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Assignment 1 - Tag Questions

Tag questions are short questions added to statements to encourage responses. They use the same auxiliary verb in the tag as the main sentence, or "do" if there is no auxiliary. If the main sentence is negative, the tag is affirmative, and vice versa. Tag questions are used to confirm information, ask for agreement, or check if something is true. Pronunciation differs depending on if the tag question is a real question or a confirmation - rising intonation for questions and falling for confirmations.

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2K views3 pages

Assignment 1 - Tag Questions

Tag questions are short questions added to statements to encourage responses. They use the same auxiliary verb in the tag as the main sentence, or "do" if there is no auxiliary. If the main sentence is negative, the tag is affirmative, and vice versa. Tag questions are used to confirm information, ask for agreement, or check if something is true. Pronunciation differs depending on if the tag question is a real question or a confirmation - rising intonation for questions and falling for confirmations.

Uploaded by

Thanh Thanh
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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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0ENGLISH 11

UNIT 15: TAG QUESTIONS


Definition (Scene 1)
A tag question is a short question added to a statement.
People use tag questions to encourage a listener to respond.
Form

auxiliary verb + subject


- We use the same auxiliary verb in the tag as in the main sentence. If there is
no auxiliary verb in the main sentence, we use do in the tag.
Ex: You live in Spain, don’t you? (1)
- If the auxiliary verb in the sentence is negative, the tag is affirmative.
Ex: You don’t like me, do you?
- If the auxiliary verb in the sentence is affirmative, the tag is negative.
Ex: You are Vietnamese, aren’t you?
Meaning
- We use tag questions to Confirm or check information or ask for agreement.
Ex: You want to come with me, don’t you?
You can swim, can’t you?
You don’t know where the boss is, do you?
This meal is horrible, isn’t it?
That film was fantastic, wasn’t it?
- We use tag questions to check whether something is true.
Ex: The meeting’s tomorrow at 9am, isn’t it?
You won’t go without me, will you?
Additional points
- In the present form of be: if the subject is “I”, the auxiliary changes
to are or aren’t in the tag question.
Ex: I’m sitting next to you, aren’t I?
I’m a little red, aren’t I?
- With let’s, the tag question is shall we?
Ex: Let’s go to the beach, shall we?
Let’s have a coffee, shall we?
- With an imperative, the tag question is will you?
Ex: Close the window, will you?
Hold this, will you?
- We use an affirmative tag question after a sentence containing a negative word
such as never, hardly, nobody.
Ex: Nobody lives in this house, do they?
You’ve never liked me, have you?
- When the subject is nothing, we use “it” in the tag question.
Ex: Nothing bad happened, did it?
Nothing ever happens, does it?
- If the subject is nobody, somebody, everybody, no one, someone or everyone,
we use “they” in the tag question.
Ex: Nobody asked for me, did they?
Nobody lives here, do they?
- If the main verb in the sentence is have (not an auxiliary verb), it is more
common to use do in the tag question.
Ex: You have a Ferrari, don’t you?
She had a great time, didn’t she?
- With used to, we use “didn’t” in the tag question.
Ex: You used to work here, didn’t you?
He used to have long hair, didn’t he?
- We can use affirmative tag questions after affirmative sentences to express a
reaction such as surprise or interest.
Ex: You’re moving to Brazil, are you?
Pronunciation
- If we don’t know the answer, it is a real question and we use
a rising intonation with the tag question.
Ex: You don’t know where the boss is, do you? ↗
- If we know the answer and are just confirming the information
a falling intonation is used with the tag question.
Ex: That film was fantastic, wasn’t it? ↘

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