Types of Questions

TAG
QUESTIONS
 Tag Questions

special construction in English

statement followed by a mini-question
 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.

mini-
Tag question question at
the end

whole
Question tag
sentence
 FUNCTION : to ask for confirmation.
They mean something like:
# "Am I right?"
# "Do you agree?"
The basic structure is:
statement question tag
+ -
Positive statement, negative tag?
Snowiswhite, isn'tit?
- +
Negative statement, positive tag?
Youdon'tlikeme, doyou?
Notice that the question tag repeats the
auxiliary verb (or main verb when be) from
the statement and changes it to negative or
 Example with positive statement :
positive statement [+] negative tag [-] notes:
subject auxiliary main auxiliary not personal
verb pronoun
(same as
subject)
You are coming, are n't you?
We have finished, have n't we?
You do like coffee, do n't you?
You like coffee, do n't you? You (do)
like...*
*Note that in this example the auxiliary verb do in the
statement - "You like coffee," - is understood and not
expressed because the tense is normal present
simple. But the question tag uses the do auxiliary to
make "don't you?" It is also possible to say: "You do
 POSITIVE STATEMENT NEGATIVE STATEMENT NOTE
They will help, wo n't they? won't =
will not

I can come, can 't I?

We must go, must n't we?

He should try harder, should n't he?

You are English, are n't you? no

auxiliary
John was there, was n't he? for main
verb be

a m ples
e se ex ts . You present &
at t h me n he
L oo k t at e e, t past
s it i ve s of the tim tive
po ost osi
with t ha t m
m the p
tag
e e fr o t h e
will s ary verb eated in e.
i
auxil ent is rep o negativ
state
m
an g ed t
h
and c
 Notice Example with negative statement
that in negativestatement[-] positivetag[+]
the tag,
we personal
repeat pronoun
auxiliary main verb auxiliary
the subject (same as
auxiliar subject)
y verb,
not the It is n't raining, is it?
main We have never seen that, have we?
verb.
Except, You do n't like coffee, do you?
of They will not help, will they?
course,
They wo n't report us, will they?
for the
verb be I can never do it right, can I?
in
We must n't tell her, must we?
present
simple He should n't drive so fast, should he?
and You are n't English, are you?
past
simple. John was not there, was he?
Some special cases:

Iamright,aren'tI? aren'tI(notamn'tI)
Youhavetogo,don'tyou? you (do) have to go...
Ihavebeenanswering,
use first auxiliary
haven'tI?
treat statements with nothing,
Nothingcameinthepost,
nobody like negative
didit?
statements
Let'sgo,shallwe? let's = let us
He'dbetterdoit,hadn'the? he had better (no auxiliary)
Identify each statement below whether it
is a positive statement or negative
statement:
1)But you don't really love her, do you?
2)This will work, won't it?
3)Well, I couldn't help it, could I?
4)But you'll tell me if she calls, won't you?
5)We'd never have known, would we?
6)The weather's bad, isn't it?
7)You won't be late, will you?
8)Nobody knows, do they?
 ANSWER:
1) negative statement
2) positive statement
3) negative statement
4) positive statement
5) negative statement

6) positive statement
7) negative statement
8) negative statement
Notice that we often use tag questions to ask for
information or help, starting with a negative
statement. This is quite a friendly/polite way of
making a request.
For example:
i) "Where is the police station?" (not very polite)
ii) "Do you know where the police station is?"
(slightly more
polite)
iii) "You wouldn't know where the police station is,
would you?
(very polite)
Here are some more examples:
You don't know of any good jobs, do you?
You couldn't help me with my homework,
could you?
You haven't got $10 to lend me, have you?
 Intonation

We can change the meaning of a tag question with the musical pitch of our
voice.
With rising intonation, it sounds like a real question.
But if our intonation falls, it sounds more like a statement that doesn't require
a real answer

Example intonation
Youdon'tknow
wheremy do you? / rising real question
walletis,
It'sabeautiful not a real
isn't it? \ falling
view, question
Answers to tag questions

Often, we just say Yes or No. Sometimes we may

repeat the tag and reverse it (..., do they? Yes, they
do).
Answer a tag question according to the truth of the
situation. Your answer reflects the real facts, not
(necessarily) the question.
 correct
tag question
answer
Snow is white, Yes (it
For the answer
isn't it? is).
exampl is the same
e, in both
everyon cases -
Snow isn't
e knows Yes it is! because
white, is it?
snow IS
that
WHITE!
snow is but notice the change of stress
white. Snow is black, No it when the answerer does not
Look at isn't it? isn't! the answer agree with the questioner
these is the same
questio in both
ns and cases -
Snow isn't No
the because
black, is it? (it isn't). snow IS
correct
NOT BLACK!
answers
 In some languages, people answer a question like
"Snow isn't black, is it?" with "Yes" (meaning "Yes, I
agree with you").
This is the wrong answer in English!
Here are some more examples, with correct
answers:
1)The moon goes round the earth, doesn't it? Yes, it
does.
2)The earth is bigger than the moon, isn't it? Yes.
3)The earth is bigger than the sun, isn't it? No, it
isn't!
4)Asian people don't like rice, do they? Yes, they do!
5)Elephants live in Europe, don't they? No, they
don't!
6)Men don't have babies, do they? No.
7)The English alphabet doesn't have 40 letters, does
it? No, it
doesn't.
 Questiontagswithimperatives
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
Help me, can't you? quite friendly (some irritation?)
Close the door, would you? quite polite
order
Do it now, will you? less polite
with negative imperatives only will
Don't forget, will you?
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 and not to make real questions.
-So you're having a baby, are you? That's
wonderful!
-She wants to marry him, does she? Some
chance!
-So you think that's amusing, do you? Think
again.
Negative-negative tag questions usually sound
rather hostile:
Choose the best answer:
1) He's still sleeping, ________(is not he, isnt he, wasnt he).
2) You do go to school,__________(do you, arent you, dont you).
3) Let's go for a walk, __________(shant we, shall we, will we).
4) We won't be late, ___________ (wont we, will we, are we)
5) Nobody called, ___________(do they, didnt they, did they)
6) They will wash the car, __________ (will it, wont they, wouldnt they)
7) We must lock the doors, ________(mustnt they, shouldnt we,
mustnt we)
8) I'm correct, ___________(arent I, amnt I,am not I)
9) So you bought a car, ___________ Congratulations! (did you,
havent you, werent you)
10) You wouldn't want to invite my Dad, ___________(did you, would
you,wont you)
ANSWER:
1)isnt you
2)dont you
3)shall we
4)will we
5)did they
6)wont they
7)mustnt we
8)arent I
9)did you
10)would you
Complete the sentences with the correct question tags.

1) Mr McGuinness is from Ireland, ________?

2) The car isn't in the garage, _________ ?
3) You are John, _________?
4) She went to the library yesterday,_________?
5) He didn't recognize me, _________?
6) Cars pollute the environment, _________?
7) Mr. Pritchard has been to Scotland recently, __________?
8) The trip is very expensive, __________?
9) He won't tell her, _________?
10) Hugh had a red car, ____________?
ANSWER:
1. Isnt he
2. Is it
3. Arent you
4. Didnt you
5. Did he
6. Dont they
7. Hasnt he
8. Isnt it
9. will he
10.Didnt he