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More about Tag Questions

Yesterday we learned about tag questions. (If you didn't get this lesson, you can click here.) Now we need a little more information. You know how to ask a tag question, but how do you answer a tag question?

When a speaker asks a question with a tag, like this one: "It's a nice day today, isn't it?" he expects the listener to agree with him. He expects the listener to say "Yes, it is." If the speaker thinks the day is bad and he thinks the listener will agree it's bad, he can say "It isn't a nice day today, is it?" and the listener (if he agrees it's bad) will say "No, it isn't."

It's important to remember something... When we ask a tag question in English, the listener answers according to the subject, not the way the speaker asked the question. I know it sounds confusing, but let me show you.

John asks Mary a
question. He thinks she
will agree with him.

Mary agrees with John.

Mary doesn't agree with John

It's cold outside, isn't it?	Yes, it is.	No, it isn't.
(John thinks it's cold. He thinks Mary will agree it's cold.)	(Mary agrees with John. She thinks it's cold.)	(Mary doesn't agree with John. She doesn't think it's cold.)
It's not cold outside, is it?	No, it isn't.	Yes, it is.
(John thinks it's not cold. He thinks Mary will agree it's not cold.)	(Mary agrees with John. She thinks it's not cold.)	(Mary doesn't agree with John. She thinks it's cold.)
The movie was good, wasn't it?	Yes, it was.	No, it wasn't.
(John thinks the movie was good. He thinks Mary liked the movie, too.)	(Mary agrees with John. She liked the movie.)	(Mary doesn't agree with John. She didn't like the movie.)
The movie wasn't good, was it?	No, it wasn't.	Yes, it was.
(John thinks the move was bad. He thinks Mary didn't like the movie, either.)	(Mary agrees with John. She didn't like the movie.)	(Mary doesn't agree with John. She liked the movie.)

So, notice that the person who answers doesn't worry how the speaker asks the question. She only thinks about her feeling for the subject.

Questions and Answers

Type the correct answer. The first one is done for you.

1. This picture is beautiful, isn't it? (You like it.)

2. This soup doesn't taste good, does it? (You like it.)

3. Jennifer is 10 years old, isn't she? (Jennifer is 11.)

4. This game isn't fun, is it? (You don't like this game.)

5. English is easy, isn't it? (You think it easy.)

6. That man is handsome, isn't he. (You don't think he is handsome.)

7. Thomas isn't coming, is he? (Thomas is coming.)

8. You slept for 8 hours, didn't you? (You slept for 7 hours.)

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