# A question tag - aren't I?



## Eladio the Chemist

Hi, everyone!
Could you help me with this, please? Today I heard on the street (probably a Canadian woman): I am a good buyer, aren't I?
Is this correct? I thought we say: I am a good buyer, am I not?
And thanks in advance!


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## Chris K

"Aren't I?" is very common and as far as I know it's not considered incorrect. "Am I not?" is also correct, but sounds a bit formal these days. 

Curiously, you _can't_ say "I'm not a good buyer, *are* I?


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## Chris K

Here, by the way, is an excellent article on the subject of "aren't I?":

http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/why-arent-i/


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## Eladio the Chemist

Thanks a lot, Chris K!
I would never have thought that "aren't" were correct with "I"! Unfortunately, I don't have free access to all Internet sites here, so I can't access http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.co...4/why-arent-i/


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## Chris K

Eladio the Chemist said:


> Thanks a lot, Chris K!
> I would never have thought that "aren't" were correct with "I"! Unfortunately, I don't have free access to all Internet sites here, so I can't access http://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.co...4/why-arent-i/



*"Summary:* No, _aren’t I_ isn’t incorrect.  It’s been in use  for at least 130 years, the alternatives are all insufficient, and the  “logical” arguments against it are fallacious.  It’s no more incorrect  than using _better_ instead of _gooder_."


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## Eladio the Chemist

Thanks a lot, Chris K! Very kind of you!


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## neal41

'Aren't I?' as a tag question is common, and as Chris K says, the alternative 'am I not?' is a bit formal.  I don't, however, see the arguments against it as being fallacious or illogical.  In the case of the tag questions 'is he not?', 'are they not?', 'are you not?', 'are we not?' and 'am I not?', the verb in the tag question matches the verb in the preceding clause.  The first four lead to reasonable contractions: 'isn't he?', 'aren't you?', etc.  The contraction 'amn't I?' is not easily pronounced, and we need a way out.  According to Wikipedia the contraction 'amn't' developed into 'ain't', which many people regard as substandard.  We need another way out.

The rule that the verb in tag questions matches the verb in the previous clause is reasonable, but in one case it creates a problem, and so in that case we abandon it.  If we use the wrong verb, namely, 'are', we have a reasonable contraction 'aren't' and we say 'aren't I?'.  Note that we don't get carried away and say *'are I not?' instead of 'am I not?'.


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## donbill

Eladio the Chemist said:


> Hi, everyone!
> Could you help me with this, please? Today I heard on the street (probably a Canadian woman): I am a good buyer, aren't I?
> Is this correct? I thought we say: I am a good buyer, am I not?
> And thanks in advance!



Chris K and Neal41 have given you excellent answers, but I feel compelled to add a comment.

I believe that I am an educated speaker of American English, but I never say--and I would never say!--'aren't I?'. I think it sounds hideously pretentious and pompous. I recommend that you use 'am I not?' and that you banish 'aren't I?' from your inventory of English tag questions. 

Saludos


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## gengo

donbill said:


> I never say--and I would never say!--'aren't I?'. I think it sounds hideously pretentious and pompous. I recommend that you use 'am I not?' and that you banish 'aren't I?' from your inventory of English tag questions.



That's interesting, because to me it is the opposite; "am I not" sounds formal (as Chris mentioned), and in some cases might even sound pretentious, while "aren't I" sounds perfectly natural and correct.

I'm a good leader, aren't I? (normal to me)
I'm a good leader, am I not? (sounds like the person is bragging)


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## Chris K

gengo said:


> That's interesting, because to me it is the opposite; "am I not" sounds formal (as Chris mentioned), and in some cases might even sound pretentious, while "aren't I" sounds perfectly natural and correct.
> 
> I'm a good leader, aren't I? (normal to me)
> I'm a good leader, am I not? (sounds like the person is bragging)



I can't imagine a mother saying "I'm you're mother, am I not?" to her child, for example.


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## donbill

gengo said:


> That's interesting, because to me it is the opposite; "am I not" sounds formal (as Chris mentioned), and in some cases might even sound pretentious, while "aren't I" sounds perfectly natural and correct.
> 
> I'm a good leader, aren't I? (normal to me)
> I'm a good leader, am I not? (sounds like the person is bragging)





Chris K said:


> I can't imagine a mother saying "I'm you're mother, am I not?" to her child, for example.



Okay, I have a solution. Because I detest '*aren't I?'* as a tag question that means '*am I not*?', I propose that we convert '*aren't I*?' into a new word and that we spell it '*arntigh*'. As I pronounce them, 'aren't I' and 'arntigh' sound exactly the same. The next step would be to limit the use of 'arntigh' to that of tag question whose meaning is 'am I not?'. That would be its only use, and it would be ungrammatical in any other other case. To use one of gengo's examples, we'd have:

*I'm a good leader, arntigh?*

I make this modest proposal to eliminate a bothersome inconsistency in the English language: specifically the use of 'are' with 'I'. If I say 'aren't I', am I  not implying, at least by analogy, that it's okay to say things like "I are a good leader, are I not?"

I hope that gengo, Chris K and hundreds more foreros will join me in my efforts to correct this grotesque defect in our language. I am right about this, arntigh?

Saludos


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## gengo

donbill said:


> I make this modest proposal to eliminate a bothersome inconsistency in the English language: specifically the use of 'are' with 'I'. If I say 'aren't I', am I  not implying, at least by analogy, that it's okay to say things like "I are a good leader, are I not?"



I have always assumed, without any real evidence, that this inconsistency was due to the lack of a correct contraction for the negative first-person form of the be verb (I am not).  I have no idea why we lack such a contraction.  "Ain't" is considered unacceptable, and "amn't" just sounds ridiculous (no doubt only because of its unfamiliarity; if I had grown up saying and hearing it, I'm sure it would sound fine).

So, we're stuck without a good contraction, and many (or most) of us find "aren't I" a handy substitute.  We make do with what we have.


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## donbill

gengo said:


> I have always assumed, without any real evidence, that this inconsistency was due to the lack of a correct contraction for the negative first-person form of the be verb (I am not).  I have no idea why we lack such a contraction.  "Ain't" is considered unacceptable, and "amn't" just sounds ridiculous (no doubt only because of its unfamiliarity; if I had grown up saying and hearing it, I'm sure it would sound fine).
> 
> So, we're stuck without a good contraction, and many (or most) of us find "aren't I" a handy substitute.  We make do with what we have.



Gengo, I think you're right. I realize there's no future for my new word! Thanks to you and Chris K for allowing me to have a little fun. I'm a real pain at times, aren't I?

Cheers!


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## gengo

No problem, Don Bill.  A little fun spices up the forum.


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## Eladio the Chemist

I assume that this thread was only referred to “aren’t” as a question tag. Then, I suppose that a very old man, for example, could say “Am I not 92?”. Am I right?


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## Chris K

Eladio the Chemist said:


> I assume that this thread was only referred to “aren’t” as a question tag. Then, I suppose that a very old man, for example, could say “Am I not 92?”. Am I right?



Yes, although many of us feel that "Aren't I 92?" is more idiomatic.


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## Eladio the Chemist

So, in the same way we would say:
Aren't I an engineer? better than Am I not an engineer?
Aren't I in London? better than Am I not in London?
and so on.
Is it okay?

But Chris, what about written English?
Would we write:
Are I not an engineer? or Am I not an engineer?
Are I not in London? or Am I not in London?


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## neal41

Eladio the Chemist said:


> I assume that this thread was only referred to “aren’t” as a question tag. Then, I suppose that a very old man, for example, could say “Am I not 92?”. Am I right?



Everything that we have said about 'am I not?' as a tag question applies to 'am I not?' in other contexts.  'I am not' leads to the natural, non-problematic contraction 'I'm not'.  'Am I not' does not yield a natural, easily pronounceable contraction, and hence this discussion.


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## neal41

Eladio the Chemist said:


> So, in the same way we would say:
> Aren't I an engineer? better than Am I not an engineer?
> Aren't I in London? better than Am I not in London?
> and so on.
> Is it okay?
> 
> But Chris, what about written English?
> Would we write:
> Are I not an engineer? or Am I not an engineer?
> Are I not in London? or Am I not in London?



I think that you can see from this discussion that reaction to 'aren't I' varies considerably from person to person and possibly from dialect to dialect.  It MAY be that there is some variation in reaction depending on context.  Since you are a chemist rather than a dialectologist, it is probably not worth your while to worry about the degree to which a certain expression is or is not acceptable in this or that dialect or in this or that circumstance.

'Am I not' is always acceptable even if in some circumstances it seems overly formal.  If you, as a non-native speaker of English, are overly formal in some circumstance, you will not be judged in the same way that a native speaker would be judged if he were to be overly formal in the same circumstance.

Questions involving 'am I not?" almost never occur in the written language except when reporting something in the spoken language.  In that case you would naturally be faithful to the spoken language.


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## Chris K

Eladio the Chemist said:


> So, in the same way we would say:
> Aren't I an engineer? better than Am I not an engineer?
> Aren't I in London? better than Am I not in London?
> and so on.
> Is it okay?
> 
> But Chris, what about written English?
> Would we write:
> Are I not an engineer? or Am I not an engineer?
> Are I not in London? or Am I not in London?



The uncontracted form "Are I not?" would never be acceptable. I see no problem with "aren't I?" in written English. People will tell you that contractions are not suitable in written English but I don't _[sic]_ agree. Except in a legal documents and a few other very formal contexts they're _[sic]_ absolutely fine.


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## Eladio the Chemist

Thanks, neal41
Very comprehensive answer!
Thank you Chris!


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## gengo

Eladio the Chemist said:


> Aren't I an engineer? better than Am I not an engineer?
> Aren't I in London? better than Am I not in London?
> and so on.



I think "aren't I" is better in _most_ contexts as a question tag, but in a normal interrogative sentence, we do sometimes use the non-contracted form.  It sounds more formal, but that is usually the intention.



> But Chris, what about written English?



I completely agree with Chris's last post (#21) about this.  But we should point out that there are other options that avoid this question entirely.

Ex.
I'm a good buyer, right?
I'm a good buyer, don't you think?
I'm a good buyer, huh?
etc.


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## DARIO1

*ORIGINAL
*I am a good buyer, aren't I?   tick:?)
MY TRY: I am a good buyer, am I not?

*CORRECTION*
The whole sentence is called a tag question, the ending of the question is called a question tag.
The next list all are right, except for the last one: 

--I am a good buyer, *aren't I/isn't it?*  (Colloquial/Specific: The person seeks approval 'cause he/she knows he/she is a good buyer OR that"s the reason for something else)
--I am a good buyer,* am I not?*          (Formal: The person seeks approval 'cause he/she knows he/she is a good buyer)
--I'm not a good buyer, *aren't I/ isn't it?*   (Specific: The person seeks approval 'cause he/she knows he/she is not a good buyer but hopes the opposite answer OR that"s the reason for something else)
--I'm not a good buyer,* am I not?*     (Formal: The person seeks approval 'cause he/she knows he/she is not a good buyer but hopes the opposite answer)
--I am a good buyer, *is it?*             (Specific: The person is stating that he/she is glad of being a good buyer 'cause that"s the reason for something else)
--I am a good buyer, *am I?*          (Formal: The person is stating that he/she is glad of being a good buyer)
--I am not a good buyer, *is it?*      (Specific: The person is stating that he/she is not glad of being a good buyer 'cause that"s the reason for something else)
--I am not a good buyer, *am I?*     (Formal: The person is stating that he/she is not glad of being a good buyer)
--Ain't a good buyer,* isn't it?*  (Informal: The person is stating that he/she is not glad of being a good buyer 'cause that"s the reason for something else OR The person seeks approval 'cause he/she knows he/she is not a good buyer but hopes the opposite answer)

*P.S.* Use *ISN'T* or *IS IT* in the sense, in this sentence and context, of the reason why he/she is well-dressed or expends less money. But,if it is just to say a good buyer use *AM I* or *AREN'T I* or *AM I NOT*. The context makes the question tag change.
*P.S.S* Use *RIGHT/DON'T YOU THINK/WHAT DO YOU THINK/EH/HUH/HOW ABOUT THAT* as your question tag if you think is too confusing.


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## Giorgio Spizzi

Hola, DARIO1.

I'm sure some of your ideas are a little confused: None of the sentences below follow(s) the rules of English grammar.

--*I am a good buyer, *isn't it?*
--*I am a good buyer, *is it?* 
--*I am not a good buyer, *is it?* 
--*I'm not a good buyer,* isn't it?
*--*I am a good buyer, *is it?
*--*I am not a good buyer,* is it?

*Neither do the following:

— The next list all are right 
— 'cause he/she knows he/she is not a good buyer but hopes the opposite answer
— as your question tag if you think is too confusing

No offence meant.

Best.

GS


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## gengo

Giorgio Spizzi said:


> None of the sentences below follow(s) the rules of English grammar.
> 
> --*I am a good buyer,* is it?*
> --*I am not a good buyer,* is it?*



In most cases, you are right, but there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the grammar of the above, and there are some situations in which it could be correct.  For example, let's say that the speaker is talking to a friend about a robot.  The speaker is discussing whether the robot would do well at buying things.

In the first example above, the speaker is saying "I am a good buyer, but is the robot also one?"  In the second, the speaker doubts his own skill, but wonders if the robot might be better.

Of course, such situations rare, but I wanted to point out that it is not the grammar that is incorrect here, but rather that the construction would rarely be appropriate.


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## neal41

DARIO1: You indicate that your native language is Spanish.  Whatever it is, your post #23 and your recent posts in other threads make it clear that you are not competent to tell anyone how to speak or write English.  People who ask questions in this forum are trying to improve their language capability.  Please do not confuse them by giving bad advice.


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## Wildcat1

gengo said:


> In most cases, you are right, but there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the grammar of the above, and there are some situations in which it could be correct.  For example, let's say that the speaker is talking to a friend about a robot.  The speaker is discussing whether the robot would do well at buying things.
> 
> In the first example above, the speaker is saying "I am a good buyer, but is the robot also one?"  In the second, the speaker doubts his own skill, but wonders if the robot might be better.


I agree with your judgements but I'd just point out that the topic of discussion is tag questions (as in, "The TV's not working, is it?") and in your robot sentences "is it?" is not a tag question.  (Note that in "is it" as a tag question, stronger stress is on "is"; in your examples with "it"="robot", it's "it" that must receive the stronger stress.

So limiting our attention to tag questions (as I think is appropriate here), I agree with Giorgio's judgements in #24. I accept gengo's comments if that constraint is lifted.


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## gengo

Wildcat1 said:


> I agree with your judgments but I'd just point out that the topic of discussion is tag questions (as in, "The TV's not working, is it?") and in your robot sentences "is it?" is not a tag question.  (Note that in "is it" as a tag question, stronger stress is on "is"; in your examples with "it"="robot", it's "it" that must receive the stronger stress.
> 
> So limiting our attention to tag questions (as I think is appropriate here), I agree with Giorgio's judgements in #23.



Very true.  Again, I was just pointing out that there was no grammar mistake in those examples.


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## Wildcat1

gengo said:


> judgments


I just checked three American dictionaries (including Macmillan online) and all allow both "judgement" and "judgment". ("judgment" is given first.)


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## gengo

OK, I wasn't aware that it was accepted.  I have never seen it in edited print, and my spell checker doesn't recognize it.  I wasn't trying to be pedantic, but since this is a language forum, I try to point out any errors I spot.


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## k-in-sc

"Judgment" is preferred but "judgement" is acceptable.
Dario1's post should be disregarded.


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