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) does sheb) doesn't shec) is shed) has she
2.You used to live in Tokyo, ___?
a) usedn't youb) didn't youc) did youd) don't you
3.He never apologises, ___?
a) doesn't heb) is hec) does hed) did he
4.We ought to tell them the truth, ___?
a) ought web) don't wec) mustn't wed) oughtn't we
5.You had better leave now, ___?
a) hadn't youb) had youc) didn'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"(a)
'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"(b)
'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"(c)
'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"(d)
'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"(a)
'Had better' uses 'had' as its auxiliary. Positive → negative tag: 'hadn't you'.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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