"daisy sounded like she had a cold, didn't she?"

Question

'daisy sounded like she had a cold, didn't she?'

is that mean

1) didn't she (sound like she had a cold)?

or

2) didn't she (have a cold)?

what's correct?

Answer 1

Much can depend on context, but I would consider such a statement to be a rhetorical question. A rhetorical question is a type of figurative language, where a question is posed for effect or to make a point, rather than to elicit an actual answer. Quite often the answer (according to the speaker, at least) is already implicit in the question.

It is generally easy to spot a rhetorical question because of its position in the sentence. It occurs immediately after the comment made and states the opposite of it. The idea again is to make a point more prominent.

• "It’s too hot today. Isn’t it?"
• "The actors played the roles well. Didn’t they?"

So, in the case of:

'Daisy sounded like she had a cold, didn't she?'

...the speaker is not asking if Daisy has a cold. He or she believes that Daisy has a cold, and is posing a rhetorical question as a way of drawing attention to the fact that Daisy has a cold.

In other words, your first assumption is closer to the mark.

Rhetorical questions are used quite often in day-to-day speech. For example:

• Do you know what time it is? (Meaning: You are late.)

• Who doesn't love pizza? (This question is making the positive point: "Everyone loves pizza!")

• What have the Romans ever done for us? [Monty Python's Life of Brian] (This question is making the negative point: "The Romans have done nothing for us.")

Answer 2

It's closer in meaning to the first one. The "didn't she" part is seeking confirmation from the addressee regarding the statement that preceded it.