Find and correct the mistakes in the tag questions below

Question Answer
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Find and correct the mistakes in the tag questions below.

  1. They live in San Francisco, aren’t (don’t) they?
  2. He didn’t buy the chairs, doesn’t (did) he?
  3. We are late, do we?
  4. He can’t swim, does he?
  5. She was a student, isn’t she?
  6. Thomas saw a movie, wasn’t he?
  7. He couldn’t answer the question, did he?
  8. Mr. Smith was late, isn’t he?
  9. They had dinner, were they?
  10. Your sister bought a new house, wasn’t she?
  11. You don’t exercise, don’t you?
  12. It’s three o’clock, aren’t it?
  13. She is your friend, don’t you?
  14. He is from Canada, isn’t it?
  15. Your father doesn’t drink tea, is he?
  16. They already started their class, don’t they?

Find and correct the mistakes in the tag questions below.
Find and correct the mistakes in the tag questions below.1010×800 72.7 KB

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Tag Questions: Identifying and Correcting Auxiliary and Pronoun Errors

:light_bulb: KEY FORMULA / RULE: A tag question mirrors the tense and auxiliary/modal verb of the main clause, matches the subject pronoun, and reverses the polarity: an affirmative statement takes a negative tag, whereas a negative statement takes an affirmative tag.

:brain: SOLUTION & CORRECTIONS

  • 1. They live in San Francisco, aren’t they?

    • Correction: don’t they?
    • Reason: The statement is affirmative Present Simple with an action verb, requiring the auxiliary do \rightarrow negative tag don’t.

  • 2. He didn’t buy the chairs, doesn’t he?

    • Correction: did he?
    • Reason: The statement is negative Past Simple (didn’t), so the tag must be affirmative Past Simple (did).

  • 3. We are late, do we?

    • Correction: aren’t we?
    • Reason: The main verb is the affirmative present form of be (are), requiring the negative tag aren’t.

  • 4. He can’t swim, does he?

    • Correction: can he?
    • Reason: The modal verb can’t is negative, requiring the affirmative modal tag can.

  • 5. She was a student, isn’t she?

    • Correction: wasn’t she?
    • Reason: The verb is Past Simple was, so the tag must match the tense in the negative (wasn’t).

  • 6. Thomas saw a movie, wasn’t he?

    • Correction: didn’t he?
    • Reason: Saw is a Past Simple action verb, which requires the past auxiliary did \rightarrow didn’t.

  • 7. He couldn’t answer the question, did he?

    • Correction: could he?
    • Reason: The modal verb is couldn’t (negative), so the tag must use the affirmative modal could.

  • 8. Mr. Smith was late, isn’t he?

    • Correction: wasn’t he?
    • Reason: The main clause uses Past Simple was, requiring the corresponding negative tag wasn’t.

  • 9. They had dinner, were they?

    • Correction: didn’t they?
    • Reason: Had functions here as a Past Simple main verb (to have dinner), requiring the auxiliary did \rightarrow didn’t.

  • 10. Your sister bought a new house, wasn’t she?

    • Correction: didn’t she?
    • Reason: Bought is a Past Simple main verb, requiring the auxiliary did \rightarrow didn’t.

  • 11. You don’t exercise, don’t you?

    • Correction: do you?
    • Reason: The main clause is negative (don’t), so the tag must be affirmative (do).

  • 12. It’s three o’clock, aren’t it?

    • Correction: isn’t it?
    • Reason: The singular contraction it’s (it is) requires the singular negative tag isn’t.

  • 13. She is your friend, don’t you?

    • Correction: isn’t she?
    • Reason: The subject is she and the verb is is, requiring the matching tag isn’t she.

  • 14. He is from Canada, isn’t it?

    • Correction: isn’t he?
    • Reason: The pronoun in the tag must match the subject of the clause (he).

  • 15. Your father doesn’t drink tea, is he?

    • Correction: does he?
    • Reason: The main clause uses the auxiliary doesn’t, so the tag must be the affirmative auxiliary does.

  • 16. They already started their class, don’t they?

    • Correction: didn’t they?
    • Reason: Started is in the Past Simple, requiring the past auxiliary did \rightarrow didn’t.

:warning: EXAM INSIGHT / PITFALL: Always verify that the tag uses the exact same grammatical subject pronoun (he/she/it/they) and matches the auxiliary of the main clause rather than introducing an unrelated verb (e.g., using wasn’t instead of didn’t for action verbs in the past tense).