ENG_B1.1.

0405S

Question Tags
Ask Questions & Give Suggestions
Speaking & Discussion
Level B1

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Question Tags Outline

Content
In this lesson you will learn how to use question tags.

Learning Outcomes
• Learn how to verify questions with question tags.
• Ask questions and give suggestions.
• Learn interrogative vocabulary.

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Vocabulary

Choice
Structure
Response
Statement

Interrogative Expectation

Grammatical
Rhetorical
Politeness Irony

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Vocabulary

Tag question Underline a statement

The most common is Grammatical form
In most languages Real question
Formal written Unique
Put emphasis on Same way
Straightforward Factor
Asking for information System
Motivating an action Positive/negative statement

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Definition

A question tag or tag question is a grammatical structure

in which a declarative statement or an imperative is
turned into a question by adding
an interrogative fragment.

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Questions

1) Can you think of examples of

question tags?

2) Are your examples real

questions?

3) Are your examples seeking

agreement?

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Statement

Question tags are formed in several ways, and many

languages give a choice of formation. In some languages
the most common is a single word or fixed phrase,
whereas in others it is formed by a regular grammatical
construction.

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Uses

Speaking

Uses for Question Tags

Question tags are used for:

• Politeness
• Emphasis
• Irony
• Confidence
• Rhetoric
Example:
He goes to Harvard University,
doesn‘t he?
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Grammatical explanation

Please note

If the main part of the sentence is positive, the

question tag is always negative and vice versa.
positive sentence -> negative question
negative sentence -> positive question

Examples
He starts school this year, doesn‘t he?
He said he was coming, didn‘t he?
They don‘t Speak English, do they?

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Grammar

Please note
If there is an auxiliary verb, use it in the
question tag

They‘ve been here before  haven‘t they?

He hasn‘t been waiting long  has he?
You aren‘t going to the gym  are you?

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Grammar

Please note
If there is a modal verb in the sentence,
use it in the question tag.

Example

You can hear me, can‘t you?

You should done my homework, shouldn‘t you?
I will remember our meeting, won‘t I?

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Grammar

Please note
If there is no auxiliary verb, use ‘do‘ in the
question tag.

Example

You play tennis, don‘t you?

He remembers me, doesn‘t he?
We went to London last year, didn‘t we?

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Exercises

Speaking

Complete the question tags

1. He always goes to the gym on Thurdays, ______?

2. We will be on time for the movie, ___________?
3. Your dog is a golden retriever, ______________?
4. I can eat some cake, ______________________?
5. She won‘t mind if I eat some, _______________?

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Exercises

Speaking

Discuss the following questions

1. What kind of intonation can questions have?

2. In which cases do we ask questions?
3. What are yes/no questions?

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Exercises

Speaking

Fill in the blank

factors – unique – system – questions – similar way –

grammatical form

English tag questions, when they have the ___________of a

question, are atypically complex, because they vary according to
at least three _______: the choice of auxiliary, the negation and
the intonation pattern. This is _____ among the Germanic
languages, but the Celtic languages operate in a very _________.
For the theory that English has borrowed its ____ of tag _______
from Brittonic, see Brittonicisms in English.

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Exercises

Writing

Formulate new sentences using these phrases

1) Question / are / the / to / the / tags / sentence / added / end of

2) Common / in / the tags / language / are / Question / English

3) Next/ ? / I / , / I‘m / aren‘t

4) You / expect / do / a / response / you / ? / don‘t / ,

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Exercises

Speaking

Role Play

Situation 1 Situation 2

You don‘t believe your friend

You want to convince you
that he won the lottery. Ask
friends to let you eat all the
him questions with question
cake.
tags to be sure.

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Exercises

Speaking

Practice adding question tags

1. He was here earlier…

2. She had met him before…
3. It‘s raining outside…
4. They are always playing video games…
5. You are working until 9 pm tonight…

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Exercises

Speaking

Choose the right question tag

We are taking the car
a) Are we?
b) Are we not?
c) Aren‘t we?
You don‘t know the way
a) Don‘t they?
b) Do you?
c) Don‘t you?
I didn‘t know
a) I didn‘t?
b) Did I?
c) Didn‘t hi?
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Exercises

Writing
Open writing activity
Write 4 sentences using question tags
1) Sentence

2) Sentence

3) Sentence

4) Sentence

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Thank you

We would like to thank

the following sources for their content
Text Question Tags, Images Shutterstock – ID 96717475
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_questio Shutterstock – ID 59893672
n, Retrieved at 13.02.2015, Creative Shutterstock – ID 110537564
Commons license Shutterstock – ID 62208232
Shutterstock – ID 104523281
Shutterstock – ID 123605941

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Thank you
for choosing to learn
with

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