Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
It is hardly likely ..., (question tag?)
English answer:
... is it?
Added to glossary by
Vicky Papaprodromou
Jan 6, 2006 15:45
18 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
danderup
It is hardly likely
Non-PRO
English
Art/Literary
Linguistics
Difficult tag question
“The main sentences expressing opinion/belief/view are/may be ignored in QUESTION TAGS” is quite famous rule taught to the students studying for KPDS or UDS (two different language proficiency examinations, prepared and performed by Turkish Government). Ýsmail Hakki Mirici is one of the famous academician writing grammar and test books for these exams. The question is from one of his books (Advanced English Grammar by Ýsmail Hakki Mirici and Funda Dagabak, page 58):
Alýntý:
It is hardly likely that the engine runs on solar energy when it is needed, ----?
a) is it b) does it c) doesn't it d) isn't it e) didn't it
I really wonder why we cannot say “A) is it”, while I accept “B) does it” is right answer too.
Thank you very much in advance.
Alýntý:
It is hardly likely that the engine runs on solar energy when it is needed, ----?
a) is it b) does it c) doesn't it d) isn't it e) didn't it
I really wonder why we cannot say “A) is it”, while I accept “B) does it” is right answer too.
Thank you very much in advance.
Responses
| 4 +11 | is it |
Vicky Papaprodromou
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| 4 +8 | is it |
Kim Metzger
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| 5 | It won't |
Mike Delta
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| 4 | [NFG] Possible explanation of confusion. |
Richard Benham
|
Responses
+11
6 mins
Vicky Papaprodromou
Greece
Greece
Specializes in field
Greece
hellenic wings in translation
Native in: Greek 
Works in: English to Greek, Greek to English
Related KudoZ points
:
12
Selected
is it
The question tag corresponds to the main sentence, which in this case is "It is hardly likely" (while "that the engine..." is a relative clause).
Hardly is a negative word, thus the correct answer is "is it", as if the sentence were "It is not likely, is it?"
Hardly is a negative word, thus the correct answer is "is it", as if the sentence were "It is not likely, is it?"
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Can Altinbay
: /Same to you!
1 min
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Thanks, Can and Happy New Year!
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| agree |
cmwilliams (X)
15 mins
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Ôhanks a lot and Happy New Year!
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| agree |
suezen
: Happy New Year to you too Vicky :-)
27 mins
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Ôhank you so much and Happy New Year!
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| agree |
Peter Shortall
28 mins
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Thanks, Peter and Happy New Year!
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| agree |
Kim Metzger
: Affirmative after negative and vice versa. Non-negative tags are used after sentences containing negative words like hardly, scarcely. It's hardly rained this summer, has it? Michael Swan.
32 mins
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Indeed. This is the very mechanism of question tags.
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| agree |
Jack Doughty
51 mins
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Happy New Year, Jack! Thanks a lot.
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| agree |
Richard Benham
: This is correct, but "that the engine..." is not relative. You might say that "It" is an anticipatory subject, and that the clause "that the engine..." is the real subject.//HNY2U2! and it happens to all of us!
1 hr
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Hi Richard and Happy New Year to you. You are absolutely right. The secondary sentence is not relative. I just misread the original sentence.
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| agree |
Alfa Trans (X)
: Kali hronia, Vicky! Elpizo na perases oraia tin paramoni tis protohronias kai ta Hristougenna.//Me geia to kainourgio spiti sou!!
1 hr
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Kali mas xronia, Marju. Metakomiza oles tis giortes alla aksizei ton kopo to kainourgio spiti ki eimai poli xaroumeni.
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| agree |
Romanian Translator (X)
3 hrs
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Ôhanks a lot and Happy New Year!
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| agree |
LJC (X)
3 hrs
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Thanks, Lesley. Happy New Year!
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| agree |
Sophia Finos (X)
1 day 4 hrs
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Ôhanks, Sophia!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+8
5 mins
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Mexico
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
Mexico
Committed to Quality and Service
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
187
is it
"is it" is the only possible solution in this case. Hardly has a negative meaning.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
: Happy New Year, Kim! :-) This is exactly what I have tried to explain to the asker.
2 mins
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HNY, Vicky.
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| agree |
Can Altinbay
2 mins
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| agree |
cmwilliams (X)
17 mins
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| agree |
suezen
28 mins
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| agree |
Peter Shortall
29 mins
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| agree |
Richard Benham
: I would add, in the light of the asker's apparent confusion, that "does it?" is a definite no-no.
1 hr
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| agree |
Refugio
: (a) is the only right answer here
1 hr
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| agree |
LJC (X)
3 hrs
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1 hr
Richard Benham
France
France
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
France
When quality counts
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
64
[NFG] Possible explanation of confusion.
Hello.
I was initially shocked that anyone could propose so wrong-headed a rule. The two previous answerers are right: you *must* say "is it?" in this context. Then I set about wondering what would lead anyone to invent such a rule.
Consider the following example:
(1) "I don't think you're serious, are you?"
The reason you wouldn't normally want to say,
(2) "I don't think you're serious, do I?"
is that it's a bloody stupid thing to ask. Why would you ask your interlocutor what you think. Of course, you might use (2) if you were trying to work through your thoughts out loud, but not in normal conversation.
However, I think there is a strong argument for the view that "are you?" in (1) is not a genuine tag question, but merely a repunctuation of:
(3) "I don't think you're serious. Are you?"
where the question is independent and not "tagged on".
If this argument is accepted, the view attributed to the distinguished Turkish grammarians above has no merit at all.
I was initially shocked that anyone could propose so wrong-headed a rule. The two previous answerers are right: you *must* say "is it?" in this context. Then I set about wondering what would lead anyone to invent such a rule.
Consider the following example:
(1) "I don't think you're serious, are you?"
The reason you wouldn't normally want to say,
(2) "I don't think you're serious, do I?"
is that it's a bloody stupid thing to ask. Why would you ask your interlocutor what you think. Of course, you might use (2) if you were trying to work through your thoughts out loud, but not in normal conversation.
However, I think there is a strong argument for the view that "are you?" in (1) is not a genuine tag question, but merely a repunctuation of:
(3) "I don't think you're serious. Are you?"
where the question is independent and not "tagged on".
If this argument is accepted, the view attributed to the distinguished Turkish grammarians above has no merit at all.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Mike Delta
: Since you only tell me what you do not think, I remain neutral. Eliminate the negative, ask Crosby.
11 days
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Thank you for that intelligent and thoughtful contribution.//Are you sure you're a Delta? I thought the grades went down to Epsilon.
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11 days
It won't
'Hardly likely' is sarcasm (the infamous language of reverse meaning).
Not one of the choices is correct.
Since it won't run on solar energy (in a month of Sundays) I guess that didn't it is your best bet.
Not one of the choices is correct.
Since it won't run on solar energy (in a month of Sundays) I guess that didn't it is your best bet.
Discussion