Page 500 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

questions (5): reply questions (Was it? Did you?) 484
2 Take a look at what?
To question one part of a sentence, we can repeat the rest of the sentence, and put a stressed question word in place of the part we are asking about.
Just take a look at that. - Take a look at what?
She's invited thirteen people to dinner. - She's invited how many? We're going to Tierra del Fuego on holiday. - You're going where? I've broken the fettle gauge. - You've broken the what?
To question a verb, or the part of a sentence beginning with the verb, do what is used.
She set fire to the garage. - She did what (to the garage)?
3 repeating a question
A speaker may question a question, by repeating it with a rising intonation. Note that we use normal question structures with inverted word order, not indirect question structures, in this case.
Where are you going?- Where am I going? Home. (No'r ••• '¥here Pm g t ' J •l f t g •" • • • J
What does he want?- What does he want? Money, as usual. (NOT .•. What lie wallts? ...)
Are you tired?- Am I tired? Ofcourse not. (NOT ••• Whet,lte,. Pm tired? ...J Do squirrels eat insects?- Do squirrels eat insects? I'm not sure.
(NOT ••• YihemeF squirrels eat irtseets? ...J
484 questions (5): reply questions (Was it? Did you?)
Short questions are often used in conversation to show that the listener is paying attention and interested. They are constructed with auxiliary verb + pronoun, like question tags (see 487).
It was a terrible party. - Was it? - Yes ...
Note that these questions do not ask for information - they simply show that the listener is reacting to what has been said. More examples:
We had a lovely holiday. - Did you?- Yes, we went . ..
I've got a headache. - Have you, dear? I'll get you an aspirin.
John likes that girl next door. - Oh, does he? I don't understand. - Don't you? I'm sorry.
Negative questions in reply to affirmative statements express emphatic agreement (like negative-question exclamations - see 195.4).
It was a lovely concert. - Yes, wasn't it? I did enjoy it. She's put on a lot of weight. - Yes, hasn't she?
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