Corrections · 3
Neal is correct.
Also, the main verb is taping, while "are you" means "is this correct?" It takes the statement they just made, and turns it into a question.
For instance: "You're not taping any of this." is a statement of fact. It means that they have told you a fact. In this case, the fact is that you are not taping.
"You're not taping any of this, are you?" is now a question. The ", are you?" turns everything before it into a question.
Examples: "You're not pregnant." is a statement of fact.
"You're not pregnant, are you?" is now a question.
"You're not asleep." is a statement of fact.
"You're not asleep, are you?" is now a question.
Now, regarding the verb "taping," it refers to recording what someone says or does.
It doesn't matter whether or not there is an actual tape; we call the action of recording "taping." So you can be "taping" something if you are recording it to CD, or DVD, or a videotape, or a file on a computer.
So, the sentence "You're not taping any of this, are you?" can be re-written as:
You're not recording any of this, are you?
You're not video-taping this, are you?
You're not creating an audio record of this, are you?
You're not creating a video record of this, are you?
Are you recording any of this?
Are you video-taping this?
Are you creating an audio record of this?
Are you creating a video record of this?
One more thing to notice about the question "You're not taping any of this, are you?"
Because the first part of the question is a negative statement ("you're NOT"), the second part must be positive ("ARE you"). If you make the first part positive, the second part must be made negative. For example:
Negative then positive: "You are NOT taping any of this, ARE you?"
Positive then negative: "You ARE taping this, AREN'T you?"
These two questions are looking for the same information: whether or not taping is occurring. Either sentence can be used, but there is something important to notice: in the first sentence the person is probably hoping that you are not recording, while in the second sentence they are probably hoping that you are recording.
I need your help. Can you explain the last sentence?
It takes a certain kind of person to decide to leave everything familiar behind and meet new people, have new experiences. You're not taping any of this are you.
You're not taping any of this are you.
What's the mean of the verb "taping"?
What's the main verb in this(are not taping(former verb) or are(last verb)) ?
thanks..
Jake - in this context, the main verb, 'to tape' is a short form of 'to tape-record', which refers to the pre-digital days of magnetic tape recording, but is still used as a general verb, covering the recording of sound, such as interviews etc, and even video-tape recording from the TV too.
The sentence is frequently used as a question: "You're not taping any of this, are you?"
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