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Question Tags

Question tags are short questions added to the end of statements to confirm information, and they can be either positive or negative. The structure consists of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun, with specific rules for forming them based on the statement's positivity or negativity. Intonation varies depending on the speaker's certainty about the answer, and practice exercises are provided to reinforce understanding.

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clausanchez.franco
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16 views10 pages

Question Tags

Question tags are short questions added to the end of statements to confirm information, and they can be either positive or negative. The structure consists of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun, with specific rules for forming them based on the statement's positivity or negativity. Intonation varies depending on the speaker's certainty about the answer, and practice exercises are provided to reinforce understanding.

Uploaded by

clausanchez.franco
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Question tags

WHAT ARE QUESTION TAGS?


- a short question at the end of a statement
He won the prize, didn’t he?

question tag

- question tags are used when we want to


check if information is correct
FORM
• at the end of a sentence
• can be positive or negative

• Positive Statement + Negative Tag


You have written your homework, haven’t you?
• Negative Statement + Positive
Tag
You didn’t pass your last exam, did you?
• If the sentence contains a negative word
(never, hardly…) the question tag is positive

Ann never goes anywhere, does she?


FORM
- question tags consist of:
AUXILIARY VERB + PRONOUN
I shouldn’t laugh, should I?
Sarah was winning, wasn’t she?
-we use the auxiliary verb that is used in the previous
sentence
- if there is no auxiliary verb, “do/does” (present tense)
and “did” (past tense) must be used
You live near here, don’t you?
You turned left, didn’t you?
- the pronoun refers to the subject of the previous
sentence
FORM: Exceptions
I am  aren’t I?
 I’m helpful, aren’t I?
There is  isn’t there?
There is a chemist’s near here, isn’t there?
There are  aren’t there?
There are many shops in the area, aren’t there?
This is / That is  isn’t it?
That’s your wife over there, isn’t it?
ANSWER TO QUESTION TAGS

- we often use short answers:


A: You are French, aren’t you?
B: Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.  SHORT ANSWERS
A: She’s got a dog, hasn’t she?
B: Yes, she has. / No, she hasn’t.  SHORT ANSWER
A: You smoke, don’t you?
B: Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.  SHORT ANSWERS
Intonation:

When we are sure of the answer, the voice goes


down in the question tag:
John doesn’t speak English, does he?
The speaker knows John doesn’t speak English.
When we are not sure of the answer, the voice
goes up:
They failed their exam, didn’t they?
 The speaker doesn’t know if they failed their
exam or not.
Practice:

1.I shouldn’t talk in the library,


______ I?
. John was ill yesterday, _______ he?

3. It is a beautiful house, ______ it?


4. The train goes at twelve o’clock, _______
it?

5. There aren’t many cows on the


field, ___ there?

6. They didn’t eat anything, ______


they?
7. The party will begin soon, _______ it?

8. You have bought a dress, _______ you?

9. We don’t have to bring a camera, ___


we?

10. You would like to finish now,


_____?

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