:14,920 this lesson, you'll understand how these questions are used in everyday conversational English. 12 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:21,439 Let's get the ball rolling. First of all, we have tag questions with 13 00:01:21,719 --> 00:01:26,879 rising intonation. I was at a party this weekend and I saw a guy 14 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:32,120 that I had met about a year or so ago. I think I remember 15 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:37,319 him telling me that he was from France, and I just wanted to check 16 00:01:37,519 --> 00:01:42,079 if my memory was correct, so I asked him like this, So, 17 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:48,680 remy, you're from France? Aren't you. When you have an idea about 18 00:01:48,719 --> 00:01:53,560 something and you just want to check to see if the information that you have 19 00:01:53,159 --> 00:01:59,799 is true or not, you can use a tag question like this with rising 20 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:04,239 in to nation. Here are some other examples. You can play the guitar, 21 00:02:04,799 --> 00:02:08,120 can't you? Katie will go shopping with us tomorrow? Won't she? 22 00:02:08,879 --> 00:02:15,400 Ted hasn't called has he? It shouldn't rain tomorrow? Should it? By 23 00:02:15,479 --> 00:02:22,400 the way, in casual conversational American English, instead of putting the full tag 24 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:28,520 question at the end, we often just say right. Instead of saying you 25 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:32,120 can play the guitar, can't you, you can say you can play the 26 00:02:32,159 --> 00:02:38,000 guitar. Right. Let's check out a couple of other examples. Katie will 27 00:02:38,039 --> 00:02:43,879 go shopping with us tomorrow? Won't she? Becomes Katie will go shopping with 28 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:49,199 us tomorrow? Right? Ted hasn't called right? It shouldn't rain tomorrow? 29 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:57,240 Right. It's also possible again in casual conversation American English, to use no 30 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:02,960 as the tag question. We generally use no as a tag question when the 31 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:09,240 main sentence has a positive verb. For example, Noriko likes to bake. 32 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:17,360 No now go hates celary No. Tammy is from Toronto no. In addition 33 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:27,000 to tag questions, we also have negative questions. Isn't English interesting? You 34 00:03:27,039 --> 00:03:31,159 can use this kind of negative question when you want to confirm something that you 35 00:03:31,319 --> 00:03:37,479 believe to be true. Isn't English interesting? When you ask a question like 36 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:42,520 this, you're actually expecting that the answer is going to be yes, and 37 00:03:42,639 --> 00:03:46,080 the meaning is the same as a tag question. Here's an example conversation, 38 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:52,759 Hey, Jack, isn't English interesting? Yes? It really is interesting? 39 00:03:53,159 --> 00:03:59,319 I asked Jack, isn't English interesting? Because it seems that he's having fun 40 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:04,360 in his English? And as I expected, he said yes. Here are 41 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:10,680 some other examples. Didn't you already see that movie? Isn't this the same 42 00:04:10,759 --> 00:04:16,079 restaurant that we went to when we celebrated Jenny's birthday? Aren't these flowers usually 43 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:24,240 blooming in April? We also use negative questions when we give our opinion about 44 00:04:24,399 --> 00:04:30,040 something and we expect that the other person will agree with us. Here are 45 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:34,120 some examples. It's almost five pm. Isn't it better to take a subway? 46 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:40,160 Shouldn't we tell the boss we're leaving early today? Look at those dark 47 00:04:40,319 --> 00:04:45,480 clouds? Wouldn't it be better to take an umbrella? You can also use 48 00:04:45,519 --> 00:04:50,120 a negative question when you believe the answer is no. Here's an example of 49 00:04:50,199 --> 00:04:56,399 conversation, Hey, Kim, what's wrong? Don't you feel well? No, 50 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,399 not at all. I think I'm coming down with a cold. I 51 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,959 asked Kim, don't you feel well? Because she didn't look well, and 52 00:05:04,199 --> 00:05:10,639 as I expected, she said no. Here are some other examples. Oh 53 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:15,240 no, isn't Danny coming to the party? Hasn't Jack finished that report yet? 54 00:05:15,879 --> 00:05:20,360 Aren't we going to get a bonus this year? Keep in mind the 55 00:05:20,399 --> 00:05:27,000 best way to remember this and any other grammar pattern is to take the word 56 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,199 or phrase, write it in a sentence that's true for you or true in 57 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:38,160 your world, and then memorize your sentences. Oh no, don't we have 58 00:05:38,399 --> 00:05:43,120 any more time for this lesson? I guess not. By the way, 59 00:05:43,319 --> 00:05:46,360 if you'd like to get more practice using your English, why don't you join 60 00:05:46,439 --> 00:05:53,680 my podcast Learner's Study Group. There you can make new friends, join me 61 00:05:53,879 --> 00:06:00,120 for live group coaching every week. Plus get the pdf transcript and audio download 62 00:06:00,399 --> 00:06:05,560 for every Happy English podcast in the past and in the future, and each 63 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:12,319 episode has exercises where you can practice this English point with speaking and writing. 64 00:06:12,519 --> 00:06:16,920 Check by me to learn more or to see some of the example sentences from 65 00:06:16,959 --> 00:06:25,240 this lesson. Just visit Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast lesson seven eight. 66 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,920 Remember learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible, and 67 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:35,439 I'm here to help you on your journey. This podcast is brought to you 68 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:42,199 by Happy English. Please visit Myhappy English dot com. Show your support for 69 00:06:42,319 --> 00:06:58,560 Happy English by leading us a review. Get English, Get Happy, Happy English.