That hardly counts, does it?
You’ve never been to Benidorm, have you?
Nothing had changed, had it?
replying to tags
5.18 The person you are speaking to replies to the content of your statement rather than to the tag, and confirms an affirmative statement with yes and a negative statement with no.
‘It became stronger, didn’t it?’ –‘Yes it did.’
‘You didn’t know that, did you?’ – ‘No.’
other uses of question tags
5.19 If you are making a statement about yourself and you want to check if the person you are talking to has the same opinion or feeling, you can put a tag with you after your statement.
I think this is the best thing, don’t you?
I love tea, don’t you?
Question tags can also be used to show your reaction to something that someone has just said or implied, for example to show interest, surprise, or anger. Note that you use an affirmative tag after an affirmative statement.
You fell on your back, did you?
You’ve been to North America before, have you?
Oh, he wants us to make films as well, does he?
When using let’s to suggest doing something, you can add the tag shall we to check that the people you are talking to agree with you.
Let’s forget it, shall we?
If you are suggesting that you do something and you want to check that the person you are speaking to agrees, you can add the tag shall I?
I’ll call the doctor, shall I?
If you are telling someone to do something and you want to make your order sound less forceful, you can do so by adding a question tag. The tag is usually will you, but won’t you and can’t you are also used.
Come into the kitchen, will you?
Look at that, will you?
See that she gets safely back, won’t you?
When you are using a negative imperative, you can only use will you as a tag.
Don’t tell Howard, will you?
You can also add an affirmative tag such as are you?
to an affirmative statement if you want to show interest in a piece of information.
So, you’re leaving us, are you?
He’s a friend of yours, is he?
Either/or-questions
5.20 You sometimes ask a question in which you mention two or more possible answers. You link the possible answers with or. For example, you might say Is he awake or asleep? or Do you like your coffee white or black? You expect the actual answer to your question to be one of the answers you have mentioned.
Words, phrases, and clauses can all be linked in this way.
Questions like these are sometimes called either/or-questions.
‘Is it a boy or a girl?’ – ‘A beautiful boy.’
‘Was it healthy or diseased?’ – ‘Diseased, I’m afraid.’
‘Shall we take the bus or do you want to walk?’ – ‘Let’s walk, shall we?’
Wh-questions
5.21 When you ask someone a wh-question, you want them to specify a particular person, thing, place, reason, method, time, or amount. You do not expect them to answer yes or no.
wh-words
5.22 Wh-questions begin with a wh-word.
Wh-words are a set of pronouns, adverbs, and determiners which all, with the exception of how, begin with wh-. Here is a list of the main wh-words:
how
what
when
where
which
who
whom
whose
why
wh-word as subject
5.23 When a wh-word is the subject of a verb, or when it forms part of the subject, the word order of the clause is the same as that of a clause in the declarative, i.e. the subject is put first, followed by the verb.
Who invited you?
And then what happened?
Which mattress is best?
wh-word as object or adverb
5.24 When a wh-word is the object of a verb or preposition, or when it forms part of the object, or when it is an adverb, the position of the subject is the usual one in the interrogative form; that is, it comes after the first verb in the clause.
What am I going to do without you?
Which graph are you going to use?
Why would Stephen lie to me?
When would you be coming down?
If you are using the present simple or the past simple of any verb except be, you put do, does, or did in front of the subject.
What do you really think?
Which department do you want?
Where does she live?
How do you know what it’s like?
When did you last see John Cartwright?
If you are using the present simple or the past simple of be, the main verb goes in front of the subject. You do not use do, does, or did.
Where is the station?
How was your meeting?
When was the last time you cleaned the garage?
questions without a verb
5.25 In conversation, a wh-question sometimes consists of a wh-word on its own.
‘He saw a snake.’ – ‘Where?’
‘I have to go to Germany.’ – ‘When?’
‘I knew you were landing today.’ – ‘How?’
A wh-question can also consist of a noun phrase containing a wh-word. For example, if you say to someone I gave your book to that girl, they might say Which girl?, meaning Which girl did you give my book to?