含半否定副词的陈述句的附加疑问句
He was hardly nine when his mother died, was he?
上面的陈述句是肯定式,为什么其附加疑问句也用肯定式?
hardly, scarcely, seldom, rarely, little, few 等叫做半否定副词。含有这些半否定词的句子无论在句意上，还是在句法上，都具有否定句的特点。因此这类句子的附加疑问句，应采取肯定形式：
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He scarcely knew a word of English, did he? 他对英语几乎一窍不通,是不是?
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You seldom work on Sundays, do you? 你很少在星期天工作,是不是?
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He had little time to spare, did he? 他能腾出的时间很少,是不是?
请做下面的英语试题：
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Tom seldom went to see a film last month, ____? A. didn't he B. did he not C. did he D. he did
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She never tells a lie, ____?
A. does she B. doesn't she C. does not she D. isn't it(全国高考)
- You never told us why you were late for the last meeting, ____?
A. weren't you B. didn't you C. had you D. did you(全国研考)
- A hibernating animal needs hardly any food all through the winter, ____?
A. need it B. needn't it C. does it D. doesn't it(全国英语专业四级,92-59)
- You and I could hardly understand, ____?
A. could I B. couldn't you C. couldn't we D. could we(全国英语专业四级,95-60) tag questions
everyone . . . , doesn't he? / don't they?
（1）Everyone knows how to do it, ____? A. doesn't he B. don't they C. do they D. does it
《海淀名题·高中英语语法完全解题》(东北师大出版社, p. 162) 给的答案是 B。
(2) Nobody except me knows French in my class, ____?
A. does he B. doesn't he C. do they D. don't they
《高中英语语法练习手册》(外研社, p.175) 给的答案是 C, 并作了如下解答:
“当陈述句的主语是 nobody, no one, neither, anybody, any one, everybody, every one, somebody, some one 等词时，后面的附加疑问句的主语要用 they。”
(3) Everyone hopes to succeed in life, ____? A. doesn't he B. don't they C. hasn't he D. haven't they
《新高考英语必考语法精析》(商务印书馆国际有限公司, p.295) 给的答案是 B。以上三书都把 everyone(nobody...) does he? 判为错误,但这种用法果真是错误的吗?
在以前的 TOEFL 等英语试题中, everyone ... they 曾被判为错误。而在上面的英语试题中, 又统统把 everyone ... he 判为错误, 从一个极端走向了另一个极端。这两个极端均未反映出英语的实际使用情况。R. Quirk 等人认为下列两个句子都是正确的:
a) Everyone thinks they have the answer.
b) Everyone thinks he has the answer.
并作了如下的补充：
“在非正式场合，用不定代词作主语时，they 常常用在后面的附加疑问句中：Everybody is leaving, aren't they? Nobody is leaving, are they?”
章振邦教授在其[《新编英语语法》(第三版)(上海外教社,p.857)]中也明确指出：
“如果陈述部分的主语为 everyone, someone, anyone, no one 等不定代词, 其疑问部分的主语可用 he, 也可用 they。例如:
Everyone knows his job, doesn't he?
Everyone knows their job, don't they?"
由此可见，上面的试题存在很大的弊病，应予纠正。