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Question Tags

Question tags are short questions added to the end of statements to confirm information or prompt a response. They are formed using the auxiliary or modal verb from the statement, with positive statements followed by negative tags and vice versa. The document also discusses intonation patterns for question tags and provides exercises for practice.

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Nikola Cvejić
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12 views

Question Tags

Question tags are short questions added to the end of statements to confirm information or prompt a response. They are formed using the auxiliary or modal verb from the statement, with positive statements followed by negative tags and vice versa. The document also discusses intonation patterns for question tags and provides exercises for practice.

Uploaded by

Nikola Cvejić
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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QUESTION TAGS

WHAT, WHY, HOW?

Question tags are short questions at the end of statements.


We usually use them to:
• confirm that something is true or not, or
• to encourage a reply from the person we are speaking to.

Question tags are formed with the auxiliary or modal verb from the statement and the appropriate subject
pronoun.

A positive statement is followed by a negative question tag.


• Jack is from Spain, isn't he?
• Mary can speak English, can't she?

A negative statement is followed by a positive question tag.


• They aren't funny, are they?
• He shouldn't say things like that, should he?
If the main clause has an auxiliary or a modal verb in it, you use the same verb in the tag question.
• She will come at 6, won’t she?
• We are working tomorrow, aren’t we?

When the verb in the main sentence is in the present simple we form the question tag with do / does
.
• You play the guitar, don't you?
• Alison likes tennis, doesn't she?

If the verb is in the past simple we use did.


• They went to the cinema, didn't they?
• She studied in New Zealand, didn't she?

When the statement contains a word with a negative meaning, the question tag needs to
be positive.
• He hardly ever speaks, does he?
• They rarely eat in restaurants, do they?
Some verbs / expressions have different question tags. For example:
• I am - I am attractive, aren't I?
• Positive imperative - Stop daydreaming, will / won't you?
• Negative imperative - Don't stop singing, will you?
• Let's - Let's go to the beach, shall we?
• Have got (possession) - He has got a car, hasn't he?
• There is / are - There aren't any spiders in the bedroom, are there?
• This / that is - This is Paul's pen, isn't it?
INTONATION

• When we are sure of the answer and we are simply


encouraging a response, the intonation in the question tag
goes down:
• This is your car, isn't it?
(Your voice goes down when you say isn't it.)
• When we are not sure and want to check information, the
intonation in the question tag goes up:
• He is from France, isn't he?
(Your voice goes up when you say isn't he.)
EXERCISES

• You are from Serbia, __________________?


• You have studied all day, ________________?
• They don’t need a dictionary, ________________?
• You had arrived before we left, _________________?
• You will pass the exam, __________________?
• Maria doesn’t live with her mother, ________________?
• You could speak 4 languages, ___________________?
• You should go now, _____________________?
• You’d like a new job, ____________________?
• She doesn’t cook very often, __________________?
• We mustn’t say anything, _______________?
• This was easy, ______________________?
EXERCISES

• 1. Your name is __________, __________ ?


• 2. You are from __________, __________ ?
• 3. You have been in this class for __________, __________ ?
• 4. You have __________ brothers and sisters, __________?
• 5. You think English is __________, __________ ?
• 6. You are interested in __________, __________ ?
• 7. Outside the class, you __________, __________ ?
• 8. In the future, you plan to __________, __________ ?
• 9. You spent your last holidays in __________, __________ ?
• 10. This evening, you are going to __________, __________ ?

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