Add question tag to the following sentence:People will catch the thief, ______
The correct option is B won't they?
Question tags are short questions at the end of a declarative statement. They are normally used to confirm whether something is true or not. A positive statement is followed by a negative question tag; and vice-versa. If the sentence has an auxiliary verb (be, have, will, etc), then the question tag is made with the same auxiliary verb, followed by the subject. Else, it is made with the appropriate form of "do", followed by the subject.
The given sentence is a positive declarative statement. Its subject is "the people", which can be replaced by the pronoun, "they". The sentence has the auxiliary verb, "will". Hence, the question tag will use the negative form of the auxiliary verb, "will", followed by the subject, "they". "Will not" is the negative form of "will". "Won't" is the contracted form of "will not". Option C is the correct answer.
Option A: The negative form of the phrase, "will they" is "will they not". ‘Will
not they’ is incorrect usage of the question tag. Hence, this option is incorrect.
Option B: "Will they" is a positive question tag which can follow a negative declarative statement. However, the given declarative statement, "People will catch the thief" is positive. Hence, it has to be followed by a negative tag only Hence, this option is incorrect.
Option D: The word, "don’t" is the contracted form of "do not". As the sentence already has an auxiliary verb viz. "will', the auxiliary verb, "do" cannot be used. Hence, this option is incorrect.
Question tags are short questions at the end of a declarative statement. They are normally used to confirm whether something is true or not. A positive statement is followed by a negative question tag; and vice-versa. If the sentence has an auxiliary verb (be, have, will, etc), then the question tag is made with the same auxiliary verb, followed by the subject. Else, it is made with the appropriate form of "do", followed by the subject.
The given sentence is a positive declarative statement. Its subject is "the people", which can be replaced by the pronoun, "they". The sentence has the auxiliary verb, "will". Hence, the question tag will use the negative form of the auxiliary verb, "will", followed by the subject, "they". "Will not" is the negative form of "will". "Won't" is the contracted form of "will not". Option C is the correct answer.
Option A: The negative form of the phrase, "will they" is "will they not". ‘Will not they’ is incorrect usage of the question tag. Hence, this option is incorrect.
Option B: "Will they" is a positive question tag which can follow a negative declarative statement. However, the given declarative statement, "People will catch the thief" is positive. Hence, it has to be followed by a negative tag only Hence, this option is incorrect.
Option D: The word, "don’t" is the contracted form of "do not". As the sentence already has an auxiliary verb viz. "will', the auxiliary verb, "do" cannot be used. Hence, this option is incorrect.
