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26 views2 pages

Question Tags

Uploaded by

Aritz Martínez Mazas
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Tag Questions (do you? / isn't it?, etc.

Study these examples:


You It was a good movie,
wasn't it? Yes, I lovec

H av e yo u? and w a sn ’t it? are tags (= m ini-questions that we often pu t on the end o f a sentence
in spoken English). In these tags, we use an auxiliary verb (h a v e /w a s /w ill, etc.).
W e use d o /d o e s / d i d for the present and simple past (see U nit 49):
■ “Lauren plays the piano, d o e sn ’t she?” “Well, yes, but not very well.”
■ “You didn’t lock the door, d id you?” “N o, I forgot.”

N orm ally we use a negative question tag after a . . . and a positive question tag a£ter a
positive sentence: negative sentence:
Positive Sentence + Negative Tag Negative Sentence + Positive T:.
M aria w ill be here soon, w o n ’t she? Kate w o n ’t be late, w ill she?
T here w as a lot o f traffic, w a sn ’t th e re ? They d o n ’t like us, d o the}
Jim s h o u ld take his m edicine, s h o u ld n ’t he? You h a v e n ’t paid the gas bill, have y o u

N otice the m eaning o f yes and n o in answer to a negative sentence:


Yes. (= Yes, I am going out)
You’re n o t going out today, are you?
N o . (= N o, I am not going out)

The m eaning o f a tag depends on how you say it. If your voice goes doivn, you are not really
asking a question; you are inviting the listener to agree w ith you:
■ “It’s a nice day, isn t it?” “Yes, beautiful.”
■ “Eric doesn’t look too good today, doek\he?” “No, he looks very tired.”
■ She’s very funny. She has a w onderful sense o f hum or, doesh^t she?
B ut if the voice goes up, it is a real question:
■ “You haven’t seen Lisa today, h av e yy<u?” “No, Ihaven’t.”
(= Have you seen Lisa today by any chance?)
You can use a negative sentence + positive tag to ask for things or inform ation or to ask
somebody to do som ething. The voice goes up at the end o f the tag in sentences like these:
■ “You w ouldn’t have a pen, w o u ld yciu?” “Yes, here you are.”
■ “You couldn’t lend me some money, c o u ld y</fu?”“It depends how m uch.”
■ “You don’t know w here Lauren is, d o ycjful” “Sorry, I have no idea.”

After L e t’s . . . the tag is shall we:


■ L e t’s go for a walk, sh all w|e? (the voice goes up)
After D o /L is te n /G iv e . . . , etc. (imperative), the tag is usually w ill you:
■ L iste n to me, w ill yoju? (the voice goes up)
After I ’m . . . , the negative tag is a r e n ’t I? (= am I not?):
■ “I ’m right, a r e n ’t I?” “Yes, you are.”

Auxiliary Verbs (haveldolcan, etc.) Unit 49


Exercises U N I T
50.1 Put a tag question at the end of each sentence.

1. Tom won’t be late, w ill h e ? No, he’s never late.


2. You’re tired, a r e n 't vou ? Yes, a little.
3. You’ve lived here a long time, ? Yes, 20 years.
4. You weren’t listening, ? Yes, I was!
5. Sue doesn’t know Ann, ? No, they’ve never met.
6. Jack’s on vacation, ? Yes, he’s in Peru.
7. Mike hasn’t called today, 7 No, I don’t think so.
8. You can speak Spanish, 7 Yes, but not fluently.
9. He won’t mind if I use his phone, 7 No, of course he won’t.
10. There are a lot of people here, ? Yes, more than I expected.
11. Let’s go out tonight, 7 Yes, that would be great.
12. This isn’t very interesting, 7 No, not at all.
13. I’m too impatient, 7 Yes, you are sometimes.
14. You wouldn’t tell anyone, ? No, of course not.
15. Listen to me, ? OK, I’m listening.
16. I shouldn’t have lost my temper, ? No, but that’s all right.
17. H e’d never m et her before, ? No, that was the first time.
v J
50.2 Read the situation and write a sentence with a tag question. In each situation you are
asking your friend to agree with you.
1. You look out o f the window. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. W hat do you say to
your friend? (beautiful day) It's a beautiful day, isn 't it? ________________________________________
2. You’re w ith a friend outside a restaurant. You’re looking at the prices, which are very high.
W hat do you say? (expensive) I t ______________________________________________________
3. You and a colleague have ju st finished a training course. You really enjoyed it. W hat do you
say to your colleague? (great) The c o u rse _____________________________________________
4. Your friend’s hair is m uch shorter than w hen you last met. W hat do you say to her/him ?
(have / your hair / cut) Y o u _________________________________________________________
5. You and a friend are listening to a w om an singing. You like her voice very much. W hat do
you say to your friend? (a good voice)
S h e ________________________________________________________________________________
6. You are trying on a jacket in a store. You look in the mirror, and you don’t like
w hat you see. W hat do you say to your friend? (not / look / very good)
I t _________________________________________________________________________________
7. You and a friend are walking over a small w ooden bridge. The bridge is very old and some
parts are broken. W hat do you say? (not / very safe)
This b rid g e _____________________________________________________________________ _

50.3 In these situations you are asking for information and asking people to do things.
1. You need a pen. Maybe Kelly has one. Ask her.
Kelly ; you don t have a pen, do you? _______________________________________________________________
2. The cashier is putting your groceries in a plastic bag, but maybe he could give you a paper
bag. Ask him.
Excuse me, y o u ___________________________________________________________________ _
3. You’re looking for Ann. Maybe Kate knows w here she is. Ask her.
Kate, y o u __________________________________________________________________________
4. You need a bicycle pum p. Maybe Nicole has one. Ask her.
N ic o le ,____________________________________________________________________________
5. You’re looking for your keys. Maybe R obert has seen them . Ask him.
R o b e rt, ....
6. Ann has a car and you need a ride to the station. Maybe she’ll take you. Ask her.
A nn, _

101

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