Tag Questions Exercises PDFSet 5: Advanced Tags: Semi-Negatives & Mixed Practice
20 questions·15 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.She hardly ever complains, ___?
a) doesn't sheb) does shec) has shed) is she
2.You used to live in Tokyo, ___?
a) don't youb) usedn't youc) didn't youd) did you
3.He never apologises, ___?
a) did heb) doesn't hec) is hed) does he
4.We ought to tell them the truth, ___?
a) ought web) oughtn't wec) mustn't wed) don't we
5.You had better leave now, ___?
a) had youb) didn't youc) hadn't youd) shouldn't you
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.does she
2.didn't you
3.does he
4.oughtn't we
5.hadn't you
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."does she"(b)
'Hardly' is a semi-negative word — it makes the statement effectively negative. Negative → positive tag: 'does she'. Semi-negatives include: hardly, barely, scarcely, seldom, rarely, never, few, little.
2."didn't you"(c)
'Used to' takes the tag 'didn't you' in modern English. Although 'usedn't you' exists in very formal British English, 'didn't you' is the standard accepted form.
3."does he"(d)
'Never' makes the statement negative. Negative → positive tag: 'does he'. The verb 'apologises' is present simple third person, so we use 'does'.
4."oughtn't we"(b)
'Ought to' is positive. The grammatically matching tag is 'oughtn't we'. 'Ought to' keeps its own form in the tag, just like other modal verbs.
5."hadn't you"(c)
'Had better' uses 'had' as its auxiliary. Positive → negative tag: 'hadn't you'.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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