A.
Study these examples:
You
haven't seen Mary today, have you?
No, I'm
afraid not.
It was a
good film, wasn't it?
Yes. I
really enjoyed it.
Have
you? and wasn't it? are question tags (= mini-questions that we often put on
the end of a sentence in spoken English). In question tags, we use an auxiliary
verb (have/was/will etc.).
We use
do/does/did for the present and past simple (see also Unit 50):
* '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
Mary
will be here soon, won't she?
There
was a lot of traffic, wasn't there?
Jim
should pass the exam, shouldn't he?
... and
a positive question tag after a negative sentence:
negative
sentence + positive tag
Mary
won't be late, will she?
They
don't like us, do they?
You
haven't got a car, have you?
Notice
the meaning of yes and no in answer to a negative sentence:
* You're
not going out today, are you? Yes. (Yes, I am going out)
* You're
not going out today, are you? 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 aren't really asking a question; you are only inviting the listener to
agree with you:
* 'It's
a nice day, isn't it?' 'Yes, lovely.'
* 'Tim
doesn't look well today, dose he? 'No, he looks very tired.'
* She's
very pretty. She's got beautiful eyes, hasn't she?
But if
the voice goes up, it is a real question:
* 'You
haven't seen Mary today, have you?' 'No, I'm afraid not.'
(= Have
you seen Mary today by any chance?)
We often
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 in
sentences like these:
* 'You
haven't got a pen, have you?' 'Yes, here you are.'
* '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've no idea.'
D.
After Let's... the question tag is ... shall we?:
Let's go
for a walk, shall we?
After
the imperative (Do.../Don't do... etc.), the tag is usually ... will you?:
Open the
door, will you?
Don't be
late, will you?
Note
that we say ... aren't I? (= am I not?):
I'm
late, aren't I?
EXERCISES
51.1 Put
a question tag on the end of these sentences.
1. Tom
won't be late, will her? No, he's never late.
2.
You're tired, aren't you? Yes, a little.
3.
You've got a camera, ---? Yes, why? Do you want to borrow it?
4. You
weren't listening, ---? Yes, I was!
5. Sue
doesn't know Ann, ---? No, they've never met.
6.
Jack's on holiday, ---? Yes, he's in Portugal.
7. Ann's
applied for the job, ---? Yes, but she won't get it.
8. You
can speak German, ---? Yes, but not very fluently.
9. He
won't mind if I use his phone, ---? No, of course he won't.
10.
There are a lot of people here, ---? Yes, more than I expected.
11.
Let's go out tonight, ---? Yes, let's.
12. This
isn't very interesting, ---? No, not very.
13. I'm
too impatient, ---? Yes, you are sometimes.
14. You
wouldn't tell anyone ---?No, of course not.
15.
Listen, ---? OK, I'm listening.
16. I
shouldn't have lost my temper, ---? No, but never mind.
17.
Don't drop that vase, ---? No, don't worry.
18. He'd
never met her before, ---?, No, that was the first time.
51.2
Read the situation and write a sentence with a question tag. In each situation
you are asking your friend to agree with you.
1. You
look out of the window. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. What do you say
to your friend? (beautiful day)
_It's a
beautiful day, isn't_
2.
You're with a friend outside a restaurant. You're looking at the prices, which
are very high. What do you say? (expensive)
It ---
3.
You've just come out of the cinema with a friend'. You really enjoyed the film.
What do you say to your friend? (great)
The film
---
4. You
and a friend are listening to a woman singing. You like her voice very much.
What do you say to your friend? (a lovely voice)
She ---
5. You
are trying on a jacket. You look in the mirror and you don't like what you see.
What do you say to your friend? (not/took/very good)
It ---
6. Your
friend's hair is much shorter than when you last met. What do you say to
her/him? (have/your hair/cut)
You ---
7. You
and a friend are walking over a wooden bridge. It is very old and some parts
are broken. What do you say? (not/very safe)
This
bridge ---
51.3 In
these situations you are asking for information and asking people to do things.
Make sentences like those in Section C.
1. You
need a pen. Perhaps Jane has got one. Ask her.
Jane,
you haven't got a pen. have you?
2. Jack
is just going out. You want him to get you some stamps. Ask him.
Jack,
you ---
3.
You're looking for Ann. Perhaps Kate knows where she is. Ask her.
Kate,
you ---
4. You
need a bicycle pump. Perhaps Helen has got one. Ask her.
Helen
---
5.
You're looking for your keys. Perhaps Robin has seen them. Ask him.
the answer
51.1
3
haven't you
4 I were
you
5 does
she
6 isn't
he
7 hasn't
she
8 can't
you
9 will
he
10
aren't there
11 shall
we
12 is it
13
aren't I
14 would
you
15 will
you
16
should I
17 will
you
18 had
he
51.2
2 It's
(very) expensive, isn't it?
3 The
film was great, wasn't it?
4 She
has/She has got/She's got a lovely voice, hasn't she? or She has a lovely
voice, doesn't she?
5 It
doesn't look very good, does it?
6 You've
had your hair cut, haven't you?
7 This
bridge isn't very safe, is it?
51.3
2 Jack,
you couldn't get me some stamps, could you?
3 Kate,
you don't know where Ann is, do you? or ... you haven't seen Ann, have you?
4 Helen,
you haven't got a bicycle pump, have you? or ... you don't have a bicycle pump,
do you?
5 Robin,
you haven't seen my keys have you?
