WEAK FORM OF ‘NOT’ WITH AUXILIARIES IN QUESTION TAG
We have studied that, to add negative meaning to a question tag, the weak form of ‘not’, that is ‘n’t’, is to be added with the auxiliary verb.
Here in this topic, we are going to study the weak form of ‘not‘ with auxiliary verbs. That is, how the auxiliaries will appear when the negative word ‘not’ is added to it.
The full list of auxiliaries with ‘not’ is given below;
Aux + not ———> the weak form in Question tag
is + not isn’t
am + not aren’t ( only in question tag; – normally, amn’t)
eg: (1) I am so handsome, aren’t I? , (2) I am not as intelligent as you, am I?
are + not aren’t
was + not wasn’t
were + not weren’t
do + not don’t
does + not doesn’t
did + not didn’t
has + not hasn’t
have + not haven’t
had + not hadn’t
will + not won’t
shall + not shan’t
would + not wouldn’t
should + not shouldn’t
can + not can’t
could + not couldn’t
may + not mayn’t
might + not mightn’t
must + not mustn’t
need + not needn’t
dare + not daren’t
used to + not usedn’t or didn’t
ought to + not oughtn’t
Let’s see the examples one by one;
- It is wonderful to see a rainbow, isn’t it?
2. I am thinking of making a cinema, aren’t I?
3. Children are always innocent, aren’t they?
4. He was cooking chicken, wasn’t he?
5. We were studying English, weren’t we?
6. Teachers advise students, don’t they?
7. Martin sings well, doesn’t he?
8. We walked four kilometers, didn’t we?
9. My son has got a talent in music, hasn’t he?
10. They have visited here once, haven’t they?
11. He had called me, hadn’t he?
12. They will inform you, won’t they?
13. She shall have given the gold, shan’t she?
14. He would drink juice, wouldn’t he?
15. You should study well, shouldn’t you?
16. They may interfere in your affairs, mayn’t they?
17. She might come tomorrow, mightn’t she?
18. They must have known it, mustn’t they?
19. I can read it, can’t I?
20. She could communicate it well, couldn’t she ?
21. You need seek an advice, needn’t you?
22. They dare to call him as a fool, daren’t they?
23. He used to play cricket, usedn’t he? or didn’t he?
24. you ought to obey the rules, oughtn’t you?
Here, while studying the weak form of not with auxiliaries in this topic , we have also studied how to make a negative question tag to a positive meaning sentence.
Besides this, let’s be familiar in making positive question tag to a negative meaning sentence by following some examples given below,
1 I am not a prophet, am I?
2 It is not a place to have liquor, is it?
3 They are not genuine, are they?
4 He was not a fool, was he?
5 The students were not writing exam, were they?
6 Mathew did not come yesterday, did he?
7 He does not say the answer, does he?
8 Children do not know that, do they?
9 He will not ask the amount, will he?
10 They shall not come tomorrow, shall they?
11 Michael would not repeat the mistake, would he?
12 They dare not do it, dare they?
13 You need not go there, need you?
14 He used not to hear songs, did he?
15 Thomas ought not to say sorry, ought he?