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Question with a tail in English, what is the tone? It's OK if I'm asking question about language, eh? 1) This question has the same tone of question, colour etc. as "Is it OK, if I'm asking question about language?" For me, it seems that Qs with a the tails have a litlle bit agressive colour (for instance when you feel agressive), am I wrong? 2) eh, huh and etc can replace any of "do I", "did I", "have I", "don't I" etc? Or it works only for the certain tenses? Thanky!

Answers · 8

3
I agree with Michael - replacing tag questions with non-linguistic 'sounds' such as 'huh' and 'eh' can sound very rude and even aggressive. You should avoid using them in this way. If you can't cope with standard tag questions, there is one very simple solution. It's the word 'right'. If you add 'right?' to any statement, and use an appropriate upward intonation, you can turn it into a question. It's very easy to do, and not as rude as making caveman noises like 'Huh'? This form became widespread in the US some time ago, and is now used in Britain too, especially by younger people. You have the money = Statement You have the money, right? = Question Good, eh?
2
"eh" and "huh" are not standard informal substitutes for tag questions, in my experience, though of course usage varies between countries, within countries and between different cultural groups. You're right that that "eh" and "huh" could sound aggressive or rude, a bit like - "have you got a problem with what I am saying?" In my view, "yeah" is a common but less aggressive alternative but still very informal. I recommend that you don't worry too much about these informal ways of speaking until you are studying for a C2 level course. In my opinion, it's much more important to concentrate on getting the form and tone of standard tag questions right, and generally improve your language skills. Good luck.

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