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Unit 52 · Questions and auxiliary verbs

Question tags (do you? isn't it? etc.)

Study

A

Study these examples:

›

You haven't seen Lisa today, have you?

No, I haven't.

›

It was a good film, wasn't it?

Yes, it was great.

Have you? and wasn't it? are question tags. These are mini-questions that you can put on the end of a sentence.

In question tags, we use an auxiliary verb (have/was/will etc.).

We use do/does/did for the present and past simple (see Unit 51):

›

'Karen plays the piano, doesn't she?' 'Well, yes, but not very well.'

›

'You didn't lock the door, did you?' 'No, I forgot.'

B

Normally we use a negative question tag after a positive sentence:

positive sentence + negative tag
Kate **will** be here soon, **won't she**?
There **was** a lot of traffic, **wasn't there**?
Joe **should** pass the exam, **shouldn't he**?

... and a positive question tag after a negative sentence:

negative sentence + positive tag
Kate **won't** be late, **will she**?
They **don't** like us, **do they**?
You **haven't** eaten yet, **have you**?

Notice the meaning of yes and no in answer to a negative sentence:

›

'You're not going out this morning, are you?'

'Yes.' (= Yes, I am going out)

'No.' (= No, I am not going out)

C

The meaning of a question tag depends on how you say it. If your voice goes down, you are not really asking a question. You expect the listener to agree with you:

›

'It's a nice day, isn't it?' 'Yes, beautiful.'

›

'Paul doesn't look well today, does he?' 'No, he looks very tired.'

›

'Lisa's very funny. She's got a great sense of humour, hasn't she?' 'Yes, she has.'

But if the voice goes up, it is a real question:

›

'You haven't seen Kate today, have you?' 'No, I haven't.'

(= Have you seen Kate today?)

You can use a negative sentence + positive tag to ask for things or information, or to ask somebody to do something. The voice goes up at the end of the tag:

›

'You couldn't do me a favour, could you?' 'It depends what it is.'

›

'You don't know where Karen is, do you?' 'Sorry, I have no idea.'

D

After Let's … (= Let us) the question tag is shall we:

›

Let's go for a walk, shall we? (the voice goes up)

After Don't … , the question tag is will you:

›

Don't be late, will you? (the voice goes down)

After I'm … , the negative question tag is aren't I? (= am I not?):

›

'I'm right, aren't I?' 'Yes, you are.'

Auxiliary verbs (have/do/can etc.) ➜ Unit 51

Exercises (3)

0/3 exercises checked
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52.1

Complete these sentences with a question tag.

  1. 1
    Kate won't be late, ?example
  2. 2
    You're tired, ?example
  3. 3
    You travel a lot, ?
  4. 4
    You weren't listening, ?
  5. 5
    Sarah doesn't know Ann, ?
  6. 6
    Jack's on holiday, ?
  7. 7
    It didn't take long to get here, ?
  8. 8
    You can speak German, ?
  9. 9
    They won't mind if I take a picture, ?
  10. 10
    There are a lot of people here, ?
  11. 11
    Let's go and have coffee, ?
  12. 12
    This isn't very interesting, ?
  13. 13
    I'm too impatient, ?
  14. 14
    You wouldn't tell anyone, ?
  15. 15
    Helen has lived here a long time, ?
  16. 16
    I shouldn't have lost my temper, ?
  17. 17
    He'd never met her before, ?
  18. 18
    Don't forget to call me, ?
52.2

In these situations you expect your friend to agree with you. Use a question tag in your sentences.

  1. 1
    You look out of the window. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. You say to your friend: (beautiful day)
    It's a beautiful day, ?example
  2. 2
    You're with a friend outside a restaurant. You're looking at the prices, which are very high. You say: (expensive)
    It's (very) expensive, ?
  3. 3
    You and a colleague have just finished a training course. You really enjoyed it. You say to your colleague: (great)
    The course was great, ?
  4. 4
    Your friend's hair is much shorter than when you last met. You say to her/him: (have / your hair / cut)
    You've had your hair cut, ?
  5. 5
    You're listening to a woman singing. You like her voice very much. You say to your friend: (a good voice)
    She has a good voice, ?
  6. 6
    You're trying on a jacket in a shop. You look in the mirror and you don't like what you see. You say to your friend: (not / look / right)
    It doesn't look right, ?
  7. 7
    You and a friend are walking over a small wooden bridge. The bridge is old and some parts are broken. You say: (not / very safe)
    This bridge isn't very safe, ?
52.3

In these situations you are asking for information, asking people to do things etc.

  1. 1
    You need a pen. Perhaps Jane has one. Ask her.
    Jane, you don't have a pen I could borrow, ?example
  2. 2
    You have to move a heavy table. You want Joe to help you with it. Ask him.
    Joe, you couldn't help me (with this table), ?
  3. 3
    You're looking for Sarah. Perhaps Lisa knows where she is. Ask her.
    Lisa, you don't know where Sarah is, ?
  4. 4
    You want to borrow a tennis racket. Perhaps Helen has one. Ask her.
    Helen, you don't have a tennis racket, ?
  5. 5
    Anna has a car and you need a lift to the station. Perhaps she'll take you. Ask her.
    Anna, you couldn't take me to the station, ?
  6. 6
    You're looking for your keys. Perhaps Robert has seen them. Ask him.
    Robert, you haven't seen my keys, ?