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QUESTION TAG

The document outlines four types of questions: question tags, WH-questions, rhetorical questions, and polar questions. It provides detailed explanations and examples of how to form question tags, including rules for positive and negative statements, as well as exceptions. Additionally, it includes exercises for practice in forming question tags.

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11 views

QUESTION TAG

The document outlines four types of questions: question tags, WH-questions, rhetorical questions, and polar questions. It provides detailed explanations and examples of how to form question tags, including rules for positive and negative statements, as well as exceptions. Additionally, it includes exercises for practice in forming question tags.

Uploaded by

onyekwere1421
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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QUESTIONS

There are different types of questions, each of them has its own form of
answer, but in this lesson, we shall consider four types of questions namely:
1. QUESTION TAG
2. WH-QUESTION
Example: What is your name?
Where are you?
How are you?
Why are you laughing? Etc
3. RHETORICAL QUESTION:
Oh death, where is your strength?
Who knows tomorrow?
God, why have you forsaken me?
Can anyone doubt my sincerity?

4. POLAR QUESTION: Otherwise called YES- NO question.


Examples:
Are you happy? Yes, I am or No, I am not
Can you do it alone? Yes, I can or No I can’t
Is the man around now? Yes he is
Were they invited? No they weren’t

QUESTION TAG
Question tags are phrases in question form which are asked at the end of
statements. Tag questions are short questions which follow a statement
immediately. They are also called disjunctive questions or question phrases.
The tag consists of an operator (auxiliary verb) and a pronoun.
Examples:
He has gone to school, hasn’t he? Yes he has.
Matthew will go to school, won’t he? Yes he will.
Kalu is not going, is he? No he isn’t.
HOW TO FORM TAG QUESTIONS
1. Positive statements (affirmatives) attract negative tag and positive
answer
Example:
He is coming, isn’t he? Yes, he is.
You are right, aren’t you? Yes I am.
2. Negative statement attract positive tag
Example:
He is not coming, is he? No he is not
They haven’t done the work, have they?
He wasn’t in the room, was he?
3. Auxiliary(helping) verbs are usually repeated in the tag
4. The tag must reflect the noun or pronoun as used in the statement
Example:
Mary called you yesterday, didn’t she?
The sun is bright, isn’t it?
5. The tense of the tag is determined by the verb phrase in the statement
Example:
John Jumps over the fence, doesn’t he?
John jumped over the fence, didn’t he?
6. Where there is no auxiliary verb in the statement, use “do, does, did,
didn’t” in the question tag depending on the tense of the statements
Examples:
Joy failed her examinations, didn’t she? Yes she did.
Mary called you yesterday, didn’t she? Yes she did
John Jumps over the fence, doesn’t he? No he doesn’t
The students go to school every day, don’t they? Yes they do

AFFIRMATIVE AUXILIARY VERBS TURNED NEGATIVE


Shall shan’t or shouldn’t
Am aren’t
Are aren’t
Should shouldn’t
Will won’t
Need don’t or needn’t
Used to didn’t
e.g We used to cry before, didn’t we?
EXAMPLES
1. I am your friend, aren’t I?
2. I am not your friend, am I?
3. We need to know, don’t we? Also, it can be, needn’t we?
4. I shall write a letter, shouldn’t I? Shan’t I? is mainly used in informal
conversation
5. The boy will eat the food, won’t he?

SOME TIMES, QUESTION TAGS MAY NOT FOLLOW THE RULES OF


POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
NOTE: if the statement starts with let us, the second part will be SHALL +
SUBJECT.
Let’s go, shall we?
EXAMPLES:
Let us do it now, shall we? (imperative)
Let us do it now, will you? (request)
Give me the money, will you? (request)

EXERCISE
1. the Managing Director did not pay his staff last month ____?
A. didn’t he B. had he not C. is not it D. did he E. has he
2. We used to go that club on Saturday night, _____ ? A. isn’t it B. didn’t
we C. don’t we D. used we not E. aren’t we
3. It has been raining before the match started, ______ ? A. isn’t it B.
hasn’t it hadn’t it D. wasn’t it E. is it
4. The students haven’t come back from the library, ____ ? A. isn’t it B.
have they C. is it D. had they E. haven’t they
5. Let’s have a cup of coffee _____ A. shall we? B. will we? C. Should
we? D. could we?
6. He didn’t sense Obi’s presence in the room, did he? ___A. yes, he did
B. No. he did C. yes he didn’t D. No he didn’t
7. You can travel on your own, ____? A. isn’t it B. can’t you C. wouldn’t
you D. shouldn’t you
8. He does not seem to know how to solve the problem ________? A.
doesn’t he B. does not he C. does he not D. does he
9. Nowadays, many graduates are not well disposed to teaching ____?
A. do they B. they are C. aren’t they D. are they
EXERCISES
1. The postman arrives here early,
2. She bought a car,
3. Antonia has travelled,
4. I am writing a letter,
5. The pupils usually sing a song,
6. They weren’t happy yesterday,
7. He answered that he might come here,
8. I am not doing my assignment,
9. You must do your homework,
10.Dr. Adesina came to our school,
11.Mr. Darkwa lives in Agege,
12.You ought to say you are sorry,
13. The boy won’t eat the food,
14.He said that he could not buy it,
15. There are three branches of Seaside School in Nigeria,

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