Unit 52: Question tags (do you? isn't it? ect.)

English Grammar in Use With Answers » Unit 52: Question tags (do you? isn't it? ect.)

Study these examples:

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 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.'

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 today, are you?
Yes. (= Yes, I am going out)
No. (= No, I am not going out)

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 are only inviting 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 Lisa today, have you?' 'No, I haven't.'
(= Have you by chance seen Lisa 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 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 have no idea.'

After Let's ... , 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.'

52.1 Put a question tag on the end of these sentences

Kate won't be late, ?
No, she's never late.
You're tired, ?
Yes, a little.
You travel a lot, __________ ?
Yes, I love travelling.
You weren't listening, __________ ?
Yes, I was!
Sarah doesn't know Ann, __________ ?
No, they've never met.
Jack's on holiday, __________ ?
Yes, he's in Australia.
Kate's been to China before, __________ ?
Yes, two or three times.
You can speak German, __________ ?
Yes, but not fluently.
They won't mind if I take a photo, __________ ?
No, of course they won't.
There are a lot of people here, __________ ?
Yes, more than I expected.
Let's go out tonight, __________ ?
Yes, that would be great.
This isn't very interesting, __________ ?
No, not really.
I'm too impatient, __________ ?
Yes, you are sometimes.
You wouldn't tell anyone, __________ ?
No, of course not.
Ann has lived here a long time, __________ ?
Yes, 20 years.
I shouldn't have lost my temper, __________ ?
No, but that's all right.
He'd never met her before, __________ ?
No, that was the first time.
Don't drop that vase, __________ ?
Don't worry. I won't.

52.2 Read the situation and write a sentence with a question tag. In each situation you are asking your friend to agree with you.

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

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

You need a pen. Perhaps Jane has got one. Ask her.
?
You have to move a heavy table. You want Joe to give you a hand with it. Ask him.
Joe, you __________ ?
You're looking for Sarah. Perhaps Kate knows where she is. Ask her.
Kate, you __________ ?
You need a bicycle pump. Perhaps Helen has got one. Ask her.
Helen, __________ ?
Ann has a car and you need a lift to the station. Perhaps she'll take you. Ask her.
Ann, __________ ?
You're looking for your keys. Perhaps Robert has seen them. Ask him.
Robert, __________ ?

Answer Key

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