QUESTION TAGS Simply put,question tags are those short expressions that we usually add at the end of a sentence in order to ask a question. Question tags are formed with either primary or modal auxiliary (helping)verbs. Examples of question tags include the following: ...,am I?; ....,was I?; ....,am I not?; ...,was I not?(wasnt I?),etcetera NOTE: (1)-FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AUXILIARY VERBS,READ MY RECENT WORK TITLED AUXILIARY VERBS POSTED ON WWW.BAKANO/GRAMMAR.COM (and several other groups here on facebook) (2)-note that key words(auxiliary verbs)are used in capitals simply to call attention;it does not mean they should always be in capital letters); FORMALITIES ON QUESTION TAGS It should be noted that,in written English, there must be a comma before a question tag. Consider the following: -I AM human,AM I NOT? -It IS a cat,IS IT NOT? Second,let us take a trip to the world of electrical engineering. Have you noticed that,they always fix not less than two wires for every electric bulb or appliance? They call the couple of wires POSITIVE and NEGETIVE. Theres light in the POSITIVE one,do not touch it;but,theres nothing in the other one(though this is not for you to taste it),the NEGATIVE. They sometimes call it NEUTRAL. Ask them,they will educate you that,if you use POSITIVE and POSITIVE the bulb will explode;if you however use NEGATIVE and NEGATIVE,there will be nothing. You have to use POSITIVE plus NEGATIVE wires to get normal light or make your electric appliance work. Well,grammarians use the same formalities in English question tags. Here is the fact: If the first part of a particular sentence is in POSITIVE (yes)form,then the question tag must be in NEGATIVE just like in normal wiring;study the following: -I AM human,AM I NOT? The expression I am human is the first part,and it is in POSITIVE form;it says yes. Am I not? is the question tag,but it is in NEGATIVE form;it asks to say no. Avoid saying the following: -I AM human,AM I? But,if the first part of the sentence is in NEGATIVE(no)form,then your question tag must be in POSITIVE;study the following: -I AM NOT an animal,AM I? The expression I am not an animal is the first part,but it is in NEGATIVE form,saying no. Am I? is the question tag,but it is in POSITIVE form,asking to say yes. Do not say the following: -I AM NOT an animal,AM I NOT? Third,it should be understood that,if the auxiliary verb used in the first part of the sentence is in PRESENT form,then the other one in the question tag must also be in the same PRESENT form. Consider the following: -I AM human,AM I not? Do not express the above sentence this way: -I AM human,WAS I not? Fourth,as it might have been guessed,if the first auxiliary verb used in the first part of the sentence is in PAST form,then the other one in the question tag must also be in the same PAST form. Study the given example below: -She WAS cooking,WAS she not? Do not say: -She WAS cooking,IS she not? Fifth,learn the contracted forms of question tags,because most English speakers prefer the short forms more than the full ones. Study the following: CONTRACTED FORMS / FULL FORMS ...isnt it? (Is it not?) ...wasnt it? (was it not?) ...arent you? (are you not?) ...werent you? (were you not?) ...dont you? (do you not?) ...didnt you? (did you not?) ...havent you? (have you not?) ...hasnt he? (has he not?) ...hadnt you? (had you not?) ...cant he? (can he not?) ...couldnt he? (could he not?) ...maynt she? (may she not?) ...mightnt she? (might she not?) ...wont it? (will it not?) ...wouldnt it? (would it not?) ...shant we? (shall we not?) ...shouldnt we? (should we not?) ...mustnt they? (must they not?) ...oughtnt they? (ought they not?) © BAKANO A.M. 2014 BAKANO A. MURTALA;SENSE ON TENSES;2008 ............................................... DEDICATED TO THE HUMAN RACE: (...in loving memory of my 2007-2014 English students from Niger,Chad,Ghana,Cameroon, Senegal and Nigeria...your Mr. White(Bakano) misses you all...but may the Lord richly bless you and your whereabouts,with eternal health and wealth,so I be glad when told of it. Amen) ................................. GOT SOME QUESTION ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR? CONTACT BAKANO VIA THE FOLLOWING.I MAY BE ABLE TO RESPOND... +2347050222660 +2348182669099 +2348163675565 bakanoamurtala@facebook bakanomurtala@gmail @bakanomurtala OR VIA THE FACEBOOK GROUPS BELOW: -WWW.BAKANO/GRAMMAR.COM -DYOU SPEAK ENGLISH?,and -CREATIVE WRITERS FORUM ....among several others ...gluck in your English studies! ..................................... NOTE: ENGLISH GRAMMARIANS ARE HEREBY ENCOURAGED TO CORRECT ANY POSSIBLE MISTAKE(S) WITHIN THE ABOVE EFFORT. CARE TO DO THAT,SO ENGLISH LEARNERS DO NOT GET MISINFORMED. BAKANO APPRECIATES! .......................................
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 08:40:10 +0000
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