WHAT’S IN A QUESTION? MITESOL 2013 Jacquie Osborn, MATESOL, SVSU Jeannine Lorenger, MATESOL, SVSU Mary Klaus, MATESOL, SVSU

Haven’t you graded my homework yet? Or Perhaps negative questions are more appropriate when asked by teachers than when asked by students.

What’s the Message or Possible Implication? Q uestions with Negative Markers How do you make them? When do you use them? How do you respond to them? What is the appropriate speaker/audience relationship?

How to form negative questions Form as unmarked questions, but with a negative in them. – Compare: Do you want to go to lunch with us? (an open invitation) Don’t you want to go to lunch with us? (surprise or irritation that you might not want to go) Note that the form is the same, but the tone and meaning are quite different.

When to use - To confirm information – Doesn’t the meeting start at 9 a.m. tomorrow? To express an opinion – Don’t you think we have way too much homework? To express and confirm an expectation – Haven’t you started your paper yet?

How to respond - Answer a negative question just like you would answer an unmarked question. – Haven’t you started your paper yet? Yes. I have 3 pages written. No. I plan to start it this weekend. What? We have a paper due?

Confusing answers from ESL students- Haven’t you read the story? – Yes, I haven’t. – No, I have. Now, we ask ourselves, “Did they or did they not read the story?” A direct question would have been more easily understood by the student.

To teach or not to teach? Grammar books often exclude negative questions. Students who understand and use them tend to be highly proficient in English Is passive awareness enough? Thoughts?

Activities to encourage use of negative questions - 20 negative questions Substitute negative for positive questions? – Do you have fur? Don’t you have fur? The game of Yut with negative questions From Waygook.org, included in handout Variations of information question board games using negative questions, sample included in handout