GRAMMAR 31 I N V E R S I O N A N D Q U E S T I O N TAGS

Underline the most suitable words in each sentence.

a) Let's go to London next weekend, shall we/won't we?

b) You shouldn't have told me, did you/should you?
c) Jim hasn't been waiting long, was he/has he?
d) You won't tell anyone about this, do you/will you?
e) You're not doing what I told you, do you/are you?
f) Answer the phone for me, will you/do you?
g) George can't have noticed, can he/has he?
h) You've got to leave now, don't you/haven't you?
i) Pam and Tim got married last year, didn't they/haven't they?
j) I don't think John's very friendly, does he/is he?

2 Add suitable question tags. (Do not use positive tags for positive statements.)

a) Don't leave anything behind, ...will you.. ?

b) David is bringing some wine, ?
c) You'll be home before midnight, ?
d) Harry was working in Bristol then, ?
e) Nobody knows who invented the wheel, ?
f) You don't need me any more, ?
g) The ticket to London doesn't cost a lot, ?
h) Let's invite the Smiths from next door, ?
i) You aren't too busy to talk, ?
j) Jean owns a restaurant, ?

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3 Rewrite each sentence, beginnin g as shown, so that the meaning stays the same.

a) Tony was not only late, but he had left all his books behind.
Not only was Tony late, but he had left all his books behind.
b) I had no sooner gone to bed tha n someone rang my doorbell.
No sooner
c) I have seldom stayed in a worse hotel.
Seldom '.
d) I have never heard such nonsense!
Never
e) I realised only then that I had lost my keys.
Only then
f) The economic situation has rarely been worse.
Rarely
g) The manager not once offered us an apology.
Not once
h) You should not send money to us by post unde r any circumstances.
Under no circumstances
i) I understood Hamlet only after seeing it on the stage.
Only after seeing Hamlet
j) The embassy staff little realised tha t Ted was a secret agent.
Little

4 Rewrite each sentence so that it begins wi t h the wo r d or words in italics.

a) The best time to buy a house is now.

b) The bus came round the comer.

c) The price of petrol went up.

d) The Parthenon stands on the top of the Acropolis.

e) The wheels of the engine went round and round.

f) Winston Churchill lived in this house.

g) The flag went down.

h) The best part of th e story comes now.

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 GRAMMAR 31 I N V E R SI O N A N D Q U ES T I O N T AGS

5 Decide whic h answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

Asking for advice

You don't happen to know how this computer works, (1) C. ?
(2) had I bought it (3) I regretted spending so much
money! I haven't even got an instruction manual. (4) did I
completely fail to understand the instructions, (5) the n I
accidentally threw the manual away. Now I'll never understan d it,
(6) , I said to myself. (7) my weekend, I thought, but
then I remembered you. You've done a course on computers, (8) ?
Let's look at it together, (9) , and try to understand it. You press
this button first, (10) ? Then (11) this little light,
and a message that says 'Error'. It shouldn't do that , (12) ? You
can fix it, (13) ? Don't do that! This label says: '(14)
should an unqualified person remove this panel'. Well, you are unqualified,
(15) ? What do you mean, do it yourself!

1) A are you B is it C do you D isn't it

2) A No sooner B After C Not only D As soon as
3) A that B but C and D than
4) A Not only B Seldom C Not once D Only the n
5) A th an B but C so D and
6) A can't I B won't I C will I D can I
7) A It goes B Goes it C Goes there D There goes
8) A isn't it B haven't you C didn't you D don't you
9) A do we B don't it C shall we D aren't we
10) A don't you B isn't it C can't you D won't you
11) A on comes B comes on C it comes on D comes it on
12) A does it B should it C shouldn't it D won't it
13) A isn't it B don't you C can't you D can't it
14) A Not only B Only the n C Never D Under no circumstances
15) A isn't it B are you C don't you D aren't you

Key points 1 In formal speech and writing it is possible to use inversion after negative
adverbs. The adverb has to be at the beginning of the sentence or clause.
2 Intonation carries important meaning in question tags. Rising tags are
questions, falling tags are checking information.

(question)

(checking)

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