Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

Negative interrogatives and speech acts

435c

Negative interrogatives can be used to make polite offers and suggestions:

Would

n’t you like some more salad?

Is

n’t this a good point to end the meeting?

Negative interrogatives with the forms won’t you and couldn’t you can be used to

make requests:

Won’t you lend me your bike? I promise you I’ll look after it.

Couldn’t you postpone your meeting until next Thursday?

Couldn’t she give us a lift into town?

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

Negation | 731

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Negative interrogatives with can’t you are often used in directives:

Can’t you hurry up!

Can’t you do something about it! 

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also 408–423 Speech acts for further examples of the speech act functions of

negative interrogatives