• Do you want to help with the project?
• Don't you want to help with the project?

The first question is neutral, but the second suggests a "yes" answer.

And that's what some negative questions do. They nudge the recipient into accepting your point of view.

Other similar constructions that begin with, say, won't you, can't you, aren't you or shouldn't you, have similar effects.

Depending on how such questions are worded, their tones can range from aggressive to pleading. It's important that the question fit in with the tone of the communication, or the result may be the opposite of what was intended.
 

© Arun Sinha, Access Communications. Access Communications is a marketing communications and technical writing firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Sign up for Access Consulting's One-Minute Communication Tip at http://www.AccessConsultingInc.com. Once a month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of business communications, distilled into about 150 words.

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