Question Tags + Reply questions

• Engels
• Middelbare school

Question Tags

He's not coming, ........?

1. isn't he
2. is he

I'm not late, .....?

1. am I
2. am I not

QUESTION TAGS - 2

2. Staat er in de hoofdzin een hulpwerkwoord (vormen van "be, can, must, will" enz) dan maak je met datzelfde hulpwerkwoord een tag.

             Vb. He can help me, can't he?

             Staat er geen hulpwerkwoord in de zin dan maak je een tag met een vorm van "do".

             Vb. They watch TV, don't they?

You shouldn't do that, .......?

1. shouldn't you
2. should you

You don't take sugar in coffee, ........?

1. don't you
2. do you

There's a cinema near the station, .......?

1. isn't there
2. is there

They haven't arrived yet, .......?

1. have they
2. haven't they

James wouldn't do that, ....................?

1. wouldn't he
2. would he

Sarah loves him,...?

1. don't she
2. doesn't she

Sarah loved him.,...?

1. doesn't she
2. didn't she

www.englisch-hilfen.de

www.englisch-hilfen.de

Short questions at the end of the sentence 

• ask for confirmation (falling intonation) or 
• ask a question (rising intonation)

Question tags

She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?

• Use auxiliary verbs be, have, do, will or modal verbs, e.g. can, should,plus 
• the pronoun corresponding to the subject, e.g. I, you, she, they.

She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?

Question tags: form

Question tags for affirmative sentences usually take the negative form:

                 You’ve already been to this café, haven’t you?
                 They made a formal complaint, didn’t they?

Question tags for negative sentences usually take the affirmative form:
                  Olivia can’t swim, can she?
                 You aren’t going to reduce the price, are you?

Question tags: opposites attract

He isn't nice,...?

He is nice,...?

See page 157 for other forms of question tags

Question tags

In sentences with I’m we use the question tag aren’t I?:

I’m late, aren’t I?

Question tags: form

In sentences with Let’s we use the question tag shall we?:

Let’s meet for a coffee later, shall we?

Question tags: form

In sentences with negative adverbs, such as never, rarely, seldom, hardly or barely, or the words no or nobody, we use an affirmative question tag:

I hardly know you, do I?

They never listen to you, do they?

Question tags: form

In affirmative imperative sentences we use will, would, can/can’t or could, depending on the context. In negative imperative questions we always use the question tag will you?:

Wait for me here, will you/could you?

Don’t spend too much, will you?

Question tags: form

In sentences where the pronoun something or nothing is the subject, we use a question tag with the pronoun it. If the subject is nothing, we always use an affirmative question tag:

Something is wrong, isn’t it?

Nothing can be done, can it?

Question tags: form

In sentences with everybody, everyone, no one or nobody as the subject, we use a question tag with the pronoun they and the plural form of the verb. If the subject is no one or nobody, we always use an affirmative question tag:

Everybody/Everyone will ask questions, won’t they?

Nobody/No one signed up for the dressmaking course, did they?

Question tags: form

In sentences with the pronoun that as the subject, we use a question tag with the pronoun it: 

That’s your new car over there, isn’t it?

Question tags: form

In sentences with there is/there are (in all tenses), we repeat the pronoun there in the question tag:

There was a security alarm in the store, wasn’t there?

There won’t be any problems with the complaint, will there?

Question tags: form

Used to 

• show interest in what somebody is saying and 
• to signal that we want more details.

Reply questions: use

Affirmative sentence + affirmative reply question:

‘I went to the new shop in Green Street yesterday.’ ‘Did you?’

‘Your dad lent me some money.’ ‘Did he?’

Reply questions: affirmative

Negative sentence + negative reply question:

‘Chris and Lisa aren’t flying to Japan after all.’ ‘Aren’t they?’ 

‘I never buy shoes online.’ ‘Don’t you?’

Reply questions: negative