Negative Questions

1. Negative yes/no questions.

Express:

• surprise: Haven’t you done it yet? Don’t the children want the ice-cream?

• a complaint or an impolite request: Can’t you sit down? You’re blocking the way.

• instead of a tag question: Aren’t you a friend of Harriet’s? (You’re a friend of Harriet’s, aren’t you?)

Answers: - Yes – a positive answer: Haven’t you repaired your car yet? – Yes, I did it yesterday.

Haven’t you repaired your car yet? – No, sorry. I haven’t had time.

2. Negative wh-questions

Express:

suggestion: Why don’t you put the shelves up now? – Well, all right.

Why don’t we sit on the balcony? – Good idea.

criticism: Why didn’t you do that yesterday?

asking for information: Who hasn’t checked their baggage in? – Oh, I haven’t. Sorry.

What don’t you understand? – This paragraph here.

Exercise 9. Complete the conversations using the words in brackets.

1. - I walked home from the town centre. (take/bus)

- You mean you walked all the way? Didn’t you take a bus?

2. - I think I’d like to lie down for a while. (feel/well)

- Oh, dear! ____________________________

3. - I’m looking forward to getting the photos you’ve sent. (arrive/yet)

- I sent them weeks ago._______________________________

4. - I saw Rita, but she walked straight past me (say ‘hello’)

- Without speaking to you? _______________________________

5. - I never sit by the pool. I hate water. (swim)

- Really? ____________________________

Exercise 10. Put in Yes or No:

1. Didn’t Mike stop and give you a lift? - _______, he didn’t, but maybe he didn’t see me.

2. Aren’t you tired after working all day? - ___________, I feel fine.

3. Didn’t you write the number down? - ___________, but I’ve lost the piece of paper.

4. Haven’t you got an umbrella? - __________, it’s here in my bag.

5. Couldn’t you get in to the opera? - ___________, we didn’t have the tickets.

Question Tags (Disjunctive Questions)

Comment	Question
It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?î	You haven’t heard a forecast, haven’t you?ì
Is – isn’t Am – aren’t Are – aren’t Can – can’t Could – couldn’t Was – wasn’t Were – weren’t Must – mustn’t Should – shouldn’t Shall – shan’t Will – won’t Would – wouldn’t Has (done) (Present Perf.) – hasn’t Have (done) (Present Perf.) – haven’t Had (done) (Past Perf.) – hadn’t Like (V1) – don’t Likes (V1+s) – doesn’t Liked (Past S.) – didn’t Came (Past S.) – didn’t	Bob is reading, isn’t he? I am right, aren’t I? They are nice, aren’t they? Mary can dance, can’t she? Kevin could play, couldn’t he? Nancy was at school, wasn’t she? Mary and Tom were the best, weren’t they? We must do it, mustn’t we? Paul should buy it, shouldn’t he? We shall win, shan’t we? They will come, won’t they? They would like to…, wouldn’t they? John has found it, hasn’t he? Children have slept, haven’t they? We had left…, hadn’t we? You like apples, don’t you? Fred likes football, doesn’t he? She liked reading, didn’t she? They came late, didn’t they?

• There is/There are:

There is a garden near your house, isn’t there?

• Negatives:

She never tells lies, does she?

• Requests and suggestions:

Wait a moment, can/could you?

• Imperatives:

Don’t make any noise, will you?

• After Let’s:

Let’s sit in the garden, shall we?

Exercise 11.

A. Add a positive tag to each sentence.

1. Madagascar isn’t in the Atlantic Ocean, _____? 2. Astronauts haven’t landed on Mars, ____? 3. The climate won’t get any worse, _____? 4. The Romans didn’t sail to America, ____? 5. Chickens can’t fly, _____? 6. The world’s population isn’t growing in all countries, _____? 7. The first settlers on the British Isles weren’t the Romans…?

B. Add a negative tag to each sentence.

1. You were at the same school as Maria, _____? 2. This is the way to the station, _____? 3. They understand this problem, _____? 4. Helen is coming to the party, _____? 5. The bus took a long time, _____? 6. You’ve forgotten to buy the ticket, _____? 7. You know about cars, _____?