What is the question tag of "I love chocolate"?
The question tag for "I love chocolate" is "don't I?" So, the complete sentence with the question tag would be: "I love chocolate, don't I?"
Question tags are short questions added at the end of statements to turn them into questions. They are commonly used in English to seek confirmation or agreement from the listener. The structure of a question tag depends on the main clause of the sentence. If the main clause is positive, the question tag is usually negative, and vice versa.
In the sentence "I love chocolate," the main clause is positive ("I love"), so the question tag is negative ("don't I?"). Here's a breakdown of how it works:
- Identify the Subject and Verb: The subject is "I," and the verb is "love."
- Determine the Auxiliary Verb: Since "love" is a main verb and not an auxiliary verb, we use the auxiliary verb "do" to form the question tag.
- Match the Tense: The sentence is in the present tense, so we use the present tense form of "do," which is "don't."
- Invert the Polarity: The main clause is positive, so the question tag is negative.
- Match the Subject: The subject is "I," so the question tag uses "I."
Thus, "I love chocolate, don't I?" is the correct form.
Question tags are a fascinating aspect of English grammar because they reflect the speaker's attitude and expectations. They can convey certainty, doubt, or a desire for confirmation. For example, saying "I love chocolate, don't I?" suggests that the speaker is fairly confident about their love for chocolate but is seeking affirmation from the listener.
Understanding question tags also involves recognizing the nuances of intonation. When the speaker is confident and expects agreement, the intonation in the question tag may fall. Conversely, if the speaker is uncertain and genuinely seeking information, the intonation may rise.
In summary, the question tag for "I love chocolate" is "don't I?" This construction follows the standard rules for forming question tags in English, where a positive statement is followed by a negative tag, and the auxiliary verb "do" is used when the main verb is not an auxiliary. Mastering question tags can greatly enhance one's fluency and conversational skills in English.