English question tag

ENGLISH QUESTION TAGS
I - EXPLANATION

The question Tag is the question that is asked After saying something to confirm if it's true or false. In french we can say " n'est-ce pas ? "
The general formula used by many people is " isn't it ? " .
There are specifique elements that we use for English Question Tag, let's find them.
( Auxiliaries, not , subject ).
As we defined it we cannot make the question tag without sentences. It's because something has been said, that we want to know if it's true or false.
*** RULE 1  When the sentence is in affirmative form, we put the question tag into negative form. And when the sentence is in negative form , we put the question tag into affirmative form.
For example:
Firstly, if there is the word " not " in the sentence it means that the sentence is in negative form, so we remove the word " not " for having an affirmative form, then we use this form for the question tag.
Secondly, if there isn't nor the word "not " neither other words that express negation , for instance " ever, never, no more, any more, none etc , then we add " not " in the question tag.

NB. What we have to keep in our mind , is that if the given sentence is in affirmative form, then we put the question tag into negative form. But if the given sentence is in negative form, we put the question tag into affirmative form, it means we remove the word " not " or other words that express negation.

II - APPLICATION

1-  ELEMENTS WE NEED OR TAKE INTO
ACCOUNT IN THE QUESTION TAG.

Auxiliaries ( be , have, do )  , Subject ( replaced by a personal pronoun Subject) , not , question mark ( ? ).
NB It is important to replace the nouns by personal pronouns Subject, make sure you do not forget the question mark and to apply the  contraction with not and the auxiliary.

A- CONTRACTION.

( To be ) am not = ain't. is not = isn't. are not = aren't. was not = wasn't . were not = weren't.
( To have ) have not = haven't. has not = hasn't . had not = hadn't.
 ( To do ) do not = don't. does not = doesn't. did not = didn't.
( Will ) will not = won't.
( Would ) would not = wouldn't.
( Must ) must not = mustn't.
 ( May ) may not = mayn't.

B - NOUNS TURNED INTO PERSONAL PRONOUNS.

For instance : Koffi = (  He ) because Koffi is a boy, a mâle person .  Mariam = ( she ) because Mariam is a girl, a female person. The dog =( it ) because the dog is an animal. The table = ( it ) because the table is a thing. Mariam and Koffi = ( they ) because Mariam and Koffi together represent the third person of plurial form.
FORMULA 1 : (  auxiliary or modal + not + Subject + ? )
Example : Koffi is nice. We can also say " He is nice "
Q.T. = is not Koffi ? = is not He ? =  isn't he ?
Koffi's nice = isn't he ?
Mariam has a red pen.
Q.T. has not Mariam ?  = has not She ? = hasn't She ?
Mariam has a red pen. = hasn't She ?
FORMULA II -  ( Auxiliary or modal + Subject + ? ) Without not or other words expressing negation.
2 - EXAMPLE :
Ain't a bad boy.
Q.T. am I ?

NB : ain't = I am not . So we follow the formula by removing " not " and it remains " I am "  as it's a question we inverse the places ;  auxiliary before Subject and we have " am I " .

Ex 2 : the children did the same thing Yesterday.
Q.T.  = didn't they ?

We can explain by this example that the children can be replaced by the personal pronoun Subject " they " and as the sentence is in affirmative form, then we put the question tag into negative form by adding not to the auxiliary and contract them.
Children = they.
They did the same thing Yesterday.
Did # did not,    did # didn't.
They didn't the same thing Yesterday.
Q.T. didn't they ?

NB. For all the other verbs which are nor " auxiliaries "  neither  " modals " use the auxiliary " do "  with the same tense of the verb for the question tag
Example : to eat, to go , to learn, to make etc .
The dog eats some meats.

Question Tag : doesn't It ?

1) As the dog is an animal, we uqe " It " to replace it.

2) As the verb" to eat " is not an auxiliary, we use "  do " to replace it.

3) As the verb " to eat " is in present simple tense, we put " do " into present simple tense too, and we conjugate it with the same personal pronoun.

4) As the sentence is in affirmative form, we add " not " to put it into negative form.

5) As it is a question, we won't forget to put the question mark at the end of the question tag.
This is what gives :
DOESN'T IT ?  as answer.
 Remember what we said in the last lesson, the auxiliary do is used to ask questions, answer questions and make sentences. For example the sentence " The dog eats some meats "  and the sentence The " dog does eat some meats " are the same. So as we need auxiliary to make the question tag and " do " is an auxiliary conjugated into present simple tense with the third personal pronoun Subject " it " that can replace the dog, then we use " does " instead of " do " .

EXERCISE


Answer with question tags following this example bellow.

1- My mother is old.
*** Q.T. = isn't She ?

2- My mother isn't old.
*** Q.T. = is She ?

3 - Hamidou has a big car.
***Q.T. = hasn't He ?

4- Hamidou has not a big car.
*** Q.T. = has He ?

5- this pen looks like mine.
*** Q.T. = doesn't It ?

6- I don't know my great-parents.
*** Q.T. = do I ?

7- they talk a lot.
*** Q.T. = ...................

8- the child of Hamidou will come tomorrow.
*** Q.T = won't He ? / won't She ? ( depending on the gender ) .

9- we may not do that.
*** Q.T. = ....................
10- it's not true.
*** Q.T. = .....................