Question tag — most of us went there...

[emsr2d2]

I do trust your opinions but I feel need for asking because It is logically convincing and here is a very good sentence that proves the rightness of my opinion:
How can we tag this sentence "Most of us/you died in an accident"? In my viewpoint, I'd use "didn't they" because I am talking about people who are surly not present while I am saying this so we can't include them as ones of the speakers nor listeners. Remember: if you used "we/you" in the tag, you include the dead as if they were present because "we and you" are inclusive in the tag.
What do you think now?

There is no context in which "Most of you died in the accident ..." would be used. We only use "you" if we are addressing the people to whom "you" refers. If those people are dead, then of course they are not standing in front of you.

If, for example, there were a group of 100 people, 75 of whom had recently died when the group was together, and you were addressing the remaining 25 people, you might say "Many of the group died, as you know. You're the lucky ones. Only a quarter of you survived, didn't you?"

You are still fairly new to the forum so you are still learning how it works. The general idea is that you ask a question to which you do not know the answer and you ask native speakers and teachers to tell you the answer (preferably after you suggest what you think the answer might be and why). As Piscean said, after a number of native speakers, teachers and long-term users have told you the answer, don't you think the chances are that they are right? Constantly meeting our answers with "Well, I respect your opinion but here's mine" and then giving yet another incorrect understanding of the situation helps no one. It just leads to long and confusing threads.

 

[Tdol]

I partly agree but here is my opinion retold. 'Most of" has already reduced the inclusiveness of "us" so we logically deduce that there are some who went and others who did not. We really don't know from which group the speaker is. That's why we need more context. But as we can see, there is no context here in the sentence, so If the speaker was one of those who went, he would use "we" in the question tag because he was not one of them and If the speaker was not one of those who went, he would use "they" to refer to those who went because he was not one of them.
Do you still find it wrong?

Yes, I do. Some languages, and I am currently studying another Asian language that does have exclusive/inclusive first person plural pronouns, but English is not one of them. Most does reduce us from 100%, but it does not suggest that the person speaking was one who didn't go. The pronoun system in English simply doesn't allow for that IMO. To give that meaning, the speaker would have to change the wording. Tag questions are not governed by your logic, I'm afraid. There is a sound logic to your argument, but it doesn't work in the English language.

 

[man of manners]

The pronoun in the tag has to agree with the one in the preceding statement. The language will not conform to your theory no matter how many times you state it.

I don't depend on repeating anything to prove it.

There is no context in which "Most of you died in the accident ..." would be used. We only use "you" if we are addressing the people to whom "you" refers. If those people are dead, then of course they are not standing in front of you.

So you now agree that I am talking about the dead people who are not standing in front of me, that's why we should use "they" because they were in the same group with the people present now but they died so they are not part of the addressed but I am talking to the ones who survived about the ones who died.

As Piscean said, after a number of native speakers, teachers and long-term users have told you the answer, don't you think the chances are that they are right?

I did not say your answers are wrong. I know you are right but I am only saying I have another answer to discuss.

Constantly meeting our answers with "Well, I respect your opinion but here's mine" and then giving yet another incorrect understanding of the situation helps no one. It just leads to long and confusing threads.

I will try my best to accept your answers completely. Thanks very much for your patience.

Most does reduce us from 100%, but it does not suggest that the person speaking was one who didn't go.

I have already said this in post #8 .I will quote it for you: "we logically deduce that there are some who went and others who did not. We really don't know from which group the speaker is. That's why we need more context."

To give that meaning, the speaker would have to change the wording.

Like this "Many of the group died" or "Some of you died". right?

There is a sound logic to your argument, but it doesn't work in the English language.

I am finally convinced that English can be fairly problematic for non-native/ESL learners. But I completely appreciate your answers and know they are right.

 

[man of manners]

The final question:
Does the previous explanation apply to the following sentence?
Some/Half of us went there, ............?

 

[GoesStation]

The final question:
Does the previous explanation apply to the following sentence?
Some/Half of us went there, ............?

"... right?" Straining to find a question tag with a pronoun for this statement is pointless. When people find they risk verbally painting themselves into a corner, they generally recast the statement, stammer and say something else, or use an all-purpose escape mechanism.