Syntax

Question tags

Use question tags (with a falling intonation) to check facts. They are made with auxiliary verbs. Use a negative tag with a positive sentence and a positive tag with a negative sentence.

Be

• I am ..., aren't I?
• She isn't ..., is she?
• You were ..., weren't you?
• He wasn't ..., was he?

Can

• We can ..., can't we?
• She couldn't ..., could she?

Do

• I do ..., don't I?
• She swims ..., doesn't she?
• We ate ..., didn't we?
• They didn't see ..., did they?

Have

• You haven't got ..., have you?
• She has eaten ..., hasn't she?

When have is a full verb, use the auxiliary do.

• They have dinner, don't they?