The ministry of higher and secondary special education of the republic of uzbekistan

ALTERNATIVE QUESTIONS (
“or
” 
questions
 )
are those in which the hearer is
asked to choose from two or more alternatives. An alternative question consists of two or 
more parts. As a rule, each of the alternatives is pronounced as a separate sense-group. 
There are two kinds of alternatives: 
limited
and 
unlimited
.
The choice is limited when the list of alternatives is complete. Non-final sense- 
groups in such questions take the Low or the High Narrow Rise which may be preceded by 
the Descending Stepping Scale, while the last sense-group is pronounced with the falling 
tone (Low or High Wide).
'Do you pre'fer 
ˏ
apples or 
ˎ
pears?
 
 
'Is this ex'pression 'used in 'actual 
ˏ
speech 
≀
or 'is it 'only a 
ˎ
bookish ex

pression? 
The choice is unlimited when the list of alternatives is incomplete and the hearer may 
add to it. In such alternative questions all the sense-groups take a rising tone (Low or 
High). 
'Can I 'get you a 'cup of 
ˏ
coffee, 
≀
an 'ice 
ˏ
cream 
≀
or a 
ˏ
lemonade? 
 
DISJUNCTIVE (TAG) QUESTIONS 
contain
 
two sense - groups. The first sense - 
group is a statement (affirmative or negative), the second – a question tag. If the statement 
is affirmative, the tag is usually negative and vice versa.
When the speaker is certain that his statement is obviously true and he demands that the 
hearer agrees with him, both sense-groups take a fall (High Wide or Low). 
You 'can’t 'do 'two 'things at a 
`
time, │
`
can you? 
'This is a 
ˎ
book, │
ˎ
isn’t it? 
When the speaker expects the listener to agree, although he isn’t quite certain, he uses 
the Low Fall on the statement and the Low Rise on the tag.
We shall 'see you to-
ˎ
morrow, │
ˏ
shan’t we? 
You 'speak 
ˎ
English, 
ˏ
don’t you?