Tag Questions: Politeness in English and Dutch

Tag Questions: Politeness in English and Dutch

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to understand the concept of tag questions in English, and compare them to the Dutch language.

Introduce the learning objective to the students and emphasize the importance of understanding tag questions in English.

What do you already know about tag questions in English?

What are Tag Questions?

Een 'tag question' is een statement waar je een mini vraag achteraan stelt om informatie of een afspraak te bevestigen.

For example: 'You're coming to the party, aren't you?'

Explain the definition of tag questions, and provide an example for the students to understand.

Structure of Tag Questions

Tag questions bestaan uit een hulpwerkwoord en een voornaamwoord.

For example: 'You like pizza, don't you?'

Explain the structure of tag questions, and provide an example for the students to understand.

Video

Write down all the question tags you hear.

Politeness in English

Tag questions worden in het Engels vaak gebruikt om beleefdheid te uiten.

 For example: 'You wouldn't mind helping me, would you?'

Explain the use of tag questions to show politeness in English, and provide an example for the students to understand.

How do we show politeness in Dutch?

Positive and Negative Tag Questions

Tag questions zijn niet alleen maar negatief, ze kunnen ook positief zijn wanneer er een ontkenning aan het begin van de zin staat.

 For example: 'You're not going to the concert, are you?'

Explain the difference between positive and negative tag questions, and provide an example for the students to understand.

Practice Exercise 1

Complete the following tag question with the correct auxiliary verb: 'She is coming to the party, _____ she?'

Provide an exercise for the students to practice forming tag questions correctly.

Practice Exercise 2

Complete the following tag question with the correct auxiliary verb: 'They don't like ice cream, _____ they?'

Provide an exercise for the students to practice forming tag questions correctly.

Practice Exercise 3

Complete the following tag question with the correct auxiliary verb: 'He likes to play soccer, _____ he?

Provide an exercise for the students to practice forming tag questions with the correct level of formality.

Tag Question Pitfalls

Belangrijk, soms kunnen tag questions ook beledigend zijn. 

For example: 'You're not stupid, are you?'

Warn the students about using tag questions inappropriately, and provide an example of a tag question that could be perceived as rude.

Summary

Tag questions are used in English to confirm information or ask for agreement, and can be used to show politeness. They consist of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun, and can be positive or negative.

Summarize the key points of the lesson for the students.

Review Quiz

Test your knowledge of tag questions with this quiz!

Provide a quiz for the students to review their knowledge of tag questions.

Quiz Question 1

What is a tag question?

Provide a quiz question for the students to answer.

Quiz Question 2

What is the structure of a tag question?

Provide a quiz question for the students to answer.

Quiz Question 3

What is the difference between a positive and a negative tag question?

Provide a quiz question for the students to answer.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.