They'll Be Here at Seven — Question Tags (B1 Grammar)

B1 - question tags

Seven O'Clock

PICTURE

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"You're being sarcastic, aren't you." "You've met me before, haven't you?"

Positive statement + negative tag · negative + positive · choosing the right auxiliary

Listening

Speaking

LEAD-IN

Ten minutes before they arrive

Before an important visitor arrives — a boss, an in-law, a landlord inspection — what do people frantically do?

1. What gets cleaned, moved or hidden?

2. What do you pretend is normal?

3. Whose visit makes you most nervous?

PICTURE

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BEFORE YOU LISTEN

They'll be here at seven

Jo and Adam have ten minutes before Adam's parents arrive for dinner.

LISTEN FOR

PICTURE

1. Who exactly is coming to dinner?

2. What is each speaker most nervous about?

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LISTENING

Tapescript: "They'll be here at seven"

Ten minutes before the doorbell

JO OK. Deep breath. The flat looks fine, doesn't it?

ADAM It looks great. You've hidden the laundry, haven't you?

JO It's in the car. Don't judge me. Now — your mum doesn't eat shellfish, does she?

ADAM She doesn't eat shellfish, garlic, or anything "with a sauce". I told you that, didn't I?

JO You told me at eleven o'clock last night, which doesn't count. The chicken's safe, isn't it?

ADAM The chicken's perfect. Dad will eat anything. He'll ask for seconds, won't he — he always does. Oh — you haven't put out the good glasses, have you? Mum notices glasses.

JO They're out, they're polished, I can see my face in them. Relax. This is going to be fine, isn't it? Adam. Tell me it's going to be fine.

ADAM It's going to be fine. Just — two small things. You won't mention the wedding budget, will you? At all. Numbers upset her.

JO Fine. And the second thing?

ADAM You remember my cousin Petra, don't you? From the engagement party?

JO The one who "loved" my dress? Vividly.

ADAM She's coming too. Mum invited her this afternoon.

JO ...She didn't.

ADAM She did. You're not angry, are you?

JO Angry? No. No! I'm thrilled. I'll just magically produce food for five instead of four, won't I, like a catering wizard.

ADAM You're being sarcastic, aren't you.

JO You've met me before, haven't you? Right. It's ten to seven. The laundry's in the car, the glasses are polished, nobody mentions money, and Petra can have my chair. We make a good team, don't we?

ADAM ...That one wasn't sarcastic, was it?

JO No. That one was real. Now open the wine — they're your parents, aren't they? You'll need it more than me.

COMPREHENSION

Listen again. True or false?

1. The laundry is hidden in a cupboard. ______

2. Adam's mother has several food restrictions. ______

3. Adam told Jo about the shellfish weeks ago. ______

4. Jo must not talk about how much the wedding costs. ______

5. Petra was invited a long time in advance. ______

6. Jo's final "We make a good team" is sarcastic. ______

GRAMMAR FOCUS

The pattern in the tag

a) The flat looks fine, doesn't it?

b) You've hidden the laundry, haven't you?

c) Your mum doesn't eat shellfish, does she?

d) He'll ask for seconds, won't he?

e) I told you that, didn't I?

f) You're not angry, are you? / You won't mention the budget, will you?

1. What is the pattern? Positive statement → ________ tag. Negative statement → ________ tag.

2. How is a tag built? Which two words does it always contain — a(n) ________ verb and a ________ ?

3. Which auxiliary appears for: present simple (a)? present perfect (b)? past simple (e)? the will future (d)?

4. There is no auxiliary in The flat looks fine or I told you that — so where do doesn't and didn't come from?

5. Why does Jo use so many tags here? Is she asking for information she doesn't have — or checking, seeking agreement, and managing her nerves?

THE RULES

Complete the rule

• Question tag = ________ (matching the tense) + ________ . Positive sentence → ________ tag; negative sentence → ________ tag.

• If the statement has no auxiliary (present simple, past simple), the tag borrows do / does / did.

• We usually use tags to check something we already believe is ________ — not to ask for new information.

CAREFUL

Intonation carries the meaning: voice up = a real question. Voice down = "agree with me". Adam's "You're being sarcastic, aren't you." falls — he isn't really asking.

PRACTICE

Add the correct question tag.

1. Your parents live nearby, ____________ ?

2. She isn't a vegetarian, ____________ ?

3. You remembered the wine, ____________ ?

4. He's been here before, ____________ ?

5. We won't talk about politics tonight, ____________ ?

6. The oven's still on, ____________ ?!

7. They didn't stay very late, ____________ ?

8. You'd tell me if something was wrong, ____________ ?

ROLE-PLAY

Final checks

In pairs, improvise the ten minutes before a high-pressure event. Every line must end in a correct question tag.

• The in-laws' first visit · a landlord inspection · hosting your boss · meeting your partner's ex.

• Focus on getting your question tags right!

• Then discuss: in your language, what do you use instead of question tags?

PICTURE

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TEACHER'S REFERENCE · HIDE OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key

GIST Adam's parents — plus, at the last minute, cousin Petra. Adam is nervous about his mother's judgements (food, glasses, money talk); Jo is nervous about the evening going well, and furious about the surprise guest.

COMPREHENSION 1 F (it's in the car) · 2 T · 3 F (eleven o'clock last night) · 4 T · 5 F (that afternoon) · 6 F (she says that one was real)

GRAMMAR FOCUS 1 Positive → negative tag; negative → positive tag. 2 An auxiliary verb + a pronoun. 3 (a) doesn't, (b) haven't, (e) didn't, (d) won't. 4 The present simple and past simple have no auxiliary in the statement, so the tag uses do / does / did. 5 Checking and seeking agreement — she mostly knows the answers already.

RULE auxiliary · pronoun · negative · positive · true

PRACTICE 1 don't they

2 is she

3 didn't you

4 hasn't he

5 will we

6 isn't it

7 did they

8 wouldn't you