Scribd
Upload
178 views18 pages

Understanding Tag Questions in English

Here is a sample conversation using tag questions: You: The lecture on marketing starts at 1pm today, doesn't it? Friend: Yes, that's right. It starts at 1pm, doesn't it? You: And it's in room 112, isn't it? Friend: I think so. Professor Smith is teaching it, isn't she? You: Yes, it's Professor Smith. We shouldn't be late, should we? Friend: No, we shouldn't be late. Shall we leave in 10 minutes? You: Sounds good. The lecture is an hour long, isn't it? Friend: Yes, the marketing lecture is an hour long, isn't it?

Uploaded by

Oswaldo Chafla Vargas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
178 views18 pages

Understanding Tag Questions in English

Here is a sample conversation using tag questions: You: The lecture on marketing starts at 1pm today, doesn't it? Friend: Yes, that's right. It starts at 1pm, doesn't it? You: And it's in room 112, isn't it? Friend: I think so. Professor Smith is teaching it, isn't she? You: Yes, it's Professor Smith. We shouldn't be late, should we? Friend: No, we shouldn't be late. Shall we leave in 10 minutes? You: Sounds good. The lecture is an hour long, isn't it? Friend: Yes, the marketing lecture is an hour long, isn't it?

Uploaded by

Oswaldo Chafla Vargas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Introduction to Tag Questions: Explains the basic concept and usage of tag questions in English, highlighting the importance of confirmation in communication.
  • Basic Structure of Tag Questions: Describes how positive and negative statements are paired with their corresponding question tags, providing a structural guide for creating tag questions.
  • Examples with Positive Statements: Provides examples of tag questions that are used with positive statements, enhancing understanding through practical illustration.
  • Examples with Negative Statements: Illustrates the usage of tag questions with negative statements, offering examples for better comprehension.
  • Special Cases in Tag Questions: Highlights the exceptions and special cases in forming tag questions, discussing variations in grammar rules.
  • Intonation in Tag Questions: Explores how intonation affects the meaning of tag questions, differentiating between genuine questions and confirmations.
  • Tag Structures: Covers specific grammatical structures within tag questions, including auxiliary verbs and pronouns usage.
  • Exercises on Tag Questions: Provides practice exercises to reinforce the learning of tag questions through sentence completion.
  • Practice Task: Encourages the application of tag questions in conversation by designing short dialogues for practice.

TAG

QUESTIONS
TAG QUESTIONS
•  Tag question is a special construction in
English. It is a statement followed by a
mini-question. The whole sentence is a
"tag question", and the mini-question at
the end is called a "question tag".
TAG QUESTIONS
• We use tag questions at the end of
statements to ask for confirmation. They
mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do
you agree?" They are very common in
English.
TAG QUESTIONS
• ¿Cierto?
• ¿Verdad?
• ¿No es así?
• ¿No?
• ¿Si o no?
• ¿Correcto?
TAG QUESTIONS
BASIC STRUCTURE

+ -
Positive statement Negative tag?
It is a great day, isn’t it?
- +
Negative statement Positive tag?
You don’t know her, do you?
TAG QUESTIONS
Examples with positive statements
Positive statement [ + ] Negative tag [ - ]
Personal pronoun
Subject Auxiliary Main verb Auxiliary Not
(same as subject)
She is cooking, is n’t she?
You like ice-cream, do n’t you?
They will stay home, wo n’t they?
He can play chess, can n’t he?
We should go home, should n’t we?
Jenny was busy, was n’t she?
You are French, are n’t you?
They have finished have n’t they?
Examples with positive statements
Examples with negative statements
Negative statement [ - ] Positive tag [ + ]
Subject Auxiliary Main verb auxiliary Personal
pronouns
It is n’t snowing, is It?
You have never been there have you?
She does n’t like pork, does she?
they did n’t practice today did they?
he can n’t come, can he?
We should n’t drink much, should we?
They are n’t home, are they?
Jane was n’t sick was she?
Special cases

I am right, aren't I? aren't I (not amn't I)


You have to go, don't you? you (do) have to go...
I have been answering, haven't I? use first auxiliary
Nothing came in the post, did it? treat statements with nothing, nobody
Nobody called me, did they? etc like negative statements
Everyone/everybody came, didn’t they?
Hardly
I hardly check my email, do I?
You never read books, do you?
Let's go, shall we? let's = let us
He'd better do it, hadn't he? he had better (no auxiliary)
MIXED EXAMPLES
• But you don't really love her, do you?
• This will work, won't it?
• Well, I couldn't help it, could I?
• But you'll tell me if she calls, won't you?
• We'd never have known, would we?
• The weather's bad, isn't it?
• You won't be late, will you?
• Nobody knows, do they?
INTONATION
intonation
rising real question
You don't know where my wallet is, do you?

falling not a real question


It's a beautiful view, isn't it?
Tag-questions
Point 5-Modal
Questions tags consist of …
AUXILIARY VERB + PRONOUN:
I shouldn’t laugh, should I?
Sarah was winning, wasn’t she?
she
We use the auxiliary verb that is used in the previous sentence. If
there is no auxiliary verb, se use “do/does” (present tense) and
“did” (past tense):
You live near here, don’t you?
You turned left, didn’t you?
The pronoun refers to the subject of the previous sentence.
Tag-questions
Point 6-Exception
Some verbs form question tags differently:
I am  aren’t I?
I’m helpful, aren’t I?
There is  isn’t there?
There is a chemist’s near here, isn’t there?
There are  aren’t there?
There are many shops in the area, aren’t there?
This is / That is  isn’t it?
That’s your wife over there, isn’t it?
Exercise (Make a correct tag questions of each sentence)
1. This campus is so great,....................?
2. Transmission and network influence the effectivity of a
modem, ...............?
3. He can speak Sundanese well, .....................?
4. Students did their mid test a few months ago,..........?
5. The price of petrol (BBM) has been decided, .........?
6. The government is building a good facility in
telecommunication nowadays,................?
7. Indonesia is not a part of East Asian, ..............?
8. There are some factors to increase productivity,...........?
9. You should obey the regulation of your campus,........?
[Link] came to the seminar of AEC 2015
yesterday,.........?
Exercise (Make a correct tag questions of each sentence)

1. This campus is so great,....................?


2. Product, price, promotion and place influence the
marketing, ..............?
3. He can speak Sundanese well, .....................?
4. Students did their mid test a few months ago,..........?
5. The price of petrol (BBM) has been decided, .........?
6. The government is running a good business environment by
building creative industry,..................................?
7. Indonesia is not a part of East Asian, ..............?
8. There are some factors to increase productivity,...........?
9. You should obey the regulation of your campus,........?
10. They came to the seminar of AEC 2015 yesterday,.........?
Practice
• Make a short conversation between you
and your friend to confirm the lecture
schedule! (using tag questions)

You might also like