Tagged: An activity for tag questions

Here’s a fun game to practice tag questions. See suggested variations on my Tag questions_handout, which includes modifying the activity in order to practice negative questions.

Step 1 – Students will be working in groups of three or four. Prepare enough copies of the statement cards (see handout, Set A) for each group to have one set.  Cut the cards out and keep them in sets. Distribute the sets to the groups. Have the students place the cards face down an in a pile.

Step 2 – Taking turns, one student will take a statement card, read the sentence, and add a tag question to it. Example: [statement card] You exercise at least once a week. Student A: “You exercise at least once a week, don’t you?”

Step 3 –The student to the left must answer truthfully. Student B: No, I don’t. / Yes, I do. Note that all the questions in Set A concern a healthy lifestyle. If the answer confirms a healthy practice, the Student B keeps the card. If the answer demonstrates an unhealthy practice, Student B puts the card at the bottom of the pile.

Step 4 – Student B now asks the student to his/her left the next tag question using the next statement card from the pile. Again, Student C may keep the card if the answer confirms a healthy practice. Otherwise, the statement card must be placed at the bottom of the pile. The game continues. The object of the game is to win as many statement cards as possible and be tagged as “The Healthiest”.

Step 5 – At the end of the game, students can discuss the outcome. Encourage use of tag questions. For example, group members might say to the winner, “You have a healthy lifestyle, don’t you?” Another might comment, “I should exercise more, shouldn’t I?”

See the handout for Set B: Honesty.