Negative Questions
Negative questions are very popular in English, especially when speaking. When we ask negative questions, we expect the answer to be "yes". This is common to confirm information we already have, or to show confusion, make suggestions, persuade people, or show frustration.
Confirmation
Aren’t you from Mexico? You told me last week you were.
The speaker is sure that the person is from Mexico, but they are just confirming.
Confusion
Don’t you have a job interview tomorrow?
The speaker expects the answer to be “yes.” The speaker would be surprised if the answer were no.
Making Suggestions / Offers
Why don’t you email me the report and I’ll proof read it for you?
The speaker is making a polite suggestion and an offer of help.
Persuasion
Wouldn’t it be more effective if we worked on the project together?
The speaker is trying to persuade or convince someone to work with them.
Frustration
Can’t you see that I’m busy right now? Leave me alone!
The speaker is angry with the person because it should be obvious that they are busy.
We can also use negative questions to confirm what we think is true. We use them to check our understanding of something.
- Haven't we met? → (The speaker thinks they have met the person, so they are checking.)
- Didn't we talk about this yesterday? → (the speaker thinks they talked about this yesterday, so they are checking.)
- Shouldn't we close the door? → (the speaker thinks they should close the door, so they are checking.)
Negative questions are also used to confirm a negative belief or to show surprise about something negative. In this case, we expect the answer to be “no”.
Aren’t you from Mexico?
The speaker thought the person was from Mexico, but just heard the person is from Spain, so the speaker expects the person to say “no, I’m not from Mexico”
Don’t you work at that sushi place downtown?
The speaker may have seen the person with other people who work at that restaurant, but has also heard that the person doesn't work there, so the speaker expects the person to say “no, I don’t work there.”
Can’t you see the board?
It looks like the person is having difficulties reading the board, so the speaker expects them to say “no, I can’t see the board”.
Answering Negative Questions
Answering negative questions can be tricky because of the negative form. The way to answer properly is to think about "yes" or "no" as they relate to the verb, not the negative.
- Aren’t you starting your new job this week?
There are two possible answers:
- If you are starting your new job: → Yes, I am. → No, I am.
- If you aren’t starting a new job: → No, I’m not. → Yes, I’m not.
Question Tags
Question tags are small question words we add to the end of a sentence, usually in spoken English. In English 120, we learned how to use question tags to confirm information or ask for agreement, depending on the intonation.
- You work in a bank, don’t you? → (with rising intonation, this is a real question. The speaker wants to confirm that the person works in bank.)
- The weather’s so nice today, isn’t it. → (with falling intonation, this is a statement that you expect the listener to agree to)
In 120, we saw two forms of question tags, negative/positive and positive/negative. Remember that the meaning of the following examples depends on context, and the speaker’s intonation.
Negative / Positive
- You don’t eat meat, do you?
- Tom doesn’t know how to use the new software, does he?
Positive / Negative
- The new hire in Accounting can start immediately, can’t she?
- All the desks they bought for the office were very comfortable, weren’t they?
Positive / Positive
There is one other form we can use: Positive / Positive. This is often used to express strong interest and surprise, sarcasm, disbelief, or anger.
Strong Interest and Surprise
Wow! The company is closing 100 stores, are they?
The speaker is surprised and sounds like he wants more information.
Sarcasm
You think you’re so smart, do you?
The speaker is being sarcastic here and definitely does not think the person they are talking to is smart.
Disbelief
He thinks he should get paid more than me, does he?
The speaker can’t believe that the person thinks this.
Anger
You’re apologizing now, are you? You should have done it two weeks ago!
The speaker is angry about the late apology.