English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
Tag Questions
3. The verbs, ‘has’ and ‘need’, deserve special attention in tag formation. ‘Has’ forms the tag when it precedes another verb; it attracts do, does or did when it is the lone verb; and it accepts an auxiliary verb when it is preceded by an auxiliary verb. These positions are explicitly exemplified below:
Kunle has got a car, hasn’t he? (correct)
Kunle has a car, doesn’t he?
Kunle has no car, does he? (correct)
Kunle does not have a car, does he? (correct).
The foregoing instances are quite similar to ‘need’, which can likewise precede another verb, be used alone or succeed a helping verb. It forms the tag when it precedes another verb; it attracts do, does or did when used alone; and it takes the auxiliary verb as a tag when it follows the auxiliary verb. These viewpoints are illustrated in the accompanying sentences:
They need to arrive early, needn’t they? (correct)
They need some money, don’t they? (correct)
They will need a substantial sum for their upkeep, won’t they? (correct)
GAB
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