Question

Add an appropriate question tag to the given sentence:
Our friends helped us in a time of crisis with all their hearts, making the problem disappear like smoke, _____________
a. Haven’t they?
b. Don’t they?
c. Didn’t they?
d. Won’t they?

Answer 1

Hint: Question tags are short questions which are used at the end of sentences fortwo reasons:
- to encourage the response that is expected;
- to confirm the action/ event that is earlier mentioned in the sentence.


Complete Solution:
Question tags are developed with the auxiliary or modal verb from the statement and the given subject. In case there is an absence of an auxiliary verb used in the sentence and the verb in the main sentence is in the simple past tense, the question tag is formed with 'did'. Anaffirmative statement is followed by a negative question tag and a negative statement is followed by a positive question.

Option a ‘Haven’t they?’ is the incorrect option as the main verb is in the simple past tense and hence the question tag should follow the same.
Option b ‘Don’t they?’ is in the simple present tense while the statement has the verb in the simple past tense. So, this option is also incorrect.
Option c ‘Didn’t they?’ is the correct option. Both the main verb and the question tag share the verb in the same tense – simple past.
Option d ‘Won’t they?’ is also incorrect. It would have been correct if the main verb would have been accompanied with ‘would’.


Note: Look out for the tense of the main verb.