Mastering English Language Nuances

Question Tags, Narrative and Descriptive Composition, and Stress and Intonation

• Question tags are short questions used at the end of statements to confirm if the statement is true or not.
• The subject of a question tag is always a pronoun and can be used in different ways.
• Negative question tags use the pattern of auxiliary + n’t + subject, while positive question tags use the pattern of auxiliary + subject.
• Question tags with an auxiliary verb use the same auxiliary verb, and those without an auxiliary verb use the relevant form of ‘do.’
• There are exceptions to the rules of question tags, such as using ‘shall we’ for suggestions or ‘will you’ for requests.
• The intonation of question tags varies depending on whether the speaker already knows the answer or is seeking information.
• Narrative composition tells a story about an event, while descriptive composition creates a picture of a person, place, thing, or event for the reader.
• Narrative essay topics can include personal experiences, while descriptive essay topics focus on sensory detail to create a three-dimensional picture.
• The most common types of writing assignments in composition classes are exposition, argument, narration, and description.
• Stress in words and sentences is about which sounds are emphasised, with content words usually being stressed.
• Examples of stressed and unstressed patterns can be found in words like ‘banana’ and ‘orange.’
• Stress and intonation are important for conveying meaning and emphasis in spoken English.