Tag question

A question tag or tag question is a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement or an imperative is turned into a question by adding an interrogative fragment (the "tag"). For example, in the sentence "You're John, aren't you? the statement "You're John" is turned into a question by the tag "aren't you". The term "question tag" is generally preferred by British grammarians, while their American counterparts prefer "tag question". English tag questions, when they have the grammatical form of a question, are atypically complex, because they vary according to four factors: the choice of auxiliary, the negation, the intonation pattern and the emphasis.

Auxiliary
The English tag question is made up of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun. The auxiliary has to agree with the tense, aspect and modality of the verb in the preceding sentence. If the verb is in the present perfect, for example, the tag question uses has or have; if the verb is in a present progressive form, the tag is formed with am, are, is; if the verb is in a tense which does not normally use an auxiliary, like the present simple, the auxiliary is taken from the emphatic do form; and if the sentence has a modal auxiliary, this is echoed in the tag: y He's read this book, hasn't he? y He read this book, didn't he? y He's reading this book, isn't he? y He reads a lot of books, doesn't he? y He'll read this book, won't he? y He should read this book, shouldn't he? y He can read this book, can't he? A special case occurs when the main verb is to be in a simple tense. Here the tag question repeats the main verb, not an auxiliary: y This is a book, isn't it? (Not doesn't it? as the normal rules for present simple would suggest.) If the main verb is to have, either solution is possible: y He has a book, hasn't he? y He has a book, doesn't he?

Negation
English tag questions may contain a negation, but need not. When there is no special emphasis, the rule of thumb often applies that a positive sentence has a negative tag and vice versa: y She is French, isn't she? y She's not French, is she? These are sometimes called "balanced tag questions". However, it has been estimated that in normal conversation, as many as 40%-50% of tags break this rule. "Unbalanced tag questions" (positive to positive or negative to negative) may be used for ironic or confrontational effects: y Do listen, will you? y Oh, I'm lazy, am I? y Jack: I refuse to spend Sunday at your mother's house! Jill: Oh you do, do you? We'll see about that! y Jack: I just won't go back! Jill: Oh you won't, won't you? Patterns of negation can show regional variations. In North East Scotland, for example, positive to positive is used when no special effect is desired: y This pizza's fine, is it? (Standard English: This pizza's delicious, isn't it?) Note the following variations in the negation when the auxiliary is the I form of the copula: y England (and America, Australia, etc.): Clever, aren't I? y Scotland/Northern Ireland: Clever, amn't I? y Nonstandard dialects: Clever, ain't I? TAG QUESTION A 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". A "tag" is something small that we add to something larger. For example, the little piece of cloth added to a shirt showing size or washing instructions is a tag. 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.

+ Positive statement,

Negative tag?

Snow is white, Isnt it? + Negative statement, Positive tag? You don't like me, Do you? www.englishclub.com TRES REGLAS BASICAS QUE DEBES RECORDAR 1. Los tag questions utilizan siempre los verbos auxiliares. 2. Con oraciones afirmativas utilizamos un tag question en NEGATIVO. 3. Con oraciones negativas utilizamos un tag question en AFIRMATIVO o POSITIVO.
a) ORACIONES AFIRMATIVAS CON EL VERBO TO BE EN PRESENT SIMPLE O CONTINUO

Se utiliza la misma forma del verbo en NEGATIVO: aren't you? isn't he? isn't she? isn't it? aren't we? aren't you? Arent they? Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos: y It's a beautiful day, isn't it? (Es un da hermoso, no?) y Martha is angry, isn't she? (Marta est enojada, verdad?) y You are really tired, aren't you? (Ests muy cansado, no?) y They're very nice people, aren't they? (Son personas muy agradables, no?) y You are coming tomorrow, aren't you? (Vas a venir maana, verdad?) y Pedro's flying now, isn't he? (Pedro est volando en estos momentos, no?) Por favor recuerda que, en ingls americano y UNICAMENTE en este caso en particular, para la primera persona del verbo to be se utiliza aren't I? como equivalente de am I not?: y I'm late, aren't I? (Llego tarde, no?) y I'm arriving late at night, aren't I? (LLegar tarde por la noche, no?)
b) ORACIONES NEGATIVAS CON EL VERBO TO BE EN PRESENT SIMPLE O CONTINUO.

Se utiliza la misma forma del verbo en AFIRMATIVO o POSITIVO: am I? are you? is he? is she? is it? are we? are you? are they? Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos: y I'm not late, am I? (No llego tarde, no?) y It isn't a beautiful day, is it? (No es un da hermoso, verdad?) y Martha isn't angry, is she? (Marta no est enojada, no?) y You aren't really tired, are you? (No ests muy cansado, verdad?) y They aren't very nice people, are they? (No son personas muy agradables, no?) y You aren't coming tomorrow, are you? (No vas a venir maana, no?) y Pedro isn't flying now, is he? (Pedro no est volando en estos momentos, no?)
c) ORACIONES AFIRMATIVAS CON EL VERBO TO BE EN PAST SIMPLE O CONTINUO.

Se utiliza la misma forma del verbo en NEGATIVO: wasn't I? weren't you? wasn't he? wan't she? wasn't it? weren't we? weren't you? weren't they? Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos: y It was a beautiful day, wasn't it? (Fue un da hermoso, verdad?) y Martha was angry, wasn't she? (Marta estaba enojada, no?) y You were really tired, weren't you? (Estabas muy cansado, verdad?) y You were studying at 6, weren't you? (Estuviste estudiando a las 6, no?) y He was flying when I phoned, wasn't he? (Estaba volando cuando llam, no?)
d) ORACIONES NEGATIVAS CON EL VERBO TO BE EN PAST SIMPLE O CONTINUO.

Se utiliza la misma forma del verbo en AFIRMATIVO o POSITIVO: was I? were you? was he? was she? was it? were we? were you? were they? Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos: y It wasn't a beautiful day, was it? (No fue un da hermoso, no?) y Martha wasn't angry, was she? (Marta no estaba enojada, no?) y You weren't really tired, were you? (No estabas muy cansado, verdad?) y You weren't studying at 6, were you? (No estuviste estudiando a las 6, no?) y He wasn't flying when I phoned, was he? (No estaba volando cuando llam, no?)
e) ORACIONES AFIRMATIVAS CON OTROS VERBOS COMUNES O DEFECTIVOS.

Teniendo siempre en cuenta el TIEMPO VERBAL, se utiliza el auxiliar en NEGATIVO que corresponde a la persona de la oracin: didn't she? hasn't she? won't she? shouldn't she? can't she? couldn't she?, etc. Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos:

y y y y y y

You went to Costa Rica in 1990, didn't you? (Fuiste a Costa Rica en 1990, no?) Elena has traveled a lot, hasn't she? (Elena ha viajado mucho, no?) Ann will be here soon, won't she? (Ana estar pronto aqu, verdad?) Tom should pass his exam, shouldn't he? (Tom debera aprobar su examen, no?) You can play the violin, can't you? (Sabes tocar el violn, no?) He could find a job, couldn't he? (Pudo encontrar trabajo, verdad?)

f) IMPERATIVOS Y SUGERENCIAS O INVITACIONES.

Despus de la clusula Let's... el tag question que corresponde es shall we? (en interrogativo AFIRMATIVO). Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos: y Let's go out for a walk, shall we? (Salgamos a dar una vuelta, qu te parece?) y Let's study tomorrow morning, shall we? (Estudiemos maana por la maana, s?) Despus del imperativo (do/don't do something) el tag que corresponde es will you? (en interrogativo AFIRMATIVO). Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos: y Open the door, will you? (Abre la puerta, s?) y Don't smoke in this room, will you? (No fumes en esta habitacin, de acuerdo?) www.ompersonal.com

Question Tags Exercise

Mr McGuinness is from Ireland, _______________ ? The car isn't in the garage, _______________? You are John, _______________? She went to the library yesterday, _______________? He didn't recognize me, _______________? Cars pollute the environment, _______________ ? Mr. Pritchard has been to Scotland recently, ______________? The trip is very expensive,_______________? He won't tell her,_______________? Hugh had a red car,_______________? The Mount Rushmore National Memorial Park is in Keystone,______________? The rock was a sacred Indian site once,_______________? It has been a national memorial since 1925,_______________? The monument doesnt show the bust of President Clinton,__________________? George Washington was the first President of the United States,_________________? 1 Murat gets up late, _______________? 10 Let's have a drink, _______________? 2 Your car is not cheap, _______________? 11 Lisa has lost her ID, _______________? 3 You couldn't help me, _______________? 12 We are friends, _______________? 4 You weren't at the party last night, _______________? 13 Shout up, _______________? 5 There is a museum in this city, _______________? 14 Good idea, _______________? 6 You have never been to Peking, _______________? 15 You must give up smoking,_______________? 7 I didn't do anything wrong, _______________? 16 No one can help you,_______________? 8 They helped us a lot, ______________? 17 Don't do it, _______________? 9 Get out of my sight, ______________? 18 Dave is your cousin______________? Put in the correct question tags. 1. He sometimes reads the newspaper, ______________________________? 2. You are Indian, ______________________________? 3. Peggy didn't use the pencil, _____________________________? 4. Mary has answered the teacher's question, ______________________________? 5. The boy is from Turkey, _____________________________? 6. Sue wasn't listening, ______________________________? 7. Andrew isn't sleeping, ________________________________?

8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

Tom and Maria will arrive at Heathrow, ___________________________________? He's been to Texas, ___________________________________? Dogs like meat, ________________________________? There are some apples left, ..? I'm late, ..? Let's go, ..? Don't smoke, ..? He does sing in the bathroom, ..? He'll never know, ..? I think, he's from India, ..? Lovely day today, ..? She is collecting stickers, ..? We often watch TV in the afternoon, ..? You have cleaned your bike, ..? John and Max don't like Maths, ..? Peter played handball yesterday, ..? They are going home from school, ..? Mary didn't do her homework last Monday, ? He could have bought a new car, ..? Kevin will come tonight, ..? I'm clever, ..?

1. You're coming to the party, ___? a. aren't you b. isn't you c. shouldn't you 2. It wasn't very difficult, ___? a. wasn't it b. isn't it c. was it 3. Tom is getting something for Sue, ___? a. wasn't he b. isn't he c. was he 4. It won't be anything expensive, ___? a. won't it b. isn't it c. will it 5. There's some milk in the refrigerator, ___? a. isn't there b. isn't it c. wasn't it 6. We don't need to go to the store today, ___? a. don't we b. do I c. do we 7. Susan can bring some food, ___? a. won't she b. will she c. can't she 8. The party starts at eight o'clock, ___? a. isn't it b. doesn't it c. does it 9. The movie was very long, ___? a. isn't it b. wasn't it c. was it 10. There's a dictionary on the shelf, ___? a. isn't it b. isn't there c. aren't there 11. There's a lot of noise outside, ___? a. aren't there b. isn't there c. is there 12. Mrs. Smith is sick, ___? a. isn't she b. is she c. wasn't she 13. The dishes are dirty, ___? a. weren't they b. isn't they c. aren't they 14. Steven won't be at the party, ___? a. won't he b. isn't he c. will he 15. The math test was very difficult, ___? a. wasn't it b. isn't it c. weren't they 16. We can go tomorrow, ___? a. won't we b. can we c. can't we 17. I'm early, ___? a. isn't I b. aren't I c. are I 18. This shirt is too big for me, ___? a. isn't it b. doesn't it c. does it 19. Emily plays the piano well, ___? a. isn't it b. does she c. doesn't she 20. Your neighbors went on vacation, ___? a. isn't they b. didn't they c. aren't they www.englishexercises.org

Question tags with imperatives

Sometimes we use question tags with imperatives (invitations, orders), but the sentence remains an imperative and does not require a direct answer. We use won't for invitations. We use can, can't, will, would for orders. imperative + question tag notes: invitation Take a seat, won't you? polite Help me, can you? quite friendly

order

Help me, can't you? Close the door, would you? Do it now, will you? Don't forget, will you?

quite friendly (some irritation) quite polite less polite with negative imperatives only will is possible

Same-way question tags Although the basic structure of tag questions is positive-negative or negative-positive, it is sometime possible to use a positive-positive or negative-negative structure. We use same-way question tags to express interest, surprise, anger etc, and not to make real questions. y So you're having a baby, are you? That's wonderful! y She wants to marry him, does she? Some chance! y So you think that's amusing, do you? Think again. Negative-negative tag questions usually sound rather hostile: y So you don't like my looks, don't you?

Relative clause
A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun phrase, most commonly a noun. For example, the phrase "the man who wasn't there" contains the noun man, which is modified by the relative clause who wasn't there. A relative clause can also modify a pronoun, as in "he to whom I have written", or a noun phrase which already contains a modifier, as in "the black panther in the tree, which is about to pounce". The complete phrase (modified noun phrase plus modifying relative clause) is also a noun phrase. Relative clause We use relative clauses to give additional information about something without starting another sentence. By combining sentences with a relative clause, your text becomes more fluent and you can avoid repeating certain words. How to Form Relative Clauses Imagine, a girl is talking to Tom. You want to know who she is and ask a friend whether he knows her. You could say: y A girl is talking to Tom. Do you know the girl? That sounds rather complicated, doesn't it? It would be easier with a relative clause: you put both pieces of information into one sentence. Start with the most important thing you want to know who the girl is. y Do you know the girl As your friend cannot know which girl you are talking about, you need to put in the additional information the girl is talking to Tom. Use the girlonly in the first part of the sentence, in the second part replace it with the relative pronoun (for people, use the relative pronoun who). So the final sentence is: y Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom? Relative Pronouns relative pronoun use example Who subject or object pronoun for people I told you about the woman who lives next door. Which subject or object pronoun for Do you see the cat which is lying on animals and things the roof? Which referring to a whole sentence He couldnt read which surprised me. Whose possession for people animals and Do you know the boy whose mother things is a nurse? Whom object pronoun for people, I was invited by the professor whom especially in non-defining relative I met at the conference. clauses (in defining relative clauses we colloquially prefer who) that subject or object pronoun for people, I dont like the table that stands in animals and things in defining the kitchen. relative clauses (who or which are also possible) Subject Pronoun or Object Pronoun?

Subject and object pronouns cannot be distinguished by their forms - who, which, that are used for subject and object pronouns. You can, however, distinguish them as follows: If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun. Subject pronouns must always be used. y the apple which is lying on the table If the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb (but by a noun or pronoun), the relative pronoun is an object pronoun. Object pronouns can be dropped in defining relative clauses, which are then called Contact Clauses. y the apple (which) George lay on the table

Relative Adverbs
A relative adverb can be used instead of a relative pronoun plus preposition. This often makes the sentence easier to understand. relative adverb meaning use example When in/on which refers to a time expression the day when we met him where in/at which refers to a place the place where we met him why for which refers to a reason the reason why we met him This is the shop in which I bought my bike. This is the shop where I bought my bike. Defining Relative Clauses Defining relative clauses (also called identifying relative clauses or restrictive relative clauses) give detailed information defining a general term or expression. Defining relative clauses are not put in commas. Imagine, Tom is in a room with five girls. One girl is talking to Tom and you ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative clause defines which of the five girls you mean. y Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom? Defining relative clauses are often used in definitions. y A seaman is someone who works on a ship. Object pronouns in defining relative clauses can be dropped. (Sentences with a relative clause without the relative pronoun are called Contact Clauses.) y The boy (who/whom) we met yesterday is very nice. Non-Defining Relative Clauses Non-defining relative clauses (also called non-identifying relative clauses or non-restrictive relative clauses) give additional information on something, but do not define it. Non-defining relative clauses are put in commas. Imagine, Tom is in a room with only one girl. The two are talking to each other and you ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative clause is non-defining because in this situation it is obvious which girl you mean. y Do you know the girl, who is talking to Tom? Note: In non-defining relative clauses, who/which may not be replaced with that. Object pronouns in non-defining relative clauses must be used. y Jim, who/whom we met yesterday, is very nice. How to Shorten Relative Clauses? Relative clauses with who, which, that as subject pronoun can be replaced with a participle. This makes the sentence shorter and easier to understand. y I told you about the woman who lives next door. I told you about the woman living next door. y Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof? Do you see the cat lying on the roof? Exercise on Relative Clauses (Contact clauses) Relative Pronouns (who / which / whose) Choose the correct relative pronoun (who, which, whose). This is the bank __________ was robbed yesterday. A boy __________ sister is in my class was in the bank at that time.

The man__________ robbed the bank had two pistols. He wore a mask _________ made him look like Mickey Mouse. He came with a friend __________ waited outside in the car. The woman __________ gave him the money was young. The bag __________ contained the money was yellow. The people __________ were in the bank were very frightened. A man__________ mobile was ringing did not know what to do. A woman__________ daughter was crying tried to calm her. The car __________ the bank robbers escaped in was orange. The robber __________ mask was obviously too big didn't drive. The man__________ drove the car was nervous. He didn't wait at the traffic lights __________ were red. A police officer_________ car was parked at the next corner stopped and arrested them. Relative Adverbs Choose the correct relative adverb. This is the station__________ Emily met James. July and August are the months ___________ most people go on holiday. Do you know the reason__________ so many people in the world learn English? This is the church__________ Sue and Peter got married. Edinburgh is the town___________ Alexander Graham Bell was born. 25 December is the day__________ children in Great Britain get their Christmas presents. A famine was the reason___________ so many Irish people immigrated to the USA in the 19th century. A greengrocer's is a shop__________ you can buy vegetables. The day__________ I arrived was very nice. A horror film was the reason__________ I couldn't sleep last night. Write relative clauses without using the relative pronoun. I gave you a book. It had many pictures. The book I gave you had many pictures. I am reading a book at the moment. It is very interesting. The book ________________________________________________________________________________ You live in a town. The town is very old. The town ________________________________________________________________________________ The sweets are delicious. I bought them yesterday. The sweets_______________________________________________________________________________ The football match was very exciting. My friend played in it. The football match _________________________________________________________________________ The letter hasn't arrived yet. I posted it three days ago. The letter_________________________________________________________________________________ He lives in a house. The house is not very big. The house ________________________________________________________________________________ They are playing a song on the radio. Do you like it? Do you like _______________________________________________________________________________ Jane wore a beautiful shirt yesterday. Did you see it? Did you see _____________________________________________________________________________ Sue is going out with a boy. I don't like him. I don't like______________________________________________________________________________ www.ego4u.com

You use a purpose clause when you want to state the purpose of the action in the independent clause. The most common type of purpose clause is a to-infinitive clause. y Sarah went to the computer lab to print out her research report. In formal writing, in order to and so as to are often used. y The company conducted a detailed survey in order to gauge its clients views. In formal writing, you can also introduce a purpose clause with so that or in order that. These finite purpose clauses usually contain a modal. y Dr Chan adjusted the overhead projector so that the students would be able to see the chart more clearly. y The lecturer finished his lecture five minutes early so that the students could come and ask him questions. The difference between so and so that is that so that implies that the cause was deliberately done by someone in order to get a specific result. There are a number of other ways of expressing purpose in English. These are some of the most common ones: with a view to, with the intention of, with the object/aim of, for the purpose of If you use these phrases, make sure that the verb is in the _ing form. y The university introduced two new English courses with a view to enhancing students proficiency in the language. 2. Reason clauses In your written and spoken assignments you will often need to answer the question Why?. When you want to explain why something happens, you can use a reason clause introduced by the conjunctions because, as or since. y As she wanted to practice her spoken English, Carrie regularly took part in the ELCs Big Mouth Corner. y Mark joined the English Drama Club because he wanted to improve his intonation. Dont use so in sentences beginning with since, as or because. Here is a common mistake: y Since he was interested in movies, so David joined the PolyU International Film Society. You can also use the prepositional phrases because of and on account of to express reason. y We were unable to carry out the experiment on account of a malfunction in the computer. y We were unable to carry out the experiment because the computer malfunctioned. As you will see in the Vocabulary section below, there are many other ways of indicating reason and cause in English. 3. Result clauses When you want to indicate the result of an action or situation, you can use a result clause. Result clauses are introduced by conjunctions such as so, so... that, or such that. y The lecture was boring and irrelevant, so some of the students began to fall asleep. y Peter was having problems with mathematics, so he went to see his tutor to ask for advice. y There were so many books on the subject that Cindy didnt know where to begin. y There was such a lot of material to cover that Ivan found it difficult to keep up with his studies. There are many other ways of talking about the result of an action or situation. In some situations you may prefer to use and as a result or with the result that. y The lecture was boring and irrelevant, and as a result some of the students began to fall asleep. y The lecture was boring and irrelevant, with the result that some of the students began to fall asleep. As a result can also be used at the beginning of a new sentence. y The lecture was boring and irrelevant. As a result, some of the students began to fall asleep. The following words and phrases are used in the same way. Therefore, Thus, In consequence, Consequently, For this/that reason Causal relations can be expressed by ing-clauses of result. y The government increased the duty on wine. As a result, there was a fall in demand. y The government increased the duty on wine, resulting in a fall in demand.

1. Purpose clauses