Understanding Tag Questions in English Grammar

This question asks us to complete a sentence with the appropriate tag question. Tag questions are short questions added to the end of a statement, used to ask for confirmation or check information. The structure of a tag question depends on the main statement.

Forming Tag Questions

The basic rules for forming tag questions are:

• If the main statement is positive, the tag question is negative.
• If the main statement is negative, the tag question is positive.
• The tag question uses the auxiliary verb from the main statement and the pronoun corresponding to the subject of the main statement.
• If there is no auxiliary verb in the main statement (as with simple present or past simple forms of most verbs), we use the auxiliary verb 'do', 'does', or 'did' in the tag.

Analyzing the Given Sentence

The statement is: "You went to meet your friend yesterday, _______ ?"

Let's break down the components of the main statement:

• Subject: "You"
• Verb: "went"
• Tense: Past simple (from the verb 'go', 'went' is the past form)
• Nature of statement: Positive (there is no 'not' or negative word)

Determining the Correct Tag Question

Based on the rules and our analysis:

• Since the statement is positive, the tag must be negative.
• The tense is past simple. For past simple statements without an auxiliary verb, we use the auxiliary 'did' to form questions and negatives.
• The subject is "you", so the pronoun in the tag must be "you".

Combining these points, the negative tag using the auxiliary 'did' and the pronoun 'you' is "didn't you?".

Evaluating the Options

Let's look at the given options:

1. did you
2. didn't you
3. have you
4. haven't you

Comparing our determined tag "didn't you?" with the options:

• Option 1: did you - This is a positive tag. Since the main statement is positive, the tag should be negative. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
• Option 2: didn't you - This is a negative tag, and it uses the correct auxiliary 'did' for the past simple tense and the correct pronoun 'you'. This matches our required tag.
• Option 3: have you - This tag uses the auxiliary 'have', which is used for perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect). The main verb "went" is past simple, not a perfect tense. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
• Option 4: haven't you - This tag also uses the auxiliary 'have' (in its negative form), which is incorrect for the past simple tense of the main verb. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

The only option that correctly follows the rules for forming a tag question for the statement "You went to meet your friend yesterday" is "didn't you?".

The complete sentence with the correct tag question is: "You went to meet your friend yesterday, didn't you?"

Revision Table: Key Tag Question Rules

Additional Information: Irregular Tag Questions

While the general rules apply to most cases, there are a few exceptions and special cases for tag questions:

• I am: The tag is usually "aren't I?". (e.g., I am late, aren't I?)
• Let's: The tag is "shall we?". (e.g., Let's go, shall we?)
• Imperatives (commands): The tag is usually "will you?" or "won't you?". (e.g., Open the door, will you?)
• Statements with nobody, no one, neither: Treat the statement as negative and use 'they' as the pronoun. (e.g., Nobody came, did they?)
• Statements with everyone, everybody, someone, somebody: Use 'they' as the pronoun in the tag. (e.g., Everybody was there, weren't they?)

Understanding these rules and exceptions helps in mastering tag questions.