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I would like to know how native English speakers regard the opinion of authors of negative questions. For this reason I added the sentence "You're right." to each of the following examples (the examples are mine).

(1) Won't John go to work?
(1a) You're right. He will. — We think the questioner thinks John probably will go to work
(1b) You're right. He will not. — We think the questioner thinks John probably won't go to work

(2) Doesn't Bob wear glasses?
(2a) You're right. He does. — We think the questioner thinks Bob probably wears glasses
(2b) You're right. He does not. — We think the questioner thinks Bob probably doesn't wear glasses

(3) Didn't Fred do his homework?
(3a) You're right. He did. — We think the questioner thinks Fred probably did his homework
(3b) You're right. He did not. — We think the questioner thinks Fred probably didn't do his homework

Are all correct variants only "a" or only "b" or in every item the answer can be both "a" and "b" depending on the context?

Will your answer change if we make the questions more formal by separating "not" from the auxiliary verbs?:
Will John not go to work?
Does Bob not wear glasses?
Did Fred not do his homework?

Also, if we rewrite some one of the examples as tag question, will "a" or "b" be correct (or maybe both depending on the context)?:
(4) Bob doesn't wear glasses, does he?
(4a) You're right. He does. — We think the questioner thinks Bob probably wears glasses
(4b) You're right. He does not. — We think the questioner thinks Bob probably doesn't wear glasses

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  • I would pretty much always assume the "a" version. Negative questions like that are usually a polite way of disagreeing or correcting someone ("Didn't he?" = "He did.", "Won't he?" = "He will.")
    – Esther
    Aug 17, 2022 at 2:00
  • In your last example, it is clear what the asker thinks, because he states it outright. The sentence is effectively "Bob doesn't wear glasses. Actually, am I wrong about that?"
    – Esther
    Aug 17, 2022 at 2:02
  • In the first three, the answer can be either (a) or (b). "Surely Fred did his homework?" or "Is it really true that he didn't do it?"
    – Kate Bunting
    Aug 17, 2022 at 7:41

1 Answer 1

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In examples 1-3, the question as written indicates that the questioner is asking a question and wants to hear the opinion of the audience.

The questioner may have an opinion on what they think the correct answer is, but it's not possible to know this from the grammar. (You could try to guess it from the questioner's body language or tone of voice, but that's different from grammar).

In normal conversation, with this grammar it is generally safest to assume the questioner is honestly asking for your opinion, rather than trying to communicate their own opinion to you in a non-standard way.

Example 4 is different. The speaker first states their opinion, then asks you if you agree.

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  • This is a well-written answer; don't take my downvote to heart as a new user. I just don't believe you're correct. Negative questions are a common way of implying an assumption.
    – the-baby-is-you
    Aug 17, 2022 at 7:22

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