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15-Jun-2004, 16:52
| | Newbie | | Join Date: Jun 2004 Country: Hong Kong
Posts: 33
Current Location: Hong Kong First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other | |  Question tags
Let's go, shall we?
The "shall we" tag is not very common in everyday speech, is it?  |
15-Jun-2004, 17:52
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 15,526
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Member Type: Other | |
No, it isn't, is it?
:wink: |
15-Jun-2004, 18:52
| | Newbie | | Join Date: Jun 2004 Country: Hong Kong
Posts: 33
Current Location: Hong Kong First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other | | Question Tags
Quote: |
Originally Posted by RonBee No, it isn't, is it?
:wink: | To the best of your knowledge, is it common both in BE and AE? Incidentally, I feel quite comfortable with it. :D |
16-Jun-2004, 00:43
| | Editor, UsingEnglish.com | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: UK
Posts: 27,067
Current Location: Phnom Penh First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher | |
It's common enough in British English. We use 'shall' quite a lot in questions.  |
16-Jun-2004, 03:24
| | Newbie | | Join Date: Jun 2004 Country: Hong Kong
Posts: 33
Current Location: Hong Kong First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other | |
How about this one:
We shall talk, shan't we?
I heard the tag occasionally a couple of years ago. Is it common these days, in your experience?  |
16-Jun-2004, 12:07
| | Editor, UsingEnglish.com | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: UK
Posts: 27,067
Current Location: Phnom Penh First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher | |
Definitely. What we don't use so much nowadays is the ordinary declarative 'I shall go', though it is used by many in more formal contexts. |
16-Jun-2004, 19:57
| | Newbie | | Join Date: Jun 2004 Country: Hong Kong
Posts: 33
Current Location: Hong Kong First Language: Chinese Member Type: Other | |
Thank you. You're so helpful. :D |
18-Jun-2004, 21:17
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 15,526
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Member Type: Other | | Re: Question Tags
Quote: |
Originally Posted by petertsui Quote: |
Originally Posted by RonBee No, it isn't, is it?
:wink: | To the best of your knowledge, is it common both in BE and AE? Incidentally, I feel quite comfortable with it. :D | I don't hear "shall" very much. It isn't used much in AE except in some fixed expressions such as Shall we dance? (Apparently, it is fairly common in BE.)
:) |
18-Jun-2004, 22:07
| | Editor, UsingEnglish.com | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: UK
Posts: 27,067
Current Location: Phnom Penh First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher | |
If I've asked an American a question with 'shall',they seem to answer with 'should'. |
18-Jun-2004, 22:22
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 15,526
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Member Type: Other | |
Quote: |
Originally Posted by tdol If I've asked an American a question with 'shall',they seem to answer with 'should'. | - A: Shall we go?
B: We should.
Eh? | |
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