Tag questions for 'I am having dinner', 'She is having dinner.'

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.

Are tag questions with 'have' common when used in the progressive in such examples as mine?
'She is having dinner, isn't she?'
'I am having dinner', aren't I?'

 

[Rachel Adams]

I don't now what you'd call common, but both are possible.

Interesting if 'Is she not?' and 'Are I not?' the formal/old-fashioned forms which are also used for emphasis are possible too. Are they?

 

[Rachel Adams]

'Are I not' has never been used, as far as I know,

I see. Thank you.
Is it true that 'amn't I' used to be an acceptable form? In modern English native speakers use 'aren't I' instead.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Not that I know of.

If you ignore the spelling of arent' I?, it is simply one of a number of verbs that change their vowel sound in negative contractions:

can -can't (in Br E)
shall -shan't
am = aren't

do - don't
will - won't

One more question, if you please. These forms 'Is she not?', 'Does she not?', 'Has she not?', 'Do you not?' they are now formal and old-fashioned and used for emphasis. But before they became old-fashioned, they were acceptable forms. Right? Just like 'have' was used without 'do'? As in 'Have you a dog?' Instead of 'Do you have a dog?' And 'Had you a car?' Instead of 'Did you have a car?'

 

[GoesStation]

Is it true that 'amn't I' used to be an acceptable form? In modern English native speakers use 'aren't I' instead.

I can't remember who it was, but somewhere, years ago, I had a friend or acquaintance who always said "amn't I". It was rather an affectation, but it didn't stick out terribly.

 

[GoesStation]

One more question, if you please. These forms 'Is she not?', 'Does she not?', 'Has she not?', 'Do you not?' they are now formal and old-fashioned and used for emphasis. But before they became old-fashioned, they were acceptable forms. Right? Just like 'have' was used without 'do'? As in 'Have you a dog?' Instead of 'Do you have a dog?' And 'Had you a car?' Instead of 'Did you have a car?'

Jane Austen's early nineteenth-century upper-class English characters say am not I? and the like. We have no reason to think she wasn't reproducing actual speech she might have heard at the time.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Jane Austen's early nineteenth-century upper-class English characters say am not I? and the like. We have no reason to think she wasn't reproducing actual speech she might have heard at the time.

I just remembered a poem The Fly by William Blake. Am not I a fly like thee?'

 

[Rachel Adams]

That was written in 1794, b someone who often used poetic language.

I once read on this forum 'Can you not find it?' It was written by a native speaker. I was surprised that person didn't say 'can't you find it?' But that was before I asked my question and you said that such forms ('Am I not?' Do you not?' 'Does she not?' 'Will I not?') are formal and used for emphasis.

 

[Rachel Adams]

That was written in 1794, by someone who often used poetic language.

Was it also common not to use 'did' with 'have'?

'You had a car, hadn't you?' 'Had you not?'
'You hadn't a car, had you?'

 

[GoesStation]

Was it also common not to use 'did' with 'have'?

'You had a car, hadn't you?' 'Had you not?'
'You hadn't a car, had you?'

Those look like believable constructions for the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, but they wouldn't understand the word "car".

See 1:54: