Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[alexandra]

Hello everybody

First of all, I'll assume that do/does and did are called auxiliary verbs in questions. Please tell me if I'm wrong.

"How dare you" is a question, isn't it? why there isn't a auxiliary verb in it?
If I say "How do you dare?" would it be wrong?

In wich cases can I ask something without using the auxiliary verb? If there's such cases.

Hope I'm making sense.
Thanks

[bud]

It looks like a question, but I think it is an exclamation. It's the same sort of thing as "How exciting!"

Your suggestion is a question. I suppose it is correct, but most likely you would be expecting an answer. That is not the case with "How dare you!" so they are not exactly the same.

It's true that many questions use auxillary verbs, but not always. Unfortunately, I don't know why sometimes they are needed and at other times not. Here are a few examples:

Is she home?
Who took my pencil?
How was the concert last night?

Hope that helps.

[alexandra]

Thanks bud

[alexandra]

Bud (or anybody else), if you, by chance, come back
to this page, could you please help me again?

Is this sentence "You want me to tell you something?" correct?
I saw it in a lyrics. I would say "Do you want me...", but
I thought that maybe, talking with friends, the first way
might be more appropriate.
Does the first sentence fit for any situation?

I was watching TV last week, and a guy was in a party
where there were many dentists. He had a toothache, and asked everyone "you are dentist" in a low voice.
I mean, "You are dentist" as a question? I think I heard that! Is it possible?

Thank you guys.

[bud]

Hi Alexandra,

(I get an e-mail from Dave's website whenever there is a new message in a thread I've already participated in.)

Your first example is correct, even though on paper it looks like a statement. The issue, I think, is that in informal speech, we often take shortcuts. We drop off the leading 'Do,' and the listener automatically assumes it without having to think about it. The clue is the intonation, with the last 2 or 3 words rising in tone. Saying the same words as a statement would not have that rising pattern. So yes, it can be a question.

Your second example is the same thing, altough he was most likely asking "You a dentist?" It would be the shortcut for "Are you a dentist?"

You would use this shortcut in casual situations. It is not that taking this shortcut is more appropriate than a full question, but that it is just another option.

Great question!

[alexandra]

Thank you bud. It wasn't for you...