Question Tags & Tenses

In this article, we will be looking into Question Tags and Tenses (Simple & Perfect Tense). Understanding Question Tags and Tense usage is crucial for effective communication in English. Question Tags, added to statements, confirm or inquire. Simple Past Tense narrates specific past actions, while Past Perfect Tense denotes action sequence, one preceding another. Mastery of these nuances enhances language fluency and comprehension, enriching both spoken and written discourse.

Let’s get started.

Question Tags

Question tags are short phrases added to the end of a statement to turn it into a question or to confirm information. They usually match the tense and auxiliary verb of the main clause. For example:

• He is coming, isn't he?
• She can swim, can't she?
• They were late, weren't they?
• You have finished, haven't you?
• They will come, won't they?

Question tags are used to verify or confirm something or even express doubt. To figure out a question tag:

1. Look at the tone of the first part of the sentence: Positive or Negative?
2. The tone of the second part must be the opposite.
   For example:
   You saw (positive: the action DID happen) it too, didn’t (negative: did not (see)) you?
3. Notice how contractions are often used.

Practice Questions

Question 1:

She isn’t going to the dentist, __________?

1. is she
2. isn’t she
3. she is
4. isn’t it

Answer:

1) is she

Explanation:

As the tone of the second part of the sentence must be the opposite, the correct answer to this question is option (1) - "is she". The opposite of "isn't" will be "is", so the options (2) and (4) are completely incorrect. Option (3) is also not correct as the sentence ends with a question mark. So, the correct answer is option (1).

Question 2:

Johnny Kwest can’t cook to save his life, __________?

1. can’t he
2. can he
3. could he
4. couldn’t he

Answer:

2) can he

Explanation:

As the tone of the second part of the sentence must be the opposite, we need to find the opposite of "can't". So, the correct answer to this question is option (2) - “can he”. Options (3) & (4) are incorrect as we don't change the form of the verb for no reason. Option (1) is also incorrect as the tone is not opposed to the first part of the sentence but is exactly the same in option (1).

Question 3:

__________ supposed to take this, are they?

1. They’re not
2. They not
3. They are
4. They’re

Answer: 

1) they're not

Explanation:

As the second part of the sentence contains “are they”, and it will be the opposite of the first part of the sentence, the correct answer to this question is option (1) - “they’re not”.

Simple Past Tense vs Past Perfect Tense

The simple past tense and the past perfect tense are both used to talk about actions or events that happened in the past, but they are used in different contexts.

1. Simple Past Tense (e.g., "I walked"):

• Used to describe actions or events that happened at a specific point in the past.
• It is formed by adding "-ed" to regular verbs, or by using the past forms of irregular verbs.
• Example: "She cooked dinner last night."

2. Past Perfect Tense (e.g., "I had walked"):

• Used to indicate that one past action happened before another past action or a specific point in the past.
• It is formed by using the auxiliary verb "had" followed by the past participle form of the main verb.
• Example: "By the time we arrived, they had already finished dinner."

In summary, the simple past tense is used for actions or events that happened at a specific point in the past, while the past perfect tense is used to show the sequence of events in the past, indicating that one action happened before another.

The simple past tense is used for a past event at a specified time. The past perfect tense, however, has the following attributes:

1. Begins with a “had” regardless of number.
   For example:
   “They had seen it”, “He had seen it”
2. Uses the Past Participle form of the verb
   For example:
   go > went > gone
3. It is used for the earlier two completed actions
   For example:
   She had watered the plants before it rained.

Let’s now look at some of the examples to understand simple past tense and past perfect tense better.

Practice Questions

Question 1:

Natasha __________ the cookies even before they were packed into the gift boxes.

(Hint: Which action happened first? Use the Past Perfect Tense for it.)

1. had ate
2. had eaten
3. ate
4. has eaten

Answer:

2) had eaten

Explanation:

The correct answer to this question is option (2) - "had eaten". Options (3) & (4) are completely incorrect as there is no "had" mentioned. Option (1) is also incorrect as "ate" is the past tense of eating, and we never use the past tense with "had"; we always use the past principle tense.

Question 2:

They __________ two hours ago. You can find them in the lounge.

(Hint: How many past actions are there?)

1. arrived
2. had arrived
3. had arrive
4. arrive

Answer:

1) arrived

Explanation:

The correct answer to this question is option (1) - “arrived” as there is only 1 past action in the sentence of their arrival.

Test Your Concepts

Answer the following questions based on the concepts we’ve covered in this article. If you get stuck, revisit the relevant section to revise the concepts.

Question 1:

__________ going on a vacation next week, aren’t you?

1. You
2. You aren’t
3. You are not
4. You’re

Question 2:

Aymer __________ at the airport when she received the text message.

1. have arrived
2. arrived
3. had arrived
4. had arrive

Question 3:

Mother __________ to the market early yesterday morning to avoid the crowd.

1. had gone
2. had went
3. gone
4. went