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