52. Question tags (do you? Isn’t it? Etc.) ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

52. Question tags (do you? Isn’t it? Etc.)

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.'
B	Normally we use a negative question tag after a positive sentence: ... and a positive question tag after a negative 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? 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)
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.'
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.'

EXERCISES

52.1	Put a question tag on the end of these sentences. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Kate won't be late, _____will she_____? You're tired, ______aren’t you _________? You travel a lot, _________________? You weren't listening, _________________? Sarah doesn't know Ann, _________________? jack's on holiday, _________________? Kate's been to China before, _________________? You can speak German, _________________? They won't mind if I take a photo, _________________? There are a lot of people here, _________________? Let's go out tonight, _________________? This isn't very interesting, _________________? I'm too impatient, _________________? You wouldn't tell anyone, _________________? Ann has lived here a long time, _________________? I shouldn't have lost my temper, _________________? He'd never met her before, _________________? Don't drop that vase, _________________? No, she's never late. Yes, a little. Yes, I love travelling. Yes, I was! No, they've never met. Yes, he's in Australia. Yes, two or three times. Yes, but not fluently. No, of course they won't. Yes, more than I expected. Yes, that would be great. No, not really. Yes, you are sometimes. No, of course not. Yes, 20 years. No, but that's all right. No, that was the first time. 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. 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 it? _____________________ 2 You're with a friend outside a restaurant. You're looking at the prices, which are very high. What do you say? (expensive) lt _________________________________ 3 You and a colleague have just finished a training course. You really enjoyed it. What do you say to your colleague? (great) The course _______________________________ 4 Your friend's hair is much shorter than when you last met. What do you say to her/ him? (have I your hair I cut) You _____________________________________ 5 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 _____________________________________. 6 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 _____________________________________. 7 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. 1 You need a pen. Perhaps Jane has got one. Ask her. ___ Jane, you haven’t got a pen, have you? ___________________ 2 You have to move a heavy table. You want Joe to give you a hand with it. Ask him. Joe, you ______________________________________________ 3 You're looking for Sarah. 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 Ann has a car and you need a lift to the station. Perhaps she'll take you. Ask her. Ann, ______________________________________________ 6 You're looking for your keys. Perhaps Robert has seen them. Ask him. Robert, ______________________________________________

ANSWER KEY

52.1 3 don't you 4 were you 5 does she 6 isn't he 7 hasn't she 8 can't you 9 will they 10 aren't there 11 shall we 12 is it 13 aren't I 14 would you 15 hasn't she 16 should I 17 had he 18 will you 52.2 2 it's (very) expensive, isn't it? 3 The course was great, wasn't it? 4 You've had your hair cut, haven't you? Or You had your hair cut, didn't you? 5 She has a good voice, hasn't she? Or She's got I She has got a good voice, hasn't she? or She has a good voice, doesn't she? 6 It doesn't look very good, does it? 7 This bridge isn't very safe, is it? Or ... doesn't look very safe, does it? 52.3 2 Joe, you couldn't give me a hand (with this table), could you? 3 Kate, you don't know where Sarah is, do you? or ... you haven't seen Sarah, have you? 4 Helen, you haven't got a bicycle pump, have you? or ... you don't have a bicycle pump, do you? 5 Ann, you couldn't take me to the station, could you? Or ... you couldn't give me a lift to the station, could you? 6 Robert, you haven't seen my keys, have you?