Basic Grammar ala Kampung Inggris

29. Question Tag

Question Tag adalah pertanyaan singkat yang terletak di akhir kalimat untuk memberikan penegasan. Question tag bisa digunakan pada:

a. kalimat pernyataan (statement), bisa diartikan dengan -kan.

Misal: Kamu tidak suka tomat, kan?

b. kalimat perintah (imperative), bisa diartikan dengan -dong.

Misal: Bukain pintunya, dong?

c. kalimat ajakan (invitation), bisa diartikan dengan -yuk.

Misal: Kita pulang, yuk?

Aturan dalam Question Tag

A. Aturan umum

1. jika statement (+), tag harus (-)

2. jika statement (-), tag harus (+)

3. penulisan negative tag harus disingkat, misalnya

- do not >> don't

- have not >> haven't

- will not >> won't

- is not >> isn't, etc.

4. subject tag harus berupa pronoun (I, you, we, they, he, she, it, there)

B. Aturan khusus

1. jika statement berupa kalimat nominal (ordinary verb-nya berupa 'be'), maka tag menggunakan 'be' tersebut.

e.g.:

- She is so beautiful, isn't she?

- Your father wasn't a doctor, was he?

- You were there, weren't you?

2. jika statement memiliki auxiliary verb, maka tag menggunakan auxiliary tersebut

e.g.:

- He will come here, won't he?

- Your brother was not looking for me, was he?

- They have submitted their paper, haven't they?

3. jika statement berupa kalimat verbal (+) dan menggunakan tenses Simple Present, maka tag menggunakan 'do/ does + not'

e.g.:

- He always comes late, doesn't he?

- The shops open at 8, do they?

4. jika statement berupa kalimat verbal (+) dan menggunakan tenses Simple Past, maka tag menggunakan 'did + not'

e.g.:

- They helped you yesterday, didn't they?

- You got an A in English, didn't you?

5. jika dalam statement terdapat "I am" maka tag menggunakan 'aren't I', sedangkan "I am not" menggunakan tag berupa "am I"

e.g.:

- I am beautiful, aren't I?

- I am not your servant, am I?

6. jika statement menggunakan subject berupa expletive 'there' maka tag menggunakan 'there'

e.g.:

- There are many guests here, aren't there?

- There was an accident in front of your office, wasn't there?

7. jika subject dalam statement menggunakan indefinite person (somebody, everybody, someone, etc) maka tag menggunakan 'they'

e.g.:

- Someone called you last night, didn't they?

- Nobody is in this room, are they?

8. jika subject dalam statement menggunakan indefinite thing (something, everything, anything, etc) maka tag menggunakan 'it'

e.g.:

- Everything is okay, isn't it?

9. jika subject dalam statement menggunakan 'this/ that' maka tag menggunakan 'it'

e.g.:

- This is not your business, is it?

- That was your fault, wasn't it?

10. jika subject dalam statement menggunakan 'these/ those' maka tag menggunakan 'they'

e.g.:

- These are your drawing, aren't they?

- Those were yours, were they?

11. jika dalam statement terdapat negative words (never, no, seldom, rarely, nothing, nobody, no one, etc.) maka tag berupa kalimat (+)

e.g.:

- I never come late, do I?

- They found nothing in this cave, did they?

12. jika statement menggunakan modal (+), maka tag menggunakan modal (-) dan sebaliknya

e.g.:

- He can't speak French, can he?

- You can swim, can't you?

13. jika statement berupa imperative (+)/ (-) maka tag menggunakan 'will you'

e.g.:

- Open the door, will you?

- Don't disturb me, will you?

14. jika statement berrupa ajakan berupa 'let's + V1' maka ttag menggunakan 'shall we'

e.g.:

- Let's go home, shall we?

- Let's dance together, shall we?

*bandingkan dengan kalimat berikut:

- Let it go, will you?

- Let me pay for the bill, will you?

Kedua kalimat tersebut menggunakan tag berupa 'will you' karena kalimat tersebut merupakan kalimat perintah/ imperative dengan pola "Let + S + V1"