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You Know?
Some thoughts about tag questions
Occasionally, I hear myself say something like “I enjoy a good ribeye, you know?” I add the tag question because I hope to be reassured that my listener either agrees with me or at least knows what I mean.
Lately, I’ve heard something like “Tofu is better than any kind of beef, right?” Of course, everyone should be free to choose his or her tag question, but I suggest that “you know” has an advantage over “right.”
When someone says, “You know,” the listener who doesn’t know or who does know and disagrees can politely say, “No.” But if you do know what someone means and you disagree, how can you politely respond to “Right?” You can hardly say, “Wrong,” you know?
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John Porter manages his family’s cattle ranch in California, where he also writes essays, stories, and screenplays — and does enjoy a good, medium-rare ribeye.
