La forme interro-négative en anglais : grammaire anglaise / définition
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La forme interro-négative
L'usage de la forme interro-négative est assez répandu, en particulier dans la langue parlée :
Doesn't Kevin leave today? Kevin ne part-il pas aujourd'hui?
Don't you think Susie seems a little bit nervous today? Tu ne trouves pas que Susie a l'air un peu nerveuse aujourd'hui?
Couldn't you come a little earlier? Vous ne pourriez pas venir un peu plus tôt?
Didn't you want a new car? Tu ne voulais pas une nouvelle voiture?
C'est d'ailleurs avec cette forme interro-négative qu'est construite l'expression 'N'est-ce pas ?' :
Bob will fix this problem, won't he?
You were sick, weren't you?
Exercice 1
Philip: Hey Susie, how's it ? Would you like out for drinks tonight?
Susie: I already plans. Why don't you by yourself?
Philip: Ok.
Susie: I already plans. Why don't you by yourself?
Philip: Ok.
Philip: Hey Susie, how's it going 1? Would you like to go 2 out for drinks tonight?
Susie: I already have 3 plans. Why don't you go 4 by yourself?
Philip: Ok.
Susie: I already have 3 plans. Why don't you go 4 by yourself?
Philip: Ok.
1 going: 'How's it going?' (or 'How is it going?') uses the 'ING' form of the verb 'to go'. Philip asks about Susie's current state, so we use the present progressive form of the verb. 'How's it going?' is an English expression synonymous with 'How are you?' or 'How are you doing?'
1 go: 'Go' is incorrect. The interrogative phrase 'how's it...' needs a verb ending in 'ing' to follow it. The question asks about the current state of a person, and so we use a present progressive verb using the 'ING' form to correctly pose the question.
1 gone: We cannot use 'gone', the past participle form of 'to go', in this sentence. The interrogative construction 'how's it...?' must be followed by a verb ending in 'ing', and not a verb in the past tense.
2 to go: The interrogative construction 'would you like' is always followed by the full infinitive form of a verb (to go). The same is true with declarative statements using 'would like': I would like TO GET a drink tonight. 'Would you like...?' poses a polite question using the conditional form.
2 go: We must use the full infinitive form of the verb following 'would you like'.
2 going: The 'ING' form of the verb can't follow the 'would like' construction.
2 will go: We never use the future tense of a verb following 'would like'.
3 have: 'Have' expresses possession in this sentence. Susie is telling Philip that she can't go out with him tonight because she already has something planned.
3 has: 'Has' cannot be used in the first person form of the present tense. 'To have' is an irregular verb.
3 had: Had is the past simple form of the verb 'to have'. It has no place in this construction, which requires the simple present tense.
3 to have: This verb must be conjugated. Leaving it in its infinitive form is grammatically incorrect.
4 go: Susie is suggesting that Philip 'go' to the restaurant by himself (alone or without her). In this case, the verb 'to go' should be put in its infinitive form (without 'to') following the interrogative construction 'Why don't you...'. As a general rule, verbs following auxiliaries are always put in their infinitive form without 'to'.
4 to go: The full infinitive form of the verb (with 'to') can't follow the interrogative construction 'why don't you...'.
4 will go: The future tense of a verb cannot be used following the interrogative construction 'why don't you...'.
4 going: The 'ing' form of a verb cannot be used the interrogative construction 'why don't you...'.
Exercice 2
The following sentences form negative questions which expect a positive reply. Some of the sentences are written incorrectly. Choose 'Correct' or 'Incorrect' for each example.
Hasn't the marketing girl gone home yet?
Don't think you that Bruno has been acting strange lately?
Can't me you leave alone?
Wouldn't you agree that it's incorrect?
Hasn't the marketing girl gone home yet?
Don't think you that Bruno has been acting strange lately?
Can't me you leave alone?
Wouldn't you agree that it's incorrect?
The following sentences form negative questions which expect a positive reply. Some of the sentences are written incorrectly. Choose 'Correct' or 'Incorrect' for each example.
Hasn't the marketing girl gone home yet? Correct 1
Don't think you that Bruno has been acting strange lately? Incorrect 2
Can't me you leave alone? Incorrect 3
Wouldn't you agree that it's incorrect? Correct 4
Hasn't the marketing girl gone home yet? Correct 1
Don't think you that Bruno has been acting strange lately? Incorrect 2
Can't me you leave alone? Incorrect 3
Wouldn't you agree that it's incorrect? Correct 4
1 Correct: This sentence is correct. When using negation in an interrogative form, we always follow the order: auxiliary + negation + subject (Has + not + the marketing girl). This form permits us to ask questions that suppose an affirmative reply.
1 Incorrect: This sentence is not incorrect.
2 Incorrect: This sentence is incorrect. When using negation in an interrogative form, we always follow the order: auxiliary + negation + subject (can + not + you). Here the order is incorrect: auxiliary + verb + subject (Do + not + think). The correct sentence should read: Don't you think that Bruno has been acting strange lately?.
2 Correct: This sentence is not correct.
3 Incorrect: This sentence is incorrect. When using negation in an interrogative form, we always follow the order: auxiliary + negation + subject (can + not + you). In this construction the order is incorrect: auxiliary + negation + object (can + not + me). The correct sentence should read: Can't you leave me alone?.
3 Correct: This sentence is not correct.
4 Correct: This sentence is correct. When using negation in an interrogative form, we always follow the order: auxiliary + negation + subject (would + not + you). This form permits us to ask questions that suppose an affirmative reply.
4 Incorrect: This sentence is not incorrect.
Exercice 3
Finish each of the statements below with a tag question.
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Bob: Hello Horatio. You're not too busy, ?
Horatio: No, Mr. Bob. Please come in. You like the whiskey, ?
Bob: You better believe it!
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Bob: Hello Horatio. You're not too busy, ?
Horatio: No, Mr. Bob. Please come in. You like the whiskey, ?
Bob: You better believe it!
Finish each of the statements below with a tag question.
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Bob: Hello Horatio. You're not too busy, are you 1?
Horatio: No, Mr. Bob. Please come in. You like the whiskey, don't you 2?
Bob: You better believe it!
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Bob: Hello Horatio. You're not too busy, are you 1?
Horatio: No, Mr. Bob. Please come in. You like the whiskey, don't you 2?
Bob: You better believe it!
1 are you: Because 'you're not' already carries the negation, we use the affirmative construction 'are you' to formulate the question which follows. This type of mini-question is called a 'tag question' in English.
1 aren't you: Because 'you're not' already carries the negation, we cannot use the negative 'aren't you'. This creates a double negative construction, which is generally grammatically incorrect in English.
1 you are: 'You are' does not form a question, which is required here. The interrogative form is generally formed by inverting the order of the subject and the auxiliary ('you are' becomes 'are you').
2 don't you: 'Don't you' here asks a question which supposes a positive reply, because the sentence is already in the affirmative form.
2 do you: 'To do' is the correct verb to use in this sentence, but it should be in the negative form to correctly ask the question.
2 you: 'You' cannot be used here without a verb.
Exercice 4
Finish each of the statements below with a tag question.
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Bob: Luna, you like classical concerts, ?
Luna: Well, yes I do, especially classical Indian concerts. You're not trying to ask me out on a date, ?
Bob: No, of course not. Bruno likes classical concerts, ?
Luna: I guess so... What's the point of all this?
Bob: Well, I have to get going now. Thanks. See you later.
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Bob: Luna, you like classical concerts, ?
Luna: Well, yes I do, especially classical Indian concerts. You're not trying to ask me out on a date, ?
Bob: No, of course not. Bruno likes classical concerts, ?
Luna: I guess so... What's the point of all this?
Bob: Well, I have to get going now. Thanks. See you later.
Finish each of the statements below with a tag question.
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Bob: Luna, you like classical concerts, don't you 1?
Luna: Well, yes I do, especially classical Indian concerts. You're not trying to ask me out on a date, are you 2?
Bob: No, of course not. Bruno likes classical concerts, doesn't he 3?
Luna: I guess so... What's the point of all this?
Bob: Well, I have to get going now. Thanks. See you later.
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Bob: Luna, you like classical concerts, don't you 1?
Luna: Well, yes I do, especially classical Indian concerts. You're not trying to ask me out on a date, are you 2?
Bob: No, of course not. Bruno likes classical concerts, doesn't he 3?
Luna: I guess so... What's the point of all this?
Bob: Well, I have to get going now. Thanks. See you later.
1 don't you: 'Don't you' asks a question which supposes a positive reply, and the sentence is already in the affirmative. When using an ordinary verb (such as 'like'), we use the auxiliary 'do' to create the interrogative form.
1 do you: 'To do' is the correct verb to use in this sentence, but it should be in the negative form to correctly ask the question.
1 are you: We do not use the verb 'to be' in interrogative constructions such as this unless it has already been established in the first part of the question. For example: 'You aren't a fan of classical concerts, are you?'.
1 aren't you: This is incorrect. We do not use the verb 'to be' in interrogative constructions such as this unless it has already been established in the first part of the question. For example: 'You aren't a fan of classical concerts, are you?'.
2 are you: Because 'you're not' already carries the negation, we use the affirmative construction 'are you' to formulate the question.
2 aren't you: This does not work here because the sentence is already a negative construction. In this case, we would need to follow it by 'are you'.
2 do you: This is incorrect. The verb 'do' does not correspond with the verb in the sentence (are).
2 don't you: This is incorrect. The verb 'do' does not correspond with the verb in the sentence (are).
3 doesn't he: 'Doesn't he' asks a question which supposes a positive reply, and the sentence is already in the affirmative.
3 does he: 'To do' is the correct verb to use in this sentence, but it should be in the negative form to correctly ask the question.
3 isn't he: This is incorrect. We do not use the verb 'to be' in interrogative constructions such as this unless it has already been established in the first part of the question. For example: 'You aren't a fan of classical concerts, are you?'.
3 is he: This is incorrect. We do not use the verb 'to be' in interrogative constructions such as this unless it has already been established in the first part of the question. For example: 'You aren't a fan of classical concerts, are you?'.
Exercice 5
Finish each of the statements below with a tag question.
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Susie: You aren't really going to make me pay for this coffee, ?
Kevin: It's your coffee, ?
Susie: I've paid for every single one of your coffees for the last month, ?
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Susie: You aren't really going to make me pay for this coffee, ?
Kevin: It's your coffee, ?
Susie: I've paid for every single one of your coffees for the last month, ?
Finish each of the statements below with a tag question.
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Susie: You aren't really going to make me pay for this coffee, are you 1?
Kevin: It's your coffee, isn't it 2?
Susie: I've paid for every single one of your coffees for the last month, haven't I 3?
Example: Your calculator is precious to you, isn't it?
Susie: You aren't really going to make me pay for this coffee, are you 1?
Kevin: It's your coffee, isn't it 2?
Susie: I've paid for every single one of your coffees for the last month, haven't I 3?
1 are you: This is the best choice here. Because 'you're not' already carries the negation, we use the affirmative construction 'are you' to formulate the question. When an auxiliary verb is used in the first clause (such as 'aren't'), we create the interrogative form with the same auxiliary in the affirmative form (are you).
1 aren't you: Because the 'you're not' already carries the negation, we cannot use the negative 'aren't you?'.
1 have you: This choice is incorrect because 'have' does not correspond with the verb in the sentence.
1 haven't you: This choice is incorrect because 'have' does not correspond with the verb in the sentence.
2 isn't it: Because the sentence is already in the affirmative (It's or It is), we use the negative construction 'isn't it' in order to ask the question.
2 is it: We cannot use 'is it' to ask a question here because the sentence is already in the affirmative.
2 doesn't it: This is incorrect. 'Does' does not correspond with the verb in the sentence (is).
2 does it: This is incorrect. 'Does' does not correspond with the verb in the sentence (is).
3 haven't I: Because the auxiliary in the main clause (have) is in the affirmative, we use the negative construction 'haven't I?' to ask the question.
3 have I: We cannot use 'have I' to ask a question here because the sentence is already in the affirmative.
3 do I: This is incorrect. 'Do' does not correspond with the auxiliary used in the sentence (have).
3 don't I: This is incorrect. 'Do' does not correspond with the auxiliary in the sentence (have).
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