Circle the correct tag to complete the questions

Question Answer
1

Circle the correct tag to complete the questions.

  1. It’s next to the supermarket, don’t it / isn’t it?
  2. You met my brother last week, don’t you / didn’t you?
  3. He was born in 1970, didn’t he / wasn’t he?
  4. Bela can help, can’t she / doesn’t she?
  5. I’m right, aren’t I / am I?
  6. You can’t drive down your road, can’t you / can you?
  7. They won’t be late, will they / are they?
  8. You’re coming tomorrow, aren’t you / do you?

Circle the correct tag to complete the questions.
Circle the correct tag to complete the questions.1024×546 62.4 KB

2

English Grammar: Question Tags (Tag Questions)

:light_bulb: KEY FORMULA / RULE: A question tag turns a statement into a question by matching the auxiliary or modal verb and subject pronoun of the main sentence. If the main clause is positive, the tag must be negative; if the main clause is negative, the tag must be positive.

:brain: SOLUTION & OPTION ANALYSIS

  • 1. It’s next to the supermarket, isn’t it?
    • The main verb is the positive auxiliary “is” (It’s = It is), so the question tag requires the negative form isn’t it.
  • 2. You met my brother last week, didn’t you?
    • The verb “met” is in the simple past tense (positive), so it takes the past auxiliary did in the negative form: didn’t you.
  • 3. He was born in 1970, wasn’t he?
    • The verb is the past form of to be (“was”, positive), which requires the negative tag wasn’t he.
  • 4. Bela can help, can’t she?
    • The modal verb is “can” (positive), so the tag requires the negative modal can’t she.
  • 5. I’m right, aren’t I?
    • In standard English grammar, the regular negative question tag for “I am” is the idiomatic form aren’t I.
  • 6. You can’t drive down your road, can you?
    • The statement uses a negative modal (“can’t”), so it requires an affirmative tag: can you.
  • 7. They won’t be late, will they?
    • The statement has a negative auxiliary (“won’t” = will not), which takes the positive tag will they.
  • 8. You’re coming tomorrow, aren’t you?
    • The statement uses the present continuous positive auxiliary (“are”, You’re = You are), so the tag must be negative: aren’t you.

:white_check_mark: FINAL ANSWER:

  1. isn’t it
  2. didn’t you
  3. wasn’t he
  4. can’t she
  5. aren’t I
  6. can you
  7. will they
  8. aren’t you

:warning: EXAM INSIGHT / PITFALL: Remember the irregular exception: while the negative tag for I am is aren’t I?, the positive tag for I’m not remains regular: am I? (e.g., I’m not late, am I?).