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#11
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Slender is the-bad-one-out here. |
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#12
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I hope that I haven't erred by "correcting a correct question tag." As I understand it, the original post by "trainee" was asking for corrections to the following tag: "Is John ill? He's lost a lot of weight."My previous post provides the following corrections: "Is John ill? He's lost a lot of weight."As I see it, the comma in the original tag is grammatically incorrect since it allows the statement ("Yes, he's rather slender these days.") to be combined with a question ("Isn't he?") within one sentence. Replacing the comma with a period, and then capitalizing the first word of the next sentence. i.e., "Isn't", provides the necessary correction here. |
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#13
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Both are good contractions. I don't see a problem with the two sentences, but the point about slender versus emaciated could be what the teacher is looking for. I think that's the best guess so far. [I edit copy and have tutored college writing.] |
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#14
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"Yes, he's rather slender these days, isn't he?" means, "Yes, I've noticed it, too." By making a new sentence of "Isn't he?" the speaker is wondering whether John really has lost weight. That doesn't really work in this example. |
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#15
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Well, at least I can breathe a sigh of relief over not having corrected an already correct tag! I remain unconvinced that splitting the original sentence into two so that it separates a statement from a further question introduces the idea that the speaker is seeking disagreement rather than agreement. Please let me demonstrate by the following example: This sentence is correct, isn’t it?Both sentences will read identically; the comma suggesting a pause, the period a full stop. Immediately after either a pause or full stop comes the question “Isn’t it?”, which in both cases is a question that seeks affirmation. I’m not aware of any common English usage where a comma separation, as opposed to a period, would change the meaning of the affirmation seeking question, “Isn’t it?” Are you? If so, could you provide some examples from some well-known English writers that would demonstrate your point? |
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#16
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#17
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| Re: . This sentence is correct, isn’t it?. I don't see how the slightly longer pause in the second sentence conveys any difference in meaning. In both cases, the speaker is looking for affirmation (agreement). |
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#18
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As a teacher, I don't disagree. As a former (amateur) actor, I would approach the speaking of these lines differently. From the single-sentence line I infer the speaker's uncertainty before speaking the line. From the longer pause the period indicates I interpret that the speaker has only become uncertain after speaking the thought aloud. Try it with stage directions: Student A (cautiously approaching the teacher, edited paper in tow): "This sentence is correct, isn't it?" (The teacher nods.) Student B (shooting up his arm, as if to punch a hole through the ceiling, beaming customarily): This sentence is correct. (A small but awkward silence follows. The teacher, having grown weary of the student's constant insistence on being the first to answer, has simply ignored him; it is a small pleasure he allows himself.) Isn't it? /first post. thanks! |
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#19
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| Of course, context is always key to understanding any kind of nuance. |
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