Reply questions: Was it? Did you, dear?

Short questions are often used in conversation to show that the listener is paying attention and interested. They are constructed with auxiliary verb + pronoun, like question tags (see here).

• ‘It was a terrible party.’ ‘Was it?’ ‘Yes …’

Note that these questions do not ask for information – they simply show that the listener is reacting to what has been said. More examples:

• ‘We had a lovely trip.’ ‘Did you?’ ‘Yes, we went …’
• ‘I’ve got a headache.’ ‘Have you, dear? I’ll get you an aspirin.’
• ‘Jack likes that girl next door.’ ‘Oh, does he?’
• ‘I don’t understand.’ ‘Don’t you? I’m sorry.’

Negative questions in reply to affirmative statements express emphatic agreement (like negative-question exclamations, (see here).

• ‘It was a lovely concert.’ ‘Yes, wasn’t it? I did enjoy it.’
• ‘She’s put on a lot of weight.’ ‘Yes, hasn’t she?’