Question tags

[Freeguy]

Which of the following is correct?

1- He had to attend the meeting, didn't he?
2- He had to attend the meeting, hadn't he?

3- You've hardly known your father, haven't you?
4- You've hardly known your father, have you?

 

[Tdol]

I would use 1 & 4.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Freeguy:

You have already received the answers.

May I just add a few ideas that may interest you?

*****

1. He had to attend the meeting, didn't he? ("Had" is past and affirmative; the tag, then, is past and negative. "Mona HAD a blue hat, DIDn't she?"

2. He had attended the meeting, hadn't he? (In #1, "had" is the main verb; in #2, "had" is an auxiliary [helping] verb. So you need to repeat it in the tag.)

4. You've hardly known your father, have you?

a. Mr. Raymond Murphy in his series Grammar in Use reminds us that "hardly" = "almost not."

b. As you know, one cannot use two negatives in a tag question.

c. Thus, #3 is wrong because that means something like: "You have almost not known your father, haven't, you? [Compare: "You do NOT speak French, doN'T you?" The correct sentence would be: "You do NOT speak French, DO you?"]

d. Therefore, as you have already been told, #4 is the correct choice: "You have almost not known your father, have you?"




James

 

[Freeguy]

One of my native friends has said:

- British English favors #2, or at least naturally allows.
- #3 is a possible case for using the negative + negative tag. For most of us, this is unusual, but not impossible in some speakers' idiom.

What do you think now?

 

[MikeNewYork]

The second poster is a BrE teacher. What do you think now?

 

[Freeguy]

He's right. HA?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Freeguy:

You probably know about Mr. Michael Swan's Practical English Usage, which is consulted throughout the world by both teachers and students.

Mr. Swan says this:

"After non-auxiliary have (referring to states), question tags with have and do are often both possible in British English. (Do is normal in American English.)"

*****

He then gives these examples:

1. Your father has a bad back, hasn't he?
2. Your father has a bad back, doesn't he?


I do not know whether Mr. Swan's "rule" applies in your particular sentences. A teacher will probably tell us shortly.



James


Source: My 1995 edition of Mr. Swan's book: entry #466.7 on page 480.

 

[Tdol]

It doesn't apply here to me.