Showing posts with label Question-Tags. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Question-Tags. Show all posts
17.9.20
15.9.20
20.6.19
How to Form Tag Questions - video
We use question tags at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Are you okay?" or "Do you think so?" They are very common in English.
Rules for Forming Tag Questions
• The subject in the statement matches the subject in the tag.
• The auxiliary verb or verb to be in the statement matches the verb used in the tag.
• If the statement is positive, the tag is usually negative and vice versa.
Examples:
• He's read this book, hasn't he?
• He read this book, didn't he?
• He's reading this book, isn't he?
• He reads a lot of books, doesn't he?
• He'll read this book, won't he?
• He should read this book, shouldn't he?
• He can read this book, can't he?
• He'd read this book, wouldn't he?
29.8.18
Drag and drop the correct question-tag (present simple and past simple).
Click on the picture and have fun!!
28.12.17
24.7.17
1.7.15
24.5.15
Question-Tags: grammar guide
We use question-tags to make statements and seek agreement from the listener. We form tag question from simple declarative sentences.
- We lost the game, didn't we?
- John went to school, didn't he?
- Jack and Jill didn't go up the hill, did they?
- He is a giant, isn't he?
- She can't swim, can she?
Negative Sentences
We form tag questions from negative sentences by copying the auxiliary verb used in the sentence to the sentence end in the positive form. Next we use the pronoun form of the subject of the sentence at the very end of the sentence.- John can't play tennis, can he?
- Mary won't go with us, will she?
- Jack and Jill aren't climbing hills anymore, are they?
- Jane did not eat her vegetables, did she?
- You and I aren't going on a date, are we?
Positive Sentences
We form tag questions from positive sentences by copying the auxiliary verb used in the sentence to the sentence end in the negative form. Next we use the pronoun form of the subject of the sentence at the very end of the sentence.- We are going to win, aren't we?
- John can dance very well, can't he?
- Mary will be here, won't she?
Sentences without Auxiliary Verbs
If there is no auxiliary verb, we use the appropriate tense form of DO in the negative form.- Jack and Jill brought us some water, didn't they?
- Jane likes vegetables, doesn't she?
To Contract or not To Contract
Optionally, we can choose not to contract the auxiliary verb with NOT. The order of the words in a non-contracted tag is 1st the auxiliary verb followed by the subject pronoun and finally NOT.- We are going to win, are we not?
- John can dance very well, can he not?
- Jack and Jill brought us some water, did they not?
- Jane likes vegetables, does she not?
- Mary will be here, will she not?
11.5.15
Question-Tags - information
Question-Tags are something like negative questions. They
are used when someone thinks he or she knows an answer
and wants confirmation. There are two very commonly used
types of Question-Tags--one made from affirmative ( + )
sentences, the other made from negative ( - ) sentences:
He's from Italy, isn't he? /
He isn't from Italy, is he?
She's living in London, isn't she? /
She isn't living in London, is she?
There were at the party, weren't they? /
They weren't at the party, were they?
She speaks Estonian, doesn't she? /
She doesn't speak Estonian, does she?
He had a good time, didn't he? /
He didn't have a good time, did he?
She's lived here a long time, hasn't she? /
She hasn't lived here a long time, has she?
They'd left when you arrived, hadn't they? /
They hadn't left when you arrived, had they?
He can help us, can't he? /
He can't help us, can he?
etc.
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Intonation
Statements are normally said with falling intonation. Yes / No
questions are normally said with rising intonation. The intonation of tag endings is different from both of these.
In Question-Tags, the tag endings (for example, isn't he?, is he?,
hadn't they?, can he? ) have two different intonations:
The intonation (falling / rising) of the tag endings is in addition
to the intonation of the statement to which the tag ending is attached. This means that after the normal intonation (falling) of the statement, there will be the intonation of the tag ending (falling or rising):
Question 4 is difficult,
 isn't it?
Question 4 is difficult,
isn't it?  The falling or rising intonation of the tag endings communicates different information. |
Tag Endings
with
Falling Intonation
When someone asks a Question-Tags and the question tag as falling
intonation, the person who asks the questions is fairly sure that the statement before the tag ending is correct. Because the person asking the question is not 100% sure, however, he or she still wants confirmation.
Example:
I think a question is difficult and want to know if you feel the
same way, so I say
Q: Question 4 is difficult,
isn't it?A: Yes, it's difficult. / No, it isn't difficult. / I don't know.
Q: Question 4 isn't difficult,
is it?A: Yes, it's difficult. / No, it isn't difficult. / I don't know. |
Tag Endings
with
Rising Intonation
When someone asks a Question-Tag and the tag has rising
intonation, the person who asks the question is much less sure that the statement before the tag ending is correct. However, he or she still wants confirmation:
Example:
I think I have the answer for question 4 but am not very sure.
I want to see if you agree with me (or if you will tell me what the answer is), so I say
Q: Question 4 is difficult,
isn't it?A: Yes, it's difficult. / No, it isn't difficult. / I don't know.
Q: Question 4 isn't difficult,
is it?A: Yes, it's difficult. / No, it isn't difficult. / I don't know.
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Remember:
The answers for Question-Tags are the true answers. They may
or may not be the expected answers.
Examples:
Q: Dave Sperling isn't married, is he?A: Yes, he's married. His wife's name is Dao.
Q: Dave Sperling has two sons, doesn't he?A: No. He has one son and one daughter.
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