Teaching English as a Foreign Language

182 Part III: Teaching Skills Classes

Figure 12-2:

Showing ris-

ing or falling

intonation.

You are waiting for me, aren’t you?

You are waiting for me, aren’t you?

In this case, the question tag ‘aren’t you’ with falling intonation can indicate

that you know what’s going on. It may be rhetorical. Then again, with rising

intonation, it sounds as though you really aren’t sure and need an answer.