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Thread: Question tags

  1. #1
    tom3m is offline Newbie
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    Default Question tags

    What the tag will be if there's 'must'?

    e.g. You must study hard, .....(mustn't you/needn't you?)

    Personally I am for mustn't. However it seems that my teacher has different opinion.


    Thanks
    Last edited by tom3m; 28-Sep-2011 at 19:01.
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  2. #2
    5jj's Avatar
    5jj
    5jj is online now Moderator
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    Default Re: Qustion tags

    Quote Originally Posted by tom3m View Post
    What the tag will be if there's 'must'?

    e.g. You must study hard, .....(mustn't you/needn't you?)

    Personally I am for 'mustn't'.
    You are right.
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  3. #3
    emsr2d2 is offline VIP Member
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    Default Re: Question tags

    Quote Originally Posted by tom3m View Post
    What would the tag will be if there's with 'must'?

    e.g. You must study hard, .....(mustn't you/needn't you?)

    Personally I am for mustn't. However it seems that my teacher have has a different opinion.


    Thanks.
    I'm with you - if you use "must", then it's "mustn't".
    If it were "You have to study hard..." (which means the same thing), then it would "don't you?"
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  4. #4
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    Default Re: Question tags

    Quote Originally Posted by emsr2d2 View Post
    I'm with you - if you use "must", then it's "mustn't".
    If it were "You have to study hard..." (which means the same thing), then it would "don't you?"
    "You have to study hard, haven't you?" would be my choice. "You have to study hard, don't you?" looks and sounds wrong to me.
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  5. #5
    emsr2d2 is offline VIP Member
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    Default Re: Question tags

    Quote Originally Posted by bhaisahab View Post
    "You have to study hard, haven't you?" would be my choice. "You have to study hard, don't you?" looks and sounds wrong to me.
    I've been considering what you said but I keep coming back to "Don't you?" I think it's because I consider "Haven't you?" to be the question tag relating to a present perfect verb question ("You have been on holiday, haven't you?")

    I've tried the "haven't" version with various situations but it sounds very unnatural to me:

    "I have to go to school, haven't I?" - sounds unnatural
    "I have to go to school, don't I?" - sounds natural.

    As usual, it's my personal take on things!
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  6. #6
    TheParser is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: Question tags

    Quote Originally Posted by tom3m View Post
    What the tag will be if there's 'must'?

    e.g. You must study hard, .....(mustn't you/needn't you?)

    Personally I am for mustn't. However it seems that my teacher has different opinion.


    Thanks

    ONLY A NON-TEACHER'S OPINION


    (1) I understand how you feel.

    (2) I was fascinated to read a while back that some books in a certain country

    (I shall, of course, not name the country except to say that it is near your country)

    were teaching the following to their students:

    May I go home? No, you mustn't.

    May I take your pen? Yes, you may.

    Must I do it? No, you needn't.
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  7. #7
    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: Question tags

    I use You have to study hard, don't you? as well, though haven't you used. I think of have to as a normal verb and don't use any forms like a modal with it.
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  8. #8
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    Question Re: Question tags

    What question tag would you use after this sentence, "After all, this is what you think, ..."? ("Isn't it", or "don't you"?) My choice would be, "isn't it" (After all, THIS IS what you think, isn't it?), but I'm not sure. What do you say?




    PS: After re-wording my sentence a little bit ("That's what" instead of "this is"), I got 145 results for "That's what you think, isn't it?" and only 12 for "That's what you think, don't you?".
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  9. #9
    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: Question tags

    I'd use That's what/This is what you think, isn't it?
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  10. #10
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    Thumbs up Re: Question tags

    Thank you very much for your quick response, Tdol.

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