It's hot today, isn't it?

    The words which appear in red, are the ones which you would normally say with a heavier stress:

    • (Yes), it is, isn't it?
    • (Yes), very hot, isn't it?
    • (Yes), it is hot, isn't it?
    • You can say that again.
    • It certainly is.
    • Yes, (absolutely) scorching, isn't it?

    • (Yes), I guess it is a bit hot, isn't it?
    • (Yes), I suppose it is a bit on the hot side.
    • (Yes), I suppose it is hot, now you come to mention it.

COMMENTS

  1. STRESSING THE AUXILIARY VERB:
    As you can see, in most of the examples is becomes the stressed word. This technique of repeating what the speaker says but stressing the auxiliary verb, is a very simple but effective way of showing agreement in English. It can also be done with other auxiliary verbs like can or have:

      1. John's a good footballer.
      2. Yes, he is a good footballer, isn't he?

      1. Sue's been behaving a bit strange lately, hasn't she?
      2. Yeah, she has been acting strange, now you mention it.

    In cases where there is no auxiliary verb, we can use a form of do:

      1. Mary wears some peculiar clothes, doesn't she?
      2. Yes, she does have a strange way of dressing, doesn't she?

      1. I studied pretty hard when I was at university.
      2. Yes, I remember. You did work hard in those days.

    VERY IMPORTANT: When you make these responses, remember to stress the verb in red. If you're not sure how to do that, please ask a native speaker to model it for you.

  2. STRESSING "VERY":
    In these examples:

      1. It's hot today, isn't it?
      2. (Yes), very hot, isn't it?

      1. This is an interesting article, isn't it?
      2. (Yes), very interesting.

    the stress falls on very. This is another simple but effective way of showing agreement. In Speaker A's comments, hot and interesting are the most important words. However, instead of simple repeating Speaker A's words, Speaker B wants to add something new. He/she wants to communicate "Yes, I agree that it's hot. In fact, I think it's not simply hot - it's VERY hot." Therefore, very is the most important word in Speaker B's response. Again, if you want to hear how this sounds, ask a native speaker friend to model it for you.

  3. YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!:
    This is a useful phrase for showing total agreement. As in all the examples we have seen today, it has a special stress pattern: You can say THAT again! Again, ask a native speaker to model it for you.

  4. SCORCHING, ISN'T IT?
    This is an example of responding with an EXTREME ADJECTIVE. If you want to know more about this type of response, please click this link for my one point lesson on extreme adjectives: I got very wet, absolutely drenched

    We hope you find this lesson useful. Click here if you want to try some of my other one-point lessons.

    © Robert E. Jones, 2003