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Friday, August 23, 2024

Question Tags explained



✅Have👇👇
Where have means possess it is possible to use both don't, doesn't and haven't, hasn't as the tag auxiliary, but only  in the present tense.

Where "have" is used as an auxiliary verb, have tag questions are the only possibility.
🔹I have something, haven't I?🔹I have something, don't I?
🔹He has something, hasn't he?🔹He has something, doesn't he?🔹I don't have anything, do I?🔹He doesn't have anything, does he?
🔹I had something, didn't I?
🔹I didn't have something, did I?
🔹I have worked, haven't I?
🔹I haven't worked, have I?
🔹I had worked, hadn't I?
🔹I hadn't worked, had I?

Some special cases of "have" tags👇
Although have got means possession, the tag is always have or haven't
🔸I
 have got something, haven't I?
🔸I haven't got something, have I?
🔸I have to work, mustn't I?
🔸I have to work, don't I?
🔸I don't have to work, do I?

Special cases👇👇

Negative Adverbs
Adverbs with a negative sense in the statement clause lead to the use of an affirmative tag. Examples are...hardly, scarcely, barely, rarely, never
🔸He almost never comes on time, does he?
🔸We can hardly hear it, can we?
🔸You can scarcely see it, can you?
🔸They rarely visit, do they?
🔸It makes no sense, does it?

Negative Subjects
Similarly, subjects that are negative normally lead to an affirmative + affirmative tag question
🔹No-one came, did they?
🔹Nothing works, does it?
🔹None of them can help, can they?

Imperatives
Imperatives are often tagged with will, won't, would, can, can't, could you?

🔹Give me a hand, will you?
🔹Hurry up, won't you?
🔹Close the door, would you?🔹Give Jagan a lift, can you?
🔹Keep quiet, can't you?
🔹Lend me a tenner, could you?

A negative imperative is normally followed by will you?🔸Don't do that again, will you?A suggestion using let's can be tagged with shall we?
🔹Let's see that new film, shall we?

Polite requests👇
As mentioned in the introduction, polite requests are usually formulated as negative + affirmative using a "polite" modal.
🔸I couldn't borrow your car, could I?
🔸It wouldn't be too much trouble for you, would it?

Requests that start with phrases such as "I don't suppose that..." usually use a "polite" modal in affirmative and tagged affirmatively.
🔹I don't suppose I could take the afternoon off, could I?

Pronouns👇👇

Use of tag pronouns
After a clause with somebody, someone, everybody, everyone, nobody, no-one the tag pronoun is normally they.
🔸Somebody told you the answer, didn't they?
🔸No-one called while I was out, did they?
🔸Everyone had a good time, didn't they?

After a clause with nothing, the tag pronoun is normally it
🔹Nothing is wrong, is it?
When using there isthere are etc, the tag pronoun is normally there
🔸There are two TV's, aren't there?

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