About this activity
Twelve statements with their tags: You're coming, aren't you? She likes pizza, doesn't she? They left already, didn't they? He can swim, can't he? We won, didn't we? He hasn't called, has he? They're not ready, are they? Tags reverse the polarity of the statement and reuse its auxiliary, which makes them one of the most intricate small structures in English.
How to use it in a session
Teach the two rules explicitly. The tag uses the statement's auxiliary — is, can, will, has — or supplies do when there is none, and it flips positive to negative or the reverse. Cover the tag and let the student build it, which is where the rules get applied. He hasn't called, has he? is the one to do last, since it reverses from negative to positive and students find that direction harder.
What to listen for
Listen for the auxiliary being carried across. She likes pizza has no auxiliary, so the tag has to supply doesn't — and students who have not been told this produce likes she or isn't she. Watch the polarity flip on the negative statements, which is the half that most often goes wrong.
Carrying it home
Tags are common in ordinary speech and easy to notice once pointed out. Hearing you're ready, aren't you and asking what the second part is doing takes ten seconds.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Fifth through eighth, and it is useful for older students learning English as an additional language.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all twelve items play free.
- Why are question tags so difficult?
- Because two things have to be right at once — the auxiliary has to match the statement, and the polarity has to flip. English speakers do this automatically and cannot usually explain it, which is why it needs stating.