Despite the appealing offer presented in the previous question, many individuals might overlook the opportunity if faced with it in reality. It’s not because they don’t require the money, or because the person offering isn’t willing to part with a significant sum. Rather, they could miss out due to a misunderstanding of the grammar involved. Answering ‘Yes’ to the question actually indicates a refusal of the money. In essence, it means they do mind receiving it!
The complexity of ‘do you mind’ questions makes them challenging in the English language. This type of question frequently appears in popular exams like the WASSCE and UTME. Contrary to the common expectations in answering questions, responding affirmatively to ‘do you mind’ inquiries implies a lack of desire for the offer:
Do you want me to give you N100m? (A simple, straightforward question.)
‘Yes, I want.’
‘No, I don’t want.’
The responses are clear and straightforward. Now, consider the question and responses below:
Do you mind bread and butter?
‘Yes! Indeed, I’m very hungry.’
What a contradiction! Despite being very hungry, the person unknowingly rejects the food by answering YES!
Do you mind me giving you N100m?
‘Yes. (I mind.)’ This indicates a refusal.
‘No. (I don’t mind.)’ Indicates acceptance of the money.
Lesson: Exercise caution when responding to ‘do you mind’ questions.
How do you do?
This question often leads to errors as many mistake it for ‘How are you?’ when its actual meaning is quite different. ‘How do you do’ is a formal greeting conveying ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you’ or ‘Pleased to meet you.’ The appropriate response is to mirror the greeting with ‘How do you do’, acknowledging the pleasure of the meeting. Responding with ‘Fine.’ or ‘I’m doing well.’ would be incorrect.
Didn’t I ask you to wash the plate?
Here we encounter another type of intriguing question. Despite its straightforward nature compared to ‘How do you do’, responding to this question can be tricky, especially when the answer is negative. The golden rule is to reply with ‘yes’ for a positive response and ‘no’ for a negative one, disregarding the framing of the question:
Did I ask you to wash the plate?
‘Yes, you did.’ (Correct)
‘No, you didn’t.’ (Correct)
Didn’t I ask you to wash the plate?
Yes, you did. (Correct)
Yes, you didn’t. (Incorrect)
No, you didn’t. (Correct)