QUESTION TAG

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We use tags in spoken English but not in formal written English.

 - They are not really questions but are a way of asking the other person to make a comment and so keep the conversation open.

 - Frequently used in spoken English when you want s.o. to agree or disagree

 -Making a tag is very mechanical. To make a tag, use the first auxiliary. If there is no auxiliary, use do, does or did. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag and with a negative sentence, make a positive tag.

 Examples

 *With auxiliaries. example:

 You’ve got a car, haven't you?


*without auxiliaries (use: don't, doesn't, didn't) examples:

 -You know him, don’t you?

- He finished it, didn't he?

 - She plays football on Sundays, doesn't she?


*Form:

1- Positive statement ->question tag negative - You are Tom, aren't you?

 examples:

 -It's beautiful, isn't it?

 -He has been, hasn't he?

 -You can, can't you?

 -It must be, mustn't it?

 -They play football on Saturdays, don't they?

 -She plays football on Saturdays, doesn't she?

 -They played football on Saturdays, didn't they?

 -He will come, won't he?


2- Negative statement->question tag positive - He isn't Joe, is he?

 examples:

 -It isn't very good, is it?

 -It hasn't rained, has it?

 -It can't be, can it?

 -Jenny doesn't know James, does she?

 -They didn't leave, did they?

 -He won’t do it, will he?

 * Questions tags are used to keep a conversation going. You can agree or refuse to a sentence with a question tag.

 examples:

 1-You go to training, don't you?

 You agree. Yes, I do.

 You refuse. No, I don't.


2-You aren't from UK, are you?

 You agree. No, I'm not.

 You refuse. Yes, I am.

 Questions tags - Special




* Although the negative word( not) is not in the sentence, the sentence can be negative. Then we use the "positive" question tag. example:

 -He never goes out with his dog, does he?

 (Have) is a main verb in the sentence -> two possibilities (when referring to states)

 We have a car, _____?

 -We have a car, haven't we? mostly British English

-We have a car, don't we? mostly American English

 * We use will/would with the imperative (Simple Present). examples:

 - Open the window, will you?

 - Open the window, would you? Don't open your books, will you?

 * We use (won’t) with a polite request. example:

 - Open the window, won't you?

 * We use (shall) after (Let's.) example:

 - Let's take the next bus, shall we?

 * Notice these:

 - There isn't an ATM here, is there?

 - Let's have a cup of coffee, shall we?


* Auxiliary (must) examples:

- We must be at home at 8 pm, mustn't we?

 Yes, we must. No, we needn't.


* To reply, use the same auxiliary:

 - It's beautiful, isn't it? ~ Yes, it is. I think it's fabulous.

 -It isn't very good, is it? ~ No, it isn't. In fact, it's terrible.

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