This intriguing grammar question was raised in the Forum sometime ago by a username who goes by the username Nutcracker: “Which is correct, ‘am I not?’/‘ain’t I?’ or ‘aren’t I?’? “Tag questions are taught early in grade school, and as far as I can recall, we add the tag question based on the verb used in the first part, following the positive-negative, negative-positive rule, as in ‘I have given you the result,
haven’t I?’ However, I often come across this form in fiction books: ‘I am a burden to you,
aren’t I?’ Is this accepted in the Western English language? I’ve been trying to find the rule in this case until I chanced upon your very educational English site.”
My reply to Nutcracker:In spoken English, as we know, a tag question is a usually contracted interrogative fragment that immediately follows a declarative or imperative main clause, as in “You are now of voting age,
aren’t you?” The speaker adds the tag question—in this case the contracted “aren’t you?” for “are you not?”—to get a quick response from the listener.
The uncontracted equivalent of “aren’t you?” in the first-person singular is, of course, “am I not?”, as in “I am now a qualified voter,
am I not?” This isn’t the way educated native English speakers normally say it, though. Almost always, they would contract the verb in both the main statement and in the tag question. In this case, they’d say “I’m now a qualified voter,
aren’t I?”
From the sound and look of it, “aren’t I?” is obviously not the contraction of “am I not?” Its more logical contracted form is “ain’t I?” or “amn’t I?”, but admittedly, both sound and look so awkward that educated English speakers don’t feel comfortable using them. Even if “ain’t I?” and “amn’t I?” are used colloquially in some areas of the United States and the United Kingdom, they are actually deemed nonstandard and improper in polite society or educated circles.
This is why in fiction books and in most other published works, you’d almost always come across the statement “I am a burden to you,
aren’t I?” instead of its deeply colloquial equivalents “I am a burden to you,
ain’t I?” and “I am a burden to you,
amn’t I?” Indeed, most grammar authorities of American and British English consider “aren’t I?” standard usage, so those who habitually use “ain’t I?” and “amn’t I?” as tag questions risk being looked down as uneducated.
As you pointed out, tag questions normally use the opposite polarity rule for the verb in the main statement, as in this example you presented, “I have given you the result,
haven’t I?” However, this rule isn’t followed when people are strongly expressing sarcasm, disbelief, surprise, concern, shock, or anger. Instead, they are apt to use positive tag questions instead: “You think you’re God’s gift to mankind,
do you?” “Oh, you will really quit the speakership,
will you?” “So you think I’m being funny,
do you?” And as a mark of civility or politeness, a speaker can very well attach a positive tag question to a positively stated request: “See me now,
will you?” “Do that,
will you?” “Please send me the audit report,
will you?”
The opposite polarity rule for tag questions is also not followed when there’s a breakdown of civility or when people are expressing downright hostility and combativeness. In such situations, negative tags are used for negative main statements: “So you don’t respect me at all,
don’t you?” “You really didn’t like my proposed amendment,
didn’t you?” “So you don’t think political dynasties are good for this country,
don’t you?” In such cases, a negative tag is used instead of a positive tag to express contempt or displeasure or to make the listener uncomfortable about his or her position.
(2012)This essay, 828th in the series, first appeared in the weekly column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the February 9, 2012 issue of The Manila Times
, © 2012 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. COMPANION READING:Saying our tag questions rightDepartures from the rules for tag questions
