how to make tag question when we have the term 'nobody'?
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I recently conforted with an issue about tag question. As far as i know when the term 'nobody' comes, it makes the question negative. So the tag one should be positive right?
But what if the subject isnt nobody although the object is?
Example : I invited nobody.
What is the tag? Did i? Or didnt i?
grammar
New contributor
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show 1 more comment
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I recently conforted with an issue about tag question. As far as i know when the term 'nobody' comes, it makes the question negative. So the tag one should be positive right?
But what if the subject isnt nobody although the object is?
Example : I invited nobody.
What is the tag? Did i? Or didnt i?
grammar
New contributor
4
You'd be better off recasting the sentence to a negative and using anybody: "I didn't invite anybody, did I?" As it reads now, your sentence sounds a bit unnatural.
– Robusto
Nov 20 at 16:35
This is a great question. If nobody, nothing, and so on, is the subject, it makes the question negative and the question tag is positive. But what happens when nobody is the object. My intuition as a native English speaker fails me in this case, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 21 at 2:07
1
It seems English teachers taught nobody the answer to this question, did(n't) they?
– TripeHound
Nov 21 at 14:09
@PeterShor Won't it make a sentence negative if nobody, nothing etc. comes as the object? I found nothing. I met nobody there. I received no information. Are these sentences not negative?
– mahmud koya
Nov 22 at 1:15
@mahmudkoya: Why do you expect grammatical rules to make sense? As I said, my grammar intuition fails for this question, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 22 at 1:44
|
show 1 more comment
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
I recently conforted with an issue about tag question. As far as i know when the term 'nobody' comes, it makes the question negative. So the tag one should be positive right?
But what if the subject isnt nobody although the object is?
Example : I invited nobody.
What is the tag? Did i? Or didnt i?
grammar
New contributor
I recently conforted with an issue about tag question. As far as i know when the term 'nobody' comes, it makes the question negative. So the tag one should be positive right?
But what if the subject isnt nobody although the object is?
Example : I invited nobody.
What is the tag? Did i? Or didnt i?
grammar
grammar
New contributor
New contributor
New contributor
asked Nov 20 at 16:14
johnmac
61
61
New contributor
New contributor
4
You'd be better off recasting the sentence to a negative and using anybody: "I didn't invite anybody, did I?" As it reads now, your sentence sounds a bit unnatural.
– Robusto
Nov 20 at 16:35
This is a great question. If nobody, nothing, and so on, is the subject, it makes the question negative and the question tag is positive. But what happens when nobody is the object. My intuition as a native English speaker fails me in this case, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 21 at 2:07
1
It seems English teachers taught nobody the answer to this question, did(n't) they?
– TripeHound
Nov 21 at 14:09
@PeterShor Won't it make a sentence negative if nobody, nothing etc. comes as the object? I found nothing. I met nobody there. I received no information. Are these sentences not negative?
– mahmud koya
Nov 22 at 1:15
@mahmudkoya: Why do you expect grammatical rules to make sense? As I said, my grammar intuition fails for this question, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 22 at 1:44
|
show 1 more comment
4
You'd be better off recasting the sentence to a negative and using anybody: "I didn't invite anybody, did I?" As it reads now, your sentence sounds a bit unnatural.
– Robusto
Nov 20 at 16:35
This is a great question. If nobody, nothing, and so on, is the subject, it makes the question negative and the question tag is positive. But what happens when nobody is the object. My intuition as a native English speaker fails me in this case, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 21 at 2:07
1
It seems English teachers taught nobody the answer to this question, did(n't) they?
– TripeHound
Nov 21 at 14:09
@PeterShor Won't it make a sentence negative if nobody, nothing etc. comes as the object? I found nothing. I met nobody there. I received no information. Are these sentences not negative?
– mahmud koya
Nov 22 at 1:15
@mahmudkoya: Why do you expect grammatical rules to make sense? As I said, my grammar intuition fails for this question, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 22 at 1:44
4
4
You'd be better off recasting the sentence to a negative and using anybody: "I didn't invite anybody, did I?" As it reads now, your sentence sounds a bit unnatural.
– Robusto
Nov 20 at 16:35
You'd be better off recasting the sentence to a negative and using anybody: "I didn't invite anybody, did I?" As it reads now, your sentence sounds a bit unnatural.
– Robusto
Nov 20 at 16:35
This is a great question. If nobody, nothing, and so on, is the subject, it makes the question negative and the question tag is positive. But what happens when nobody is the object. My intuition as a native English speaker fails me in this case, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 21 at 2:07
This is a great question. If nobody, nothing, and so on, is the subject, it makes the question negative and the question tag is positive. But what happens when nobody is the object. My intuition as a native English speaker fails me in this case, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 21 at 2:07
1
1
It seems English teachers taught nobody the answer to this question, did(n't) they?
– TripeHound
Nov 21 at 14:09
It seems English teachers taught nobody the answer to this question, did(n't) they?
– TripeHound
Nov 21 at 14:09
@PeterShor Won't it make a sentence negative if nobody, nothing etc. comes as the object? I found nothing. I met nobody there. I received no information. Are these sentences not negative?
– mahmud koya
Nov 22 at 1:15
@PeterShor Won't it make a sentence negative if nobody, nothing etc. comes as the object? I found nothing. I met nobody there. I received no information. Are these sentences not negative?
– mahmud koya
Nov 22 at 1:15
@mahmudkoya: Why do you expect grammatical rules to make sense? As I said, my grammar intuition fails for this question, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 22 at 1:44
@mahmudkoya: Why do you expect grammatical rules to make sense? As I said, my grammar intuition fails for this question, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 22 at 1:44
|
show 1 more comment
2 Answers
2
active
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votes
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0
down vote
The simplest mnemonic is that whenever there are somebody, nobody,everybody, etc., gets " they " for question tag.
Example : Somebody calls you, don't they?
Though here " does ' works as a tag according to grammar rule, the pronoun of " they" make it "do' as per the Concord.
2
But "nobody" isn't the subject of "I invited nobody".
– sumelic
Nov 21 at 15:35
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
English question tags exist in both positive and negative forms. When there is no special emphasis, the rule of thumb often applies that a positive sentence has a negative tag and vice versa. This form may express confidence, or seek confirmation of the asker's opinion or belief.
- Wikipedia
In your example, the subject is “I” and the verb is the (positive) “invited”. So the standard tag here is the negative “didn’t I”:
- I invited nobody, didn’t I?
However, this combination (inviting nobody) suggests a more combative reply to a false assumption, using a tag matching the polarity of the ‘challenge’ question.
Unbalanced tag questions may be used for ironic or confrontational effects
- ibid
Challenger: You invited nobody to the party!
You: I invited nobody, did I? So what about him and her and them!
In any case, when trying to work out the polarity of the question tag, only the polarity of the subject and the implicit or explicit verb (from the main part of the sentence) that the tag uses are relevant. The polarity of the question tag doesn't depend on the object of the sentence.
As @PeterShor notes, a negative subject such as nobody can go with a positive question tag:
- Nobody was invited, were they?
The key is to determine the sense of the question. If it is an assertion, use a negative question tag; if it is a denial, use a positive question tag:
- Assertion: I invited ..., didn’t I?
- Denial: Nobody was ..., were they?
I have problem with this. Do you agree that i didnt invite anybody to party is as same as i invited nobody to party?they have same meaning right? If you wanna tag the first sentence it would be did I. But how the tag of second sentence is different from the first sentece however they have same meaning
– johnmac
Nov 20 at 17:37
1
@johnmac: there are lots of pairs of sentences that have the same meaning but a different question tag. For example, "I didn't take her home, did I?" and "I left her at the party, didn't I?"
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 18:05
@johnmac Peter’s right. More to the point, the tag needs to relate to the polarity of the duplicated verb. The rest of the sentence doesn’t really have a bearing on the polarity of the tag.
– Lawrence
Nov 20 at 18:43
@johnmac The tag has nothing with nobody. If saying didn't, you ask did I? If saying did (even by implication), you ask didn't I? So: I didn't invite . . ., did I? And I (did) invite, didn't I?
– Jason Bassford
Nov 20 at 19:07
@Jason: That's wrong. Fill in the blank: "Nobody did anything, ____ they."
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 19:31
|
show 7 more comments
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
0
down vote
The simplest mnemonic is that whenever there are somebody, nobody,everybody, etc., gets " they " for question tag.
Example : Somebody calls you, don't they?
Though here " does ' works as a tag according to grammar rule, the pronoun of " they" make it "do' as per the Concord.
2
But "nobody" isn't the subject of "I invited nobody".
– sumelic
Nov 21 at 15:35
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
The simplest mnemonic is that whenever there are somebody, nobody,everybody, etc., gets " they " for question tag.
Example : Somebody calls you, don't they?
Though here " does ' works as a tag according to grammar rule, the pronoun of " they" make it "do' as per the Concord.
2
But "nobody" isn't the subject of "I invited nobody".
– sumelic
Nov 21 at 15:35
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
The simplest mnemonic is that whenever there are somebody, nobody,everybody, etc., gets " they " for question tag.
Example : Somebody calls you, don't they?
Though here " does ' works as a tag according to grammar rule, the pronoun of " they" make it "do' as per the Concord.
The simplest mnemonic is that whenever there are somebody, nobody,everybody, etc., gets " they " for question tag.
Example : Somebody calls you, don't they?
Though here " does ' works as a tag according to grammar rule, the pronoun of " they" make it "do' as per the Concord.
answered Nov 21 at 13:30
RC REDDY
131
131
2
But "nobody" isn't the subject of "I invited nobody".
– sumelic
Nov 21 at 15:35
add a comment |
2
But "nobody" isn't the subject of "I invited nobody".
– sumelic
Nov 21 at 15:35
2
2
But "nobody" isn't the subject of "I invited nobody".
– sumelic
Nov 21 at 15:35
But "nobody" isn't the subject of "I invited nobody".
– sumelic
Nov 21 at 15:35
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
English question tags exist in both positive and negative forms. When there is no special emphasis, the rule of thumb often applies that a positive sentence has a negative tag and vice versa. This form may express confidence, or seek confirmation of the asker's opinion or belief.
- Wikipedia
In your example, the subject is “I” and the verb is the (positive) “invited”. So the standard tag here is the negative “didn’t I”:
- I invited nobody, didn’t I?
However, this combination (inviting nobody) suggests a more combative reply to a false assumption, using a tag matching the polarity of the ‘challenge’ question.
Unbalanced tag questions may be used for ironic or confrontational effects
- ibid
Challenger: You invited nobody to the party!
You: I invited nobody, did I? So what about him and her and them!
In any case, when trying to work out the polarity of the question tag, only the polarity of the subject and the implicit or explicit verb (from the main part of the sentence) that the tag uses are relevant. The polarity of the question tag doesn't depend on the object of the sentence.
As @PeterShor notes, a negative subject such as nobody can go with a positive question tag:
- Nobody was invited, were they?
The key is to determine the sense of the question. If it is an assertion, use a negative question tag; if it is a denial, use a positive question tag:
- Assertion: I invited ..., didn’t I?
- Denial: Nobody was ..., were they?
I have problem with this. Do you agree that i didnt invite anybody to party is as same as i invited nobody to party?they have same meaning right? If you wanna tag the first sentence it would be did I. But how the tag of second sentence is different from the first sentece however they have same meaning
– johnmac
Nov 20 at 17:37
1
@johnmac: there are lots of pairs of sentences that have the same meaning but a different question tag. For example, "I didn't take her home, did I?" and "I left her at the party, didn't I?"
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 18:05
@johnmac Peter’s right. More to the point, the tag needs to relate to the polarity of the duplicated verb. The rest of the sentence doesn’t really have a bearing on the polarity of the tag.
– Lawrence
Nov 20 at 18:43
@johnmac The tag has nothing with nobody. If saying didn't, you ask did I? If saying did (even by implication), you ask didn't I? So: I didn't invite . . ., did I? And I (did) invite, didn't I?
– Jason Bassford
Nov 20 at 19:07
@Jason: That's wrong. Fill in the blank: "Nobody did anything, ____ they."
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 19:31
|
show 7 more comments
up vote
0
down vote
English question tags exist in both positive and negative forms. When there is no special emphasis, the rule of thumb often applies that a positive sentence has a negative tag and vice versa. This form may express confidence, or seek confirmation of the asker's opinion or belief.
- Wikipedia
In your example, the subject is “I” and the verb is the (positive) “invited”. So the standard tag here is the negative “didn’t I”:
- I invited nobody, didn’t I?
However, this combination (inviting nobody) suggests a more combative reply to a false assumption, using a tag matching the polarity of the ‘challenge’ question.
Unbalanced tag questions may be used for ironic or confrontational effects
- ibid
Challenger: You invited nobody to the party!
You: I invited nobody, did I? So what about him and her and them!
In any case, when trying to work out the polarity of the question tag, only the polarity of the subject and the implicit or explicit verb (from the main part of the sentence) that the tag uses are relevant. The polarity of the question tag doesn't depend on the object of the sentence.
As @PeterShor notes, a negative subject such as nobody can go with a positive question tag:
- Nobody was invited, were they?
The key is to determine the sense of the question. If it is an assertion, use a negative question tag; if it is a denial, use a positive question tag:
- Assertion: I invited ..., didn’t I?
- Denial: Nobody was ..., were they?
I have problem with this. Do you agree that i didnt invite anybody to party is as same as i invited nobody to party?they have same meaning right? If you wanna tag the first sentence it would be did I. But how the tag of second sentence is different from the first sentece however they have same meaning
– johnmac
Nov 20 at 17:37
1
@johnmac: there are lots of pairs of sentences that have the same meaning but a different question tag. For example, "I didn't take her home, did I?" and "I left her at the party, didn't I?"
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 18:05
@johnmac Peter’s right. More to the point, the tag needs to relate to the polarity of the duplicated verb. The rest of the sentence doesn’t really have a bearing on the polarity of the tag.
– Lawrence
Nov 20 at 18:43
@johnmac The tag has nothing with nobody. If saying didn't, you ask did I? If saying did (even by implication), you ask didn't I? So: I didn't invite . . ., did I? And I (did) invite, didn't I?
– Jason Bassford
Nov 20 at 19:07
@Jason: That's wrong. Fill in the blank: "Nobody did anything, ____ they."
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 19:31
|
show 7 more comments
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
English question tags exist in both positive and negative forms. When there is no special emphasis, the rule of thumb often applies that a positive sentence has a negative tag and vice versa. This form may express confidence, or seek confirmation of the asker's opinion or belief.
- Wikipedia
In your example, the subject is “I” and the verb is the (positive) “invited”. So the standard tag here is the negative “didn’t I”:
- I invited nobody, didn’t I?
However, this combination (inviting nobody) suggests a more combative reply to a false assumption, using a tag matching the polarity of the ‘challenge’ question.
Unbalanced tag questions may be used for ironic or confrontational effects
- ibid
Challenger: You invited nobody to the party!
You: I invited nobody, did I? So what about him and her and them!
In any case, when trying to work out the polarity of the question tag, only the polarity of the subject and the implicit or explicit verb (from the main part of the sentence) that the tag uses are relevant. The polarity of the question tag doesn't depend on the object of the sentence.
As @PeterShor notes, a negative subject such as nobody can go with a positive question tag:
- Nobody was invited, were they?
The key is to determine the sense of the question. If it is an assertion, use a negative question tag; if it is a denial, use a positive question tag:
- Assertion: I invited ..., didn’t I?
- Denial: Nobody was ..., were they?
English question tags exist in both positive and negative forms. When there is no special emphasis, the rule of thumb often applies that a positive sentence has a negative tag and vice versa. This form may express confidence, or seek confirmation of the asker's opinion or belief.
- Wikipedia
In your example, the subject is “I” and the verb is the (positive) “invited”. So the standard tag here is the negative “didn’t I”:
- I invited nobody, didn’t I?
However, this combination (inviting nobody) suggests a more combative reply to a false assumption, using a tag matching the polarity of the ‘challenge’ question.
Unbalanced tag questions may be used for ironic or confrontational effects
- ibid
Challenger: You invited nobody to the party!
You: I invited nobody, did I? So what about him and her and them!
In any case, when trying to work out the polarity of the question tag, only the polarity of the subject and the implicit or explicit verb (from the main part of the sentence) that the tag uses are relevant. The polarity of the question tag doesn't depend on the object of the sentence.
As @PeterShor notes, a negative subject such as nobody can go with a positive question tag:
- Nobody was invited, were they?
The key is to determine the sense of the question. If it is an assertion, use a negative question tag; if it is a denial, use a positive question tag:
- Assertion: I invited ..., didn’t I?
- Denial: Nobody was ..., were they?
edited Nov 22 at 0:55
answered Nov 20 at 16:24
Lawrence
30.5k461107
30.5k461107
I have problem with this. Do you agree that i didnt invite anybody to party is as same as i invited nobody to party?they have same meaning right? If you wanna tag the first sentence it would be did I. But how the tag of second sentence is different from the first sentece however they have same meaning
– johnmac
Nov 20 at 17:37
1
@johnmac: there are lots of pairs of sentences that have the same meaning but a different question tag. For example, "I didn't take her home, did I?" and "I left her at the party, didn't I?"
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 18:05
@johnmac Peter’s right. More to the point, the tag needs to relate to the polarity of the duplicated verb. The rest of the sentence doesn’t really have a bearing on the polarity of the tag.
– Lawrence
Nov 20 at 18:43
@johnmac The tag has nothing with nobody. If saying didn't, you ask did I? If saying did (even by implication), you ask didn't I? So: I didn't invite . . ., did I? And I (did) invite, didn't I?
– Jason Bassford
Nov 20 at 19:07
@Jason: That's wrong. Fill in the blank: "Nobody did anything, ____ they."
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 19:31
|
show 7 more comments
I have problem with this. Do you agree that i didnt invite anybody to party is as same as i invited nobody to party?they have same meaning right? If you wanna tag the first sentence it would be did I. But how the tag of second sentence is different from the first sentece however they have same meaning
– johnmac
Nov 20 at 17:37
1
@johnmac: there are lots of pairs of sentences that have the same meaning but a different question tag. For example, "I didn't take her home, did I?" and "I left her at the party, didn't I?"
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 18:05
@johnmac Peter’s right. More to the point, the tag needs to relate to the polarity of the duplicated verb. The rest of the sentence doesn’t really have a bearing on the polarity of the tag.
– Lawrence
Nov 20 at 18:43
@johnmac The tag has nothing with nobody. If saying didn't, you ask did I? If saying did (even by implication), you ask didn't I? So: I didn't invite . . ., did I? And I (did) invite, didn't I?
– Jason Bassford
Nov 20 at 19:07
@Jason: That's wrong. Fill in the blank: "Nobody did anything, ____ they."
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 19:31
I have problem with this. Do you agree that i didnt invite anybody to party is as same as i invited nobody to party?they have same meaning right? If you wanna tag the first sentence it would be did I. But how the tag of second sentence is different from the first sentece however they have same meaning
– johnmac
Nov 20 at 17:37
I have problem with this. Do you agree that i didnt invite anybody to party is as same as i invited nobody to party?they have same meaning right? If you wanna tag the first sentence it would be did I. But how the tag of second sentence is different from the first sentece however they have same meaning
– johnmac
Nov 20 at 17:37
1
1
@johnmac: there are lots of pairs of sentences that have the same meaning but a different question tag. For example, "I didn't take her home, did I?" and "I left her at the party, didn't I?"
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 18:05
@johnmac: there are lots of pairs of sentences that have the same meaning but a different question tag. For example, "I didn't take her home, did I?" and "I left her at the party, didn't I?"
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 18:05
@johnmac Peter’s right. More to the point, the tag needs to relate to the polarity of the duplicated verb. The rest of the sentence doesn’t really have a bearing on the polarity of the tag.
– Lawrence
Nov 20 at 18:43
@johnmac Peter’s right. More to the point, the tag needs to relate to the polarity of the duplicated verb. The rest of the sentence doesn’t really have a bearing on the polarity of the tag.
– Lawrence
Nov 20 at 18:43
@johnmac The tag has nothing with nobody. If saying didn't, you ask did I? If saying did (even by implication), you ask didn't I? So: I didn't invite . . ., did I? And I (did) invite, didn't I?
– Jason Bassford
Nov 20 at 19:07
@johnmac The tag has nothing with nobody. If saying didn't, you ask did I? If saying did (even by implication), you ask didn't I? So: I didn't invite . . ., did I? And I (did) invite, didn't I?
– Jason Bassford
Nov 20 at 19:07
@Jason: That's wrong. Fill in the blank: "Nobody did anything, ____ they."
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 19:31
@Jason: That's wrong. Fill in the blank: "Nobody did anything, ____ they."
– Peter Shor
Nov 20 at 19:31
|
show 7 more comments
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4
You'd be better off recasting the sentence to a negative and using anybody: "I didn't invite anybody, did I?" As it reads now, your sentence sounds a bit unnatural.
– Robusto
Nov 20 at 16:35
This is a great question. If nobody, nothing, and so on, is the subject, it makes the question negative and the question tag is positive. But what happens when nobody is the object. My intuition as a native English speaker fails me in this case, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 21 at 2:07
1
It seems English teachers taught nobody the answer to this question, did(n't) they?
– TripeHound
Nov 21 at 14:09
@PeterShor Won't it make a sentence negative if nobody, nothing etc. comes as the object? I found nothing. I met nobody there. I received no information. Are these sentences not negative?
– mahmud koya
Nov 22 at 1:15
@mahmudkoya: Why do you expect grammatical rules to make sense? As I said, my grammar intuition fails for this question, so I don't know the answer.
– Peter Shor
Nov 22 at 1:44