tag questions

附加疑问句的主语总是使用代词。这个代词要与陈述句的主语保持一致。例如：

1. He likes his job, doesn't he? 他喜欢他的工作,是不是?

2. Joan recognized you, didn't she? 琼认出了你,是不是?

3. It's colder today, isn't it? 今天比较冷,是不是?

但是,下面几点应特别注意:

一、陈述句如果是 there be 句型，则附加疑问句要用 there 充当主语，而不用 it 或 they 来与存在句中的主语保持一致（参见 tag questions $^{18}$ ）：

1. There is a pen on the desk, isn't there? 书桌上有支钢笔,是不是?

2. There were lots of people over there, weren't there? 那边有许多人,是不是?

3. There's nothing wrong, is there? 没有出什么事,是吧?

二、陈述句的主语如果是 everyone (everybody), someone (somebody), anyone (anybody), no one, nobody, 则在附加疑问句中通常使用 they, 尤其是在口语中。但是, 使用 he 也是正确的 (见 tag questions $^{11}$ ):

1. Somebody borrowed my coat yesterday, didn't they? 昨天有人借走了我的大衣，是不是？

2. No one was injured in the car accident, were they? 这次车祸没有人受伤,是不是?

3. Someone died here yesterday, didn't they? 昨天这里死了一个人,是不是?

但在正式语体中也可以见到用he的实例：

Everyone knows his job, doesn't he? 每个人都了解自己的工作,是不是?

三、陈述句的主语如果是 this, that, these, those, 则附加疑问句中的主语要分别用 it 或 they:

1. That is your book, isn't it? 那是你的书, 是吗?

2. Those are nice, aren't they? 那些很好,是不是? 四、附加疑问句通常要重复复合句中主句的主语,但主句中如果含有 I think/suppose/expect/believe/imagine/fancy 这样的主谓结构,则附加疑问句应重复 that 从句中的主语:

3. I suppose you are not serious, are you? 我认为你不是认真的,是不是?

4. I expect you will have a good time there, won't you? 我预料你在那里会过得很愉快，是不是？

5. I don't believe he has finished, has he? 我认为他没有干完,是不是? 五、否定转移句的附加疑问句,其主语应重复 that 从句的主语,见 tag questions $^{9}$ 。

I don't think you can do these exercises alone, can you? 我认为你不能独自做这些练习，对吧？

六、在 Let's 与 Let us (me) 句后的附加疑问句的主语是不同的(参见 let's... shall we?)：

1. Let's go for a walk, shall we? 我们去散步吧,好吗?

2. Let us go home, will you? 让我们回家吧,行吗?

3. Now then, let me have a look at that project, will you? 现在，让我看看那份计划，好吗？

七、陈述句的主语如果是 one，则附加疑问句的主语应当用 one（英国英语）或 he（美国英语）：

One can't be too careful, can one? 做事越细心越好,是不是?

八、祈使句的主语为第三人称时，附加疑问句的主语既可用 you，也可用 they:

Somebody open this door, will you? /will they? 谁来开开门,好吗?

附加疑问句是由助动词和代词构成的。使用助动词的一般原则是:使用陈述句中的助动词或连系动词 be。如果陈述句中没有助动词,则应添加一个助动词 do(does,did):

1. You will come, won't you? 你会来的,是不是?

2. They went with you, didn't they? 他们跟你一起去的,是不是?

但是,下面几种特殊情况应当予以注意:

一、在含 used to 的陈述句之后，附加疑问句要使用助动词 did，但亦可使用 use(d) n't（见 usedn't he? / didn't he）：

1. They used to write to you, didn't they? 他们以前经常给你写信,是不是?

2. There used to be a cinema here, use(d)n't there? 从前这里有一家电影院,是不是?二、在含 I am 的陈述句之后,附加疑问句的助动词不使用 am not,而使用 aren't(英国英语)或 ain't(美国英语):

3. I'm late, aren't I? 我来晚了,是不是?

4. I'm doing well, aren't I/ain't I? 我干得不错,是吧?

三、祈使句为肯定句时，附加疑问句可使用 will you/won't you, can you/can't you(参见...will you?/won't you?/can you?)。在否定的祈使句之后，附加疑问句应使用 will you?或 can you?:

1. Don't make noise, will you? / can you? 不要弄出声音，行吗？（不要吵闹，好吗？）

2. Don't tell Howard, will you? 不要告诉霍华德,好吗?

四、陈述句中含有助动词 ought to 时，附加疑问句既可使用 oughtn't，也可使用 shouldn't:

1. We ought to go now, $\left\{ \begin{array}{l} shouldn't we? \\ oughtn't we?" \end{array} \right.$ 我们现在该走了，是吧？

2. We ought to buy a new car, oughtn't we? 我们应该买辆新车,是吧?

五、陈述句中含有助动词 must 时, 附加疑问句使用什么样的助动词, 依 must 的含义而定:

a）must 作“必须”解时，附加疑问句可以重复 must 或改用 need：

1. He must keep his word, mustn't he? 他一定要遵守诺言,是不是?

2. They must clean the floor after school, needn't they? 他们放学后必须擦地板,是不是?

b) 当 must not 作“禁止”解时, 附加疑问句要用 may:

1. I must not go any further, may I? 我不可以再往前走,是不是?

2. They mustn't take the book out of the reading-room, may they? 不允许他们从阅览室里把书拿走，是不是？

c) must 作“一定”“准是”解时,附加疑问句的助动词要与 must 后面的动词相照应,但有时亦可用 mustn't(参见must $^{10}$ ):

1. They must be playing football, aren't they? 他们准是在踢足球,是不是?

2. You must have misheard, haven't you? 你一定是听错了,是不是?

3. It must have rained last night, didn't it? 昨天夜里一定下雨了,是不是?

当主句为祈使句时，后面的 will you? won't you? would you? could you? can you? can't you? 只是表示“请”的意思，使语气变得客气一些，并不是真正的附加疑问句，因此常常不遵守附加疑问句的使用规则。但是，请记住一点：在祈使句为否定句时，后面一般使用 will you? 或 can you?（参见...will you? / won't you? / can you?）。

1. Post this letter for me, can you? 请你替我把这封信发了,好吗?

2. Don't forget, will you? 别忘了,好吗?

3. Don't make a noise, will you? / can you? 不要弄出声来，好吗？

4. Give me a hand, will you? 帮个忙,好吗?

5. Do sit down, won't you? 请坐。

6. Open a window, would you? 请打开一扇窗户,好吗?

7. Don't forget to give her some food and change her water, will you? 请不要忘记给她一些食物，再给她换水，好吗？

应当特别注意,Alice, you feed the bird today 并不是一个陈述句,而是一个带有主语的祈使句(参见 you)。在祈使句之后,当然应当使用 will you? 或 won't you? 见上条。

1. If you want help—money or anything, let me know, ____ you? A. don't B. will C. shall D. do(上海高考,03 春 -29)

2. When you've finished with that book, don't forget to put it back on the shelf, ____? A. do you B. don't you C. will you D. won't you(全国高考北京卷,07-34)

实际上,在肯定的祈使句之后,无论是表请求还是表邀请,都可以使用 will you? 或 won't you? 只是后者的语气比较温和,显得更客气一些:

1. Be sure to write to us, will you? (请求) (全国高考, 93-35) 一定要给我们写信，好吗？

2. Do sit down, won't you? (请求) 请坐下,好吗?

3. Look after the children, won't you? 请照看这些孩子,好吗?

4. Have a piece of cake, $\left\{ \begin{array}{l} will \\ won't \end{array} \right\}$ you? （邀请） 请吃块蛋糕，好吗？

上题有重大失误,因为选项 A,B 和 C 都是正确的,见 tag questions $^{3,4,5}$ ,... will you?/ won't you?/ can you?

上面的试题不恰当。上两题中用 can you 也是完全正确的。见 tag questions $^{2,3,5}$ ，… will you?/won't you?/can you?

上面两个句子都是正确的,只是句(2)仅用于正式语体,故比较少见: They used to write to you, did they not? 他们以前经常给你写信,是不是?

你提到的第一个句子与第二个句子并不是相同的句型。第一个句子叫做否定转移句：从形式上看 not 是否定主句的，但实质上是否定 that 从句的。

I don't think he's serious. $\approx$ I think he isn't serious. 我认为他不是认真的。

否定转移句之后的附加疑问句应重复 that 从句中的主语和助动词,并把 that 从句看作是否定句:

1. I don't suppose he's serious, is he? 我认为他不是认真的,是不是呢?

2. I don't suppose you are serious, are you? 我认为你不是认真的,是不是?

3. I don't suppose he cares, does he? 我认为他不会介意的, 是吧?

4. I don't think this book is interesting, is it? 我认为这本书没有趣,是不是? (参见 transferred negation $^{5}$ , tag questions $^{1,2}$ )

hardly, scarcely, seldom, rarely, little, few 等叫做半否定副词。含有这些半否定词的句子无论在句意上，还是在句法上，都具有否定句的特点。因此这类句子的附加疑问句，应采取肯定形式：

1. He scarcely knew a word of English, did he? 他对英语几乎一窍不通,是不是?

2. You seldom work on Sundays, do you? 你很少在星期天工作,是不是?

3. He had little time to spare, did he? 他能腾出的时间很少,是不是?

在以前的 TOEFL 等英语试题中, everyone ... they 曾被判为错误。而在上面的英语试题中, 又统统把 everyone ... he 判为错误, 从一个极端走向了另一个极端。这两个极端均未反映出英语的实际使用情况。R. Quirk 等人认为下列两个句子都是正确的:

a) Everyone thinks they have the answer.

b) Everyone thinks he has the answer.

并作了如下的补充：

“在非正式场合，用不定代词作主语时，they 常常用在后面的附加疑问句中：Everybody is leaving, aren't they? Nobody is leaving, are they?”

章振邦教授在其[《新编英语语法》(第三版)(上海外教社,p.857)]中也明确指出：

“如果陈述部分的主语为 everyone, someone, anyone, no one 等不定代词, 其疑问部分的主语可用 he, 也可用 they。例如:

Everyone knows his job, doesn't he?

Everyone knows their job, don't they?"

由此可见，上面的试题存在很大的弊病，应予纠正。

选 A 和选 C 都是正确的。当 have 作“有”解时，在其附加疑问句中既可以使用 have (has, had) 作助动词（尤其是在英国英语中），也可以使用助动词 do(does, did)。当 have 用于其他含义时，则只能使用助动词 do(does, did)。例如：

1. He has scarcely time, has he? (TEV) 他几乎没有时间,是不是?

2. Your father has a bad back, hasn't/doesn't he? (PEU) 你父亲后背有毛病,是不是?请做下面的英语试题:

3. He seldom has lunch at school, ____? A. hasn't he B. has he C. doesn't he D. does he

4. His wife had the front door painted green yesterday, ____ she? A. did B. had C. didn't D. hadn't(上海高考,94-14)

选 A 和选 B 是同样正确的(参见 tag questions $^{2}$ )。CGEL 明确指出：

“有时用 shouldn't 代替 oughtn't:

1. We ought to go now, $\left\{\begin{aligned}shouldn't we?\\ oughtn't we?"\end{aligned}\right.$ (CGEL, § 11. 8) 我们现在该走了, 是吧?

2. We ought to buy a new car, oughtn't we? (LDCE) 我们应该买辆新车, 是吧?

F. R. Palmer 认为, 在附加疑问句中用 shouldn't 来代替 oughtn't to 是一种更加常见的形式:

He ought to be here, shouldn't he? 他应当来这里,是不是?

不对。应当选 B。带有否定前缀的词虽然具有否定意义，但含有这种词的句子仍被看作是肯定句。上面的句子是肯定的陈述部分 + 否定附加疑问部分：

That is impossible, isn't it?

见 tag questions $^{1}$ 。

虽然在一般英语语法书中,把 There is a book on the table. 中的 a book 分析为主语,但是,实际上,there 在许多方面具有主语的特征(在附加疑问句中尤其如此)(见 tag questions $^{1}$ ):

1. There has been an accident, hasn't there? 发生了事故,是不是?

2. There is a good bus service in Beijing, isn't there? 北京公共汽车服务很好,是不是?

3. There has been some awful weather lately, hasn't there? 最近天气有时很糟,是不是? tag questions $^{19}$ used to 的附加疑问句 见 tag questions $^{2}$ , usedn't he? / didn't he?

像这种陈述句是肯定的,附加疑问句也是肯定的例子,是比较罕见的。但是,它是英语中的正确用法。其作用在于表达“说话人通过推断或回忆对已经说过的情况得出了结论。”因此句首常常加 so, oh 等。

1. So you call that hard work, do you? 这么说来,你把这叫做苦活?你是这么说的吧?

2. So he likes his job, does he? 这么说,他喜欢他的工作,是这样吧?

3. You've found a job, have you? (PEG) 你已经找到了工作,是吧?

有时候，这种形式的附加疑问句还可用来表示惊奇或威胁等。

这里的 no 是美国英语的特殊用法。再如：

1. You are going to meet me, right?

2. We'll take the car, OK?

3. It is drawn like this, no?