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NBTS-3 7. ÜNİTE question tags

This document provides detailed notes on the usage of question tags in English grammar, explaining how to form them based on the type of statement (affirmative or negative) and the verb used. It includes various rules and examples for different tenses, modals, and specific phrases. Additionally, it discusses intonation in question tags, highlighting the difference between rising and falling intonation.

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24 views7 pages

NBTS-3 7. ÜNİTE question tags

This document provides detailed notes on the usage of question tags in English grammar, explaining how to form them based on the type of statement (affirmative or negative) and the verb used. It includes various rules and examples for different tenses, modals, and specific phrases. Additionally, it discusses intonation in question tags, highlighting the difference between rising and falling intonation.

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ramcooo2323
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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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GRAMMAR

LESSON NOTES

BOOK : New Bridge To Success 3


UNIT :7
GRADE : E-9
TOPICS : Question Tags

FULL NAME :
CLASS :
NO :

1
QUESTION TAGS
USAGE: A question tag is a question added at the end of a sentence .
Speakers use tag questions chiefly to make sure their information is
correct or to seek argument .

Question tags consist of a statement and a tag . A negative


question tag is used with an affirmative statement whereas a positive tag
is used with a negative statement.

A. If the statement has “be” as an ordinary verb, we use a form of be in


the tag. Question tags are always used with pronouns.

After positive statements, we use a negative tag.

You are from Zaire, aren’t you?


Müesser is here, isn’t she?
Your father was at school, wasn’t he?
They were on holiday, weren’t they?
It was a super show, wasn’t it?
It is a big garden, isn’t it?

After negative statements, we use a positive tag.

I am not surprised, am I?
Mehmet and Ali aren’t rich, are they?
They weren’t at the cinema, were they?
That isn’t Ali, is it?
You are not a policeman, are you?
We aren’t lucky, are we?
Mustapha isn’t at home, is he?
They are not with us, are they?

B. If the statement has a modal, it is repeated in the tag.

Nihal can go herself, can’t she?


You should get up early, shouldn’t you?
You wouldn’t do that, would you?
2
We must help them, mustn’t we?

C. With the Simple Present Tense we use do / does - don’t / doesn’t? With
the Simple Past Tense we use did / didn’t?

They like going to the cinema, don’t they?


You don’t take sugar in tea, do you?
Şerif listens to music, doesn’t he?
Hasan works at a bank, doesn’t he?
You all watched TV during the night, didn’t you?
Ayşe went to the cinema, didn’t she?
He didn’t read the novel, did he?
Ahmet doesn’t live here, does he?

After all tenses, we just put the auxiliary.

Meral is coming today, isn’t she?


Muhammad is not drinking beer, is he?
They were playing football yesterday, weren’t they?
He hasn’t been to Istanbul, has he?
He hadn’t seen a giraffe before, had he?
Leyla and Veli were on the bus, weren’t they?
They are going to play football, aren’t they?
She has broken the vase, hasn’t she?

Note: Remember that ‘s = is or has, and ‘d = had or would

Peter’d written before you wrote, hadn’t he?


She’s in the office, isn’t she?

D. Question tags with HAVE and DO are often both possible after the
noun – auxiliary have

Note: “do” is preferred in American English.

Mr. Kartal has two cars, hasn’t he? Or doesn’t he?


She has a nice kitten, hasn’t she? Or doesn’t she?
You haven’t a house, have you? Don’t you?
They have a garden, haven’t they? Or don’t they?

3
E. If the statement contains words such as no , no one , nothing ,
nobody , scarcely , hardly , hardly ever , never , neither , seldom,
under no circumstances … etc, it is considered a negative statement
and followed by an affirmative tag

No parking is allowed, is it?


Jale hardly ever drinks coke, does she?
Nothing will cure his illness, will it?
He never acts like a gentleman, does he?
She is hardly the right person for the job, is she?
It is no good, is it?
Under no circumstances will he turn here, will he?
Neither of them complained, did they?

F. If the subject of the statement is somebody, anybody, nobody,


everybody, no one, and neither …. We use the pronoun “they” in
question tag.

Somebody has entered the garden, haven’t they?


Everybody was upset, weren’t they?
Neither of them would object, would they?
Nobody objects to the plan, do they?

G. If the sentence is constructed with USED TO, the question tag is


formed with didn’t rather than used not.

You used to smoke, didn’t you?


I didn’t use to talk a lot, did I?
Burhan used to live in Manisa, didn’t she?
My father didn’t use to get up late, did he?

H. When the subject of the statement is that or this, the pronoun in the
tag is it. The pronoun is they for their plural forms these and those.

This is an expensive necklace, isn’t it?


Those are very naughty children, aren’t they?
That wasn’t a big surprise, was it?
These weren’t yours, were they?

I. When we use a there + be combination in a sentence the pronoun in


the tag is again there.
4
There isn’t a hotel next to the museum, is there?
There won’t be any trouble, will there?
There is a bus to Istanbul every hour, isn’t there?
There weren’t any children at school, were there?

J. Let’s has the tag ‘shall we?’

Let’s go to the cinema, shall we?


Let’s have a party, shall we?
Let’s drink tea, shall we?
Let’s go out for a walk, shall we?

K. If the sentence is constructed with would rather / would sooner, the


tag is formed with would again.

You would rather stay at home than go to the cinema, wouldn’t you?
He would sooner not go out with her, would he?
The boys’d rather go by air, wouldn’t they? (Remember that‘d =
would)
L. “Had better” is formed with had in the tag.

You had better not smoke in this room, had you?


They had better quit smoking, hadn’t they?

M. “Have to” is considered Simple Present and “had to” is considered


Simple Past.

Your father has to wear glasses, doesn’t he?


They don’t have to come early, do they?
We had to borrow some money to buy a new house, didn’t we?
They didn’t have to read the story book, did they?

N. Some introductory phrases such as “I am afraid, I think, I believe, I am


sure, I suspect, I suppose , it appears that , it seems that , it looks as
if , as far as I remember , as far as I can see … so on “ don’t affect
the tag question except for the transfer of negation .

I suppose you are not serious, are you?


I think my mom returned home, didn’t she?
I don’t suppose you are serious, are you?
I don’t believe you have paid for it yet, have you?
I don’t think anyone will volunteer, will they?
5
I hope he won’t object to our plan, will he?
It looks as if he is right, isn’t he?
It appears that she is enjoying herself, isn’t she?
As far as I can see, Ali is the best, isn’t he?

Note: For the phrase “you know that “ the question tag is don’t you ?

You know that you can do it, don’t you?

O. If the subject of the sentence is everything, nothing, something,


anything the pronoun in the tag is it.

Something must be done, mustn’t it?


Everything is ready, isn’t it?
Nothing has been done yet, has it?
Anything is possible, isn’t it?

P. In reported speech, the main clause is the say-phrase.

John said he would resign from his post, didn’t he?


Mary told you that she would come, didn’t she?
They haven’t told me that I am getting fat, have they?
He is saying that you are a fool, isn’t he?

Q. If the sentence is constructed with “”ought to “, the question tag is


usually formed with should.

He ought to smoke less, shouldn’t he?


They ought not to make a noise, should they?

R. After positive imperatives, we use will you, won’t you, can you, can’t
you, could you …etc .Yet for the negative imperatives we only use “will
you? “

Open the door, will you won’t you, can you, could you …etc
Don’t play with your nose, will you?

After “I am” the tag is aren’t.

6
I am your father, aren’t I? I am a bit late, aren’t I? I am a teacher,
aren’t I?

PS. Negative interrogative tags without contractions are possible but the
word order is different.

You killed him, did you not? (This is much less usual form)

INTONATION IN QUESTION TAGS

When a tag is spoken, the voice can go up or down. If the voice goes up,
it is called Rising Intonation
and if it goes down, it is called Falling Intonation.

It is a nice today, isn’t it?

A falling intonation means that the speaker is sure (or almost sure) that
the statement is true.
The speaker knows that it is a nice day. The tag is not a real question. He
is inviting his friend to continue the conversation.

You have been on holiday haven’t you?

A rising intonation means that the speaker is less sure. He thinks that his
friend has been on holiday, but he isn’t sure. The tag is more like a real
question.

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