Question Tags Part 2

When forming question tags in English after negative statements, always use a positive tag (e.g., ‘She isn’t ready, is she?’). English allows only one negative in this structure, unlike Spanish. The process: identify the auxiliary verb, check for negativity, flip to positive, repeat the subject, and combine. Avoid double negatives, as they sound unnatural in English. This rule is essential for fluency, especially for Spanish speakers.

1. Why English Question Tags Flip After Negatives

Host: Have you ever heard someone say, ‘She didn’t call, didn’t she?’ and felt something was just…off? That’s because English has a unique rule when it comes to question tags after negative statements.

Host: Let me set the stage: in English, if your main clause is negative, the question tag must be positive. You say, ‘He isn’t here, is he?’ not ‘He isn’t here, isn’t he?’ That flip is crucial, and it’s called negative-positive inversion.

Host: Now, why do we do this? It’s all about balance. English avoids what’s known as double negatives in tags—think of it like balancing a scale: negative on one side, positive on the other. In grammar terms, this is called polarity.

Host: If you’re a Spanish speaker, you might be thinking, ‘But in my language, double negatives are natural!’ And you’re right—Spanish allows, ‘Él no vino, ¿no?’, but in English, only one negative gets to play.

Host: So, next time you form a question tag after a negative clause, remember: flip that switch from negative to positive. It’s a small trick, but it makes your English sound instantly more fluent.

2. Step-by-Step: Building the Perfect Question Tag

Host: Alright, let’s get practical. How exactly do you build a question tag after a negative statement? There’s a simple recipe, and it all starts with what’s called the auxiliary verb. That’s your helper word—like ‘do’, ‘have’, or ‘is’.

Host: Picture this: you’re baking a cake. First, find the main ingredient—the auxiliary. Next, check if your statement is negative. If it is, you need to flip it to positive for the tag. This flip is what we call switching the polarity.

Host: Now, here’s the trick. Repeat the subject—just like echoing someone’s name in a conversation. For example: ‘You don’t like coffee, do you?’ The main sentence is negative, so the tag becomes positive.

Host: Let’s run through it: auxiliary verb—’do’, negative clause—’don’t’, flip it—’do’, then the subject—’you’. Put it all together, and you get that smooth, native question tag.

Host: If you ever get stuck, just remember: auxiliary, check polarity, flip it, repeat subject, combine. It’s your five-step formula to perfect question tags.

3. Common Pitfalls and How to Correct Them

Host: Now you might be thinking, ‘But what if I mix it up? What happens if I accidentally double up on negatives?’ Let me share a quick story—my student Carlos once said: ‘She isn’t from Mexico, isn’t she?’ Instant red flag!

Host: Here’s where error correction comes in. When you hear: ‘You don’t like soccer, don’t you?’—your English radar should beep. The correct tag is ‘do you?’ See what happened? We flipped the negativity to positivity.

Host: Let me throw a few more your way. ‘They can’t play the guitar, can’t they?’—Nope! It should be ‘can they?’ This is where understanding negative concord (the tendency to stack negatives) can trip up Spanish speakers.

Host: So, how do you avoid these mistakes? Keep this in mind: only one negative per sentence tag. Anytime you spot a double negative, hit pause and flip the tag’s polarity.

Host: Mastering this marker of fluency shows you’re thinking in English, not just translating. So next time, before you say, ‘We haven’t eaten yet, haven’t we?’, catch yourself and say, ‘have we?’ That’s how you sound natural—and confident.