QUESTION TAGS (range) – English Grammar Profiler

There are a number of similar points for questionS in the EGP.  Some are clearly different, while others get harder to differentiate.

18 QUESTIONS tags B1 increasing range of affirmative ‘be’, ‘do’ and ‘have’ tags with negative main clauses.
19 QUESTIONS yes/no B1 use main verb ‘be’ + ‘n’t’ to form negative ‘yes/no’ questions.
20 QUESTIONS tags B1 an increasing range of affirmative tags with affirmative clauses.

These overlap with other categories too:

15 NEGATION B1 negative questions and question tags to involve the listener/reader by seeking agreement or checking something.

61 MODALITY would B1 question forms.

82 MODALITY B1 ‘will’ to make predictions & question tags

89 MODALITY B1 question tag form ‘shouldn’t’ + pronoun to make suggestions and ask for opinions

Here are two points across levels that clash:

B1 Point 25 QUESTIONS is defined as:

increasing range of ‘be’, ‘do’, ‘have’ and modal verb tags with negative main clauses.

A2 Point 8 QUESTIONS is defined as:

a limited range of question tags.

*With no clear definitions of range, we must depend on the example sentences.  For A2, they include both positive and negative:

… do you? …was it?
… doesn’t it? …isn’t it?

For B1:

aren’t you? …don’t you? …doesn’t it? …haven’t we? …wouldn’t it? …shouldn’t we? …won’t you? …couldn’t you?

*The first 3 examples overlap.

*Other categories also contain this grammar: PAST simple questions: You slept with her, didn’t you?

A search in iWeb for:

, _V _XX _P ?

1 , ISN’T IT? 19275

*note ‘Innit’ is an occasional informal variant of ‘isn’t it’

PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE:

In fact, what is the oldest school in the world? It is life, isn’t it?

Italian, Male, Level 5, Writing Class.

2 , DOESN’T IT? 8659

3 , DO N’T YOU ? 5790 4 , ARE N’T YOU ? 2435 5 , DO N’T THEY ? 2276 6 , ARE N’T THEY ? 2055

7 , DID N’T YOU ? 1963 ,

8 , WAS N’T IT ? 1802

It was impossible, wasn’t it?

Thai, Female, Level 5, Grammar Class.

9 , WOULD N’T IT ? 1678 10 , DO N’T WE ? 1472

11 , IS N’T HE ? 1042

12 , WOULD N’T YOU ? 1040

PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE:

You would be disgusted, wouldn’t you?

Indonesian level 5 grammar class.

13 , ARE N’T WE ? 845 14 , DID N’T IT ? 756 15 , HAVE N’T YOU ? 722 16 , DID N’T I ? 707 17 , WO N’T YOU ? 672 18 , DID N’T HE ? 668 19 , DOES N’T HE ? 520 20 , HAS N’T IT ? 492 21 , DID N’T THEY ? 492 22 , CA N’T YOU ? 482 23 , IS N’T SHE ? 431 24 , DID N’T WE ? 417 25 , IN N IT ? 402 26 , ARE N’T I ? 392 27 , WAS N’T HE ? 321 28 , DO N’T I ? 309 29 , HAVE N’T WE ? 305 30 , WERE N’T YOU ? 286 31 , WOULD N’T THEY ? 269 32 , SHOULD N’T IT ? 252 33 , WERE N’T THEY ? 229 34 , WO N’T IT ? 227 35 , CA N’T WE ? 222 36 , HAVE N’T THEY ? 216 37 , WOULD N’T HE ? 190 38 , HAS N’T HE ? 190 39 , DID N’T SHE ? 186 40 , DOES N’T SHE ? 185 41 , DO N’T IT ? 184 42 , HAVE N’T I ? 175 43 , WO N’T WE ? 170 44 , CA N’T I ? 157 45 , WO N’T THEY ? 142 46 , CA N’T IT ? 138 47 , WOULD N’T I ? 125 48 , WOULD N’T WE ? 122 49 , CA N’T THEY ? 115

50 , IS NOT IT ? 110

, _V _P ?

1 , IS IT ? 9103

But that’s not really how we learn biology early on, is it?

2 , SHALL WE ? 8052 3 , DO YOU ? 7520 4 , DOES IT ? 4665 5 , ARE YOU ? 3771 6 , WOULD YOU ? 3553 7 , DID YOU ? 3101 8 , CAN YOU ? 2074 9 , WILL YOU ? 1852 10 , DO THEY ? 1776 11 , WAS IT ? 1414 12 , ARE THEY ? 1405 13 , HAVE YOU ? 1280 14 , WOULD IT ? 1258 15 , CAN IT ? 1206 16 , DO WE ? 1186 17 , GET IT ? 929 18 , ARE WE ? 785 19 , CAN WE ? 702 20 , IS HE ? 677 21 , DID IT ? 664 22 , AM I ? 629 23 , CAN THEY ? 607 24 , CAN I ? 575 25 , DO I ? 544 26 , WILL YA ? 544 27 , WOULD THEY ? 534 28 , DID HE ? 525 29 , DID THEY ? 514 30 , COULD IT ? 474 31 , DOES HE ? 428 32 , DID I ? 384 33 , WOULD WE ? 384 34 , WILL IT ? 380 35 , COULD YOU ? 329 36 , WERE YOU ? 314 37 , HAS IT ? 303 38 , GOT IT ? 278 39 , SHOULD IT ? 268 40 , CAN HE ? 264 41 , WAS HE ? 253 42 , WOULD HE ? 234 43 , HAVE THEY ? 226 44 , COULD THEY ? 224 45 , IS SHE ? 222 46 , DO YA ? 197 47 , WILL THEY ? 192 48 , DID WE ? 191 49 , WOULD I ? 186 50 , HAVE WE ? 184 51 , COULD I ? 179 52 , DID SHE ? 176 53 , WERE THEY ? 167 54 , DOES SHE ? 161 55 , HAVE I ? 150 56 , SHOULD I ? 149 57 , HAS HE ? 136 58 , SHOULD YOU ? 127 59 , WOULD YA ? 125 60 , COULD HE ? 121 61 , COULD WE ? 115 62 , WILL HE ? 112 63 , SHOULD THEY ? 108 64 , DID YA ? 103 65 , REMEMBER ME ? 102 66 , SHOULD WE ? 100 67 , WILL WE ? 94 68 , EXCUSE ME ? 94 69 , CAN SHE ? 90

70 , ARE YA ? 89