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Question Tag

The document discusses question tags in English grammar. It explains that a question tag is used to make a statement into a question by adding an auxiliary verb and subject pronoun at the end. It provides examples of positive and negative statements and their corresponding question tags. It also discusses special cases involving words like "few", "little", and the verbs "have", "has", and "had". The document concludes with exercises for learners to practice forming question tags.

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Abhinandh T M
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343 views15 pages

Question Tag

The document discusses question tags in English grammar. It explains that a question tag is used to make a statement into a question by adding an auxiliary verb and subject pronoun at the end. It provides examples of positive and negative statements and their corresponding question tags. It also discusses special cases involving words like "few", "little", and the verbs "have", "has", and "had". The document concludes with exercises for learners to practice forming question tags.

Uploaded by

Abhinandh T M
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ENGLISH

Question tag

ANNAMMA JOHN
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

CO-OPERATIVE SCHOOL OF LAW

THODUPUZHA
QUESTION TAG
• It is a common practice in conversation to make a statement and ask for
confirmation;
eg: It’s very hot, isn't it?
• The latter part (Isn’t it?) is called a QUESTION TAG.
• The pattern is
i. Auxiliary + n’t + subject, if the statement is positive.
Eg: You are free, aren’t you?
Your sister cooks well, doesn’t she?
ii. Auxiliary + subject , if the statement is negative.
Eg: You aren’t busy, are you?
She can’t swim, can she?
NOTE: The subject of a question tag is always a pronoun, never a noun.
(Find out whether the sentence is positive or negative, find out the auxiliary
verb and the Subject - three steps before adding a tag)
NOTE

• I am right, aren’t I?
• I am not a teacher, am I?
(while using ‘am’, if the statement is positive, to make the negative tag,
becomes ‘aren’t I’ and not ‘amn’t I’
NOTE: Semi- negative words like ‘little’, ‘few’, ‘hardly’, ‘scarecely’,
‘rarely’, ‘seldom’ etc are treated as negatives and take a positive tag.
Eg: Few people knew the answer, did they?
Little progress has been made, has it?
We could scarcely hear what he said, could we?
We seldom see them nowadays, do we?

NOTE: Though ‘few’ and ‘little’ are negative, ‘a few’ and ‘a little’ are
positive and therefore need a negative tag.
Eg: A few people knew the answer, didn’t they?
A little progress has been made, hasn’t it?
USE OF – HAS, HAVE, HAD

• When using ‘has’, ‘have’, ‘had’- it can have different meanings


1. To denote ownership/possession
Eg: I have a pen, don’t I? (and not – I have a pen, haven’t I? )
She had a house, didn’t she? (not hadn’t she?)
HAVE – DO HAVE GO – DO GO

HAS – DOES HAVE GOES- DOES GO


HAD- DID HAVE WENT- DID GO
2. Used as an auxiliary
Eg: She has worked, hasn’t she?
They had worked hard, hadn’t they?

3. When the verb ‘have’ ‘has’ ‘had’ denotes something other than
ownership/ possession it is represented in the tag by ‘do’, ‘does’ or ‘did’.
Eg: We have breakfast at 8 o’clock, don’t we?
NOTE: The generalising personal pronoun ‘one’, in the statement must be
followed by ‘one’ in the tag, not by ‘he’, ‘they’ or ‘you’.
Eg: One can’t be too careful, can one?

NOTE: ‘Used to’ uses ‘did’ in the tag. (used to – did use to)
Eg: She used to be quite a good tennis player, didn’t she?
NOTE: Imperative verbs usually take ‘will you’ no matter whether it is a
positive or negative request.
Pass me the newspaper, will you? / will you please?
Don’t be late for dinner, will you?

-‘Won’t you’ is used to give more urgency/warning/ the force of entreaty

Eg : Be careful when you cross the road, won’t you?


Remember to lock the door, won’t you?
- Sentences beginning with ‘Let’s’ (a suggestion) uses ‘Shall we’ in the
tag
Eg: Let’s go for a picnic, shall we?

- An imperative that expresses impatience, or that has the force of a


rebuke, uses ‘Can’t you?’ as the tag.
Eg: Use your common sense, can’t you?
POINTS TO NOTE

1. Although ‘everybody’ , ‘everyone’ and ‘Nobody’ are singular, for the purposes
of the tag, they are usually treated as plural and referred to by ‘they’.
Eg: Everybody can’t come in first, can they?
Everyone cheered wildly, didn’t they?
Nobody knew the answer, did they?

2. ‘None of’ followed by a plural noun, is also treated as a plural and takes ‘they’ in the
tag.
Eg: None of the students arrived in time, Did they?

3. ‘None of us’ has ‘we’ as the subject of the tag.


Eg: None of us knew the way, did we?
4. ‘Some of us’ takes ‘we’ if the speaker includes himself in the number, but
‘they’ if he does not.
Eg: Some of us wanted to stay longer, didn’t we?
On the return journey, some of us lost the way, didn’t they?

5. ‘Some of you’ takes ‘You’ in the tag.


Eg: Some of you are learning Russian, aren’t you?

6. ‘Either’, ‘neither’ ‘either…or’ and ‘neither…nor’ take ‘they’ as the subject.


(considered as plural in the tag)
Eg: Either of the two brothers is a liar, aren’t they?
Neither the driver nor the conductor was at fault, were they?
EXERCISES

1. Roy is a lazy boy ______


2. Sita is interested in sports _______-
3. They are hungry______
4. The boys are not eager to go home_______
5. Ammu and Anu are playing _______
6. They have not borrowed any money _______
7. They have been occupying this house since 2004______
8. He will come back next week_____
9. There is a solution to any problem _____
10. Rani can swim well_______
11. We cannot expect a big collection__________
12. My father won’t like it _______
13. He works hard______
14. Keralites eat rice _____
15. The President arrived late __________
16. My mother cooks well ________
17. Barking dogs seldom bite ________
18. He hardly remembers anything_____
19. He dare not go to the police station_____
20. One should love one’s country_____
21. Stop talking__________
22. I am right in this case______
23. Let us go to the beach_____
24. Have a cup of coffee
25. Wait a minute_______
26. I am not sure of it __________
27. She need not cry over such a silly matter ________
28. Everyone called for help____
29. No one can do it_____________
30. Someone rescued the drowning boy_______
31. We need your help ________

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