Exercise 1: Add the Question Tag

Statement Tag
Marcus Ibe was the Minister of Culture, wasn't he?
Roof had sworn on the iyi, hadn't he?
The elders did not accept two shillings, did they?
Fatima cannot afford a cycle, can she?
The women rode gents' cycles, didn't they?
Water knows everything, doesn't it?
Nobody listened in to the telephone calls, did they?
There were five elders in the room, weren't there?
Everybody enjoyed the cycle rally, didn't they?
Nothing was left of the Malapalle, was it?
The poet remembers her childhood, doesn't she?
Kannammal has a science degree, doesn't she?
Kannammal has trained many women, hasn't she?
They used to walk miles for water, didn't they?
Let's revise the tags once more, shall we?
Mikes hardly understood the bowing, did he?
This is your first attempt, isn't it?
You needn't hurry now, need you?

*(Two traps sit side by side above: has as a main verb takes *does, while has as an auxiliary is repeated.)

Exercise 2: Frame the Wh-Question

The part to be questioned is given in bold.

Statement Question
Chinua Achebe wrote 'The Voter'. Who wrote 'The Voter'?
Roof took five pounds from the POP leader. How much did Roof take from the POP leader?
The women of Pudukkottai learnt cycling in eighteen months. How long did the women of Pudukkottai take to learn cycling?
Fatima hires a cycle every evening. When does Fatima hire a cycle?
The rally was held in Pudukkottai. Where was the rally held?
They walked to the canal because the wada had no water. Why did they walk to the canal?
Sheela Rani Chunkath started the cycling drive. Who started the cycling drive?
UNICEF sanctioned fifty mopeds. How many mopeds did UNICEF sanction?
Marcus named his house Umuofia Mansions. What did Marcus name his house?
The poet writes in Telugu. Which language does the poet write in?
Mikes found the bowing quaint and formal. How did Mikes find the bowing?
The elders sat on very low stools. What did the elders sit on?
Uma Bhrugubanda's translation is used in the textbook. Whose translation is used in the textbook?
The deer bowed deeply. How did the deer bow?

*(Notice the two shapes: when the bold part is the subject — Achebe, Chunkath — the word order does not change and no auxiliary is added. Otherwise *do / does / did* appears and the main verb returns to its base form.)*

Exercise 3: Two-Item Exam Sets

Set A i) The villagers underrated the power of the ballot paper, __? (Add a suitable question tag) ii) Roof tore the ballot paper in the polling booth. (Frame a wh-question for the bold part)

Answers: didn't they? · Where did Roof tear the ballot paper?

Set B i) Nobody in the wada could draw water from the well, __? ii) Karamchedu Suvarthamma opposed the kamma landlords.

Answers: could they? · Who opposed the kamma landlords?

Set C i) You should not waste water, __? ii) A bicycle cost over Rs.1,200 in 1992.

Answers: should you? · How much did a bicycle cost in 1992?

Set D i) Let's save every drop of water, __? ii) The Malapalle burnt because there was no water.

Answers: shall we? · Why did the Malapalle burn?

Exercise 4: Correct the Error

Wrong Right
She is cycling to work, isn't it? She is cycling to work, isn't she?
They didn't come, didn't they? They didn't come, did they?
Water knows everything, isn't it? Water knows everything, doesn't it?
Marcus won, didn't Marcus? Marcus won, didn't he?
Nobody helped her, didn't they? Nobody helped her, did they?
Let's go, will we? Let's go, shall we?
What did she hired? What did she hire?
Who did write the song? Who wrote the song?
How much cycles did he sell? How many cycles did he sell?
Where the rally was held? Where was the rally held?

[Exam Tip] — For a tag, ask three questions in order: is the statement positive or negative, what auxiliary does it have (or does it need do / does / did), and what pronoun replaces the subject. For a wh-question, ask two: which wh-word, and is the questioned part the subject.