 #32 (permalink) Fri Jun 10, 2011 17:06 pm sarcastic question tags |
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Hello Alan,
I've got to admit that I have never used the first type of question tags!
Your explanation is clear, thanks.
However, let's see if I have understood it correctly:
| Quote: |
1 The sarcastic response or one showing surprise or disbelief where both are postive as in:
A I've worked really hard today
B You have, have you? |
So B is, in a way, saying that he does not believe A, doesn't he?
I always try to find some sort of equivalence with my native language... as does everyone else, I guess. In Italian we wouldn't use anything like this, so it's a little hard to learn this grammar point. We can say something like "davvero?" ("really?"), with a particular intonation, or "ma va!", that actually means we don't believe the speaker (either only joking or being really sarcastic, if we don't like that person...). Anyway, practice makes perfect, doesn't it? :-)
But what does Paul mean in the following?
| Quote: |
Sarah: 'You're being very rude!'
Paul: 'Oh I am, am I?' |
Is he replying that he doesn't think he's being rude or is he implying that he doesn't care whether he's being rude? |
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 Betty76
You can meet me at english-test.net
Joined: 30 Dec 2010
Posts: 66
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