Основное правило — полярность
Полярность хвостика противоположна полярности основной части предложения. Положительное предложение получает отрицательный хвост — и наоборот.
She is a doctor,
Она доктор…
isn't she?
…не правда ли?
She isn't here,
Её здесь нет…
is she?
…правда?
В хвосте всегда стоит вспомогательный глагол из основного предложения (или do / does / did, если вспомогательного нет) + местоимение. Смысловой глагол в хвосте никогда не повторяется.
Алгоритм построения хвоста
Четыре шага — и хвост готов:
Образование по временам
| Основное предложение | Хвост |
|---|---|
| She is a teacher, | isn't she? |
| They are coming, | aren't they? |
| He was there, | wasn't he? |
| You were late, | weren't you? |
| She works here, | doesn't she? |
| They played well, | didn't they? |
| He will help, | won't he? |
| You would know, | wouldn't you? |
| She can swim, | can't she? |
| They should wait, | shouldn't they? |
| He has finished, | hasn't he? |
| You have been there, | haven't you? |
| She had left, | hadn't she? |
| It must be cold, | mustn't it? |
Исключения и особые случаи
Шесть ситуаций, где стандартное правило не работает или работает иначе:
Do be quiet, won't you? (мягко)
Don't be late, will you? (предупреждение)
He hardly ever speaks, does he?
There's nothing to do, is there?
Everyone enjoyed it, didn't they?
Someone took it, didn't they?
There aren't any seats, are there?
Have got (British English): в британском варианте have got ведёт себя как вспомогательный:
You have got a pen, haven't you? — а не don't you?
Интонация и смысл
Один и тот же хвост несёт разный смысл в зависимости от интонации голоса:
Ещё пример одинаковой полярности: Oh, you found a wallet, did you? — удивление или скепсис. Это намеренный разговорный приём.
Шпаргалка
| Ситуация | Хвост |
|---|---|
| I am + … | aren't I? |
| Let's … | shall we? |
| Императив (нейтральная просьба) | will you? |
| Императив (мягкая просьба) | won't you? |
| Nobody / Everyone / Someone… | did/do they? |
| There is / There are… | is/are there? |
| Отрицательное слово в предложении | положительный хвост |
| Have got (British English) | haven't / hasn't…? |
| ↘ Падающая интонация хвоста | уверенное подтверждение |
| ↗ Восходящая интонация хвоста | настоящий вопрос |