Tag Questions - You know how to use Tag Questions, don't you?

Tag questions
are small questions at the end of statements. They can be used to express an opinion, check information, or even make a request. For example,
It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?
You aren't going to the party this weekend, are you?
How to Form Tag Questions

You form tag questions by placing a negative question at the end of a positive statement. Placing a negative question at the end of positive statement means you are pretty sure (80%) or a little sure (50%) of the positive statement. You can also place a positive question at the end of a negative statement. Again, this means you are pretty sure (80%) or a little sure (50%) of the negative statement. Let's look at some examples:
This book was written by Ernest Hemingway, wasn't it? (A positive sentence with a negative question. You are 50%~80% sure the book was written by Ernest Hemingway.)
This book wasn't written by Ernest Hemingway, was it? (A negative sentence with a positive question. You are 50%~80% sure the book was NOT written by Ernest Heminway.)
How to Say Tag Questions

The difference of how sure you are (50%~80%) can be shown by your intonation. If you are pretty sure, the intonation goes down. If you are a little sure, the intonation goes up. For example,
You are from America, (down) aren't you? (up) – (You are a little sure.)
You are from America, (up) aren't you? (down) – (You are pretty sure.)
Tag Questions with Auxiliary Verbs

If you use an auxiliary verb (can, do, be, would, should, etc...), the tag question must use the auxiliary verb too. For example,
You can speak English, can't you?
You wouldn't hurt a girl, would you?
All other verbs, you must use do.
You hate spiders, don't you?
Do you think you understand? Let's check with a short quiz.

1) You don't like to go fishing, _______
A) do you?
B) don't you?
C) can you?
2) Jenny wouldn't steal from the company, _________
A) does she?
B) wouldn't she?
C) would she?
3) You are a fan of the Tigers, ______
A) don't you?
B) aren't you?
C) are you?
Answers

1) – A) We must use a positive tag question with a negative statement.
2) – C) If you use an auxiliary verb (would), you must use it in the tag question.
3) – B) If you use 'be', you must use it in the tag question.


Maru: That movie wasn't very good, was it?
Sparky: Yeah, but Thomas Hanks can act, doesn't he?
Mr.Maru: Um, yes, he can act well.
Sparky: You didn't bring any snacks, didn't you?
Mr.Maru: No, I didn't. You aren't hungry again, are you?
Sparky: No, I am.
Mr.Maru: Um, are you hungry or not hungry?
Sparky: Hungry! Let's go to Happy Burger.
Mr.Maru: All right, all right. I wish you couldn't talk.
How do you use tag questions? A reader wrote me yesterday and asked “How do I use tag questions?”, so today we are going to go over tag questions and their many uses. Let's start!
What are Tag Questions?


more info at http://www.englishspark.com/en/blogs/stumpers/476-tag-questions

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Yours vs Your's

Yours

is possessive form for You. It replaces "your" + noun.

He found a coat - is it yours?

Yours sincerely

Your's

It would be interpreted as "your is" which makes no sense. It's always incorrect to use Your's. It should never have an (apostrophe) 's. Use Yours.

You're vs Your

(notice the mistake?)

You're (short form) = you are

Your're is often followed by the present participle.

You're going to be late.

You're much better at table tennis than Mark is.

Your is a possessive form of You.

Refers to something that a person has, or something that belongs to that person. Your is almost always followed by a noun. Your will usually nor be followed by an adjective when that adjective is describing the person that your talking to. For example, Your very kind will only be correct if you are describing a noun. This sentence is correct because nice is describing someone's, for example, daughter.

What is your name?

Is this your car?

Your book is on the table.

Homophones: They're, their and there

These three homophones are often used incorrectly even by native speakers.

They’re (short form) = they are

My children have gone on holiday and they’re in Germany today.

Their (possessive word)

The cats always leave their hair all over the place.

There has two uses:

1. (adverb of place) = in that place. Think of it as an answer to the question “where?”.

The post office is over (where?) there.

2. with the verb "to be" (with phrases such as "there is", "there are" etc)

There are 26 apples in the basket.

Practice:

http://www.better-english.com/easier/theyre.htm

http://a4esl.org/q/h/mc-ttt.html

Missing Auxiliaries - Common Errors in English

Not every language uses auxiliary verbs like English. Languages that don't use auxiliary verbs, replace them with suffixes added onto the ends of verbs. Missing auxiliaries are a common mistake for non-native English speakers, since many languages either omit auxiliary verbs, or have different usage characteristics.

An auxiliary verb is “a highly irregular verb that is used with other verbs to form voice, tense, and mood.” These verbs are also know as “helper verbs”, because of their role in adding meaning to the main verb of a sentence.

Complete list of English auxiliary verbs:

am, is, are, shall, should, be, being, been, was, were, will, would, has, have, had, do, does, did, can, could, may, might, must, ought

Auxiliary verbs have a few grammatical functions:

• Support: Auxiliaries help/change the meaning of a main verb
  i.e. The doctor went home. The doctor is going home.
• Interrogative: Auxiliaries invert to form questions
  i.e. You can go. Can you go?
• Negation: To negate a sentence, not or n’t is added after an auxiliary
  i.e. Charles goes to class. Charles does not go to class.

Depending on the context, some auxiliaries can function alone as the only verb in a sentence; others will not be found without a main verb.

These are known as modal verbs (can, could, may, might, ought, shall, should, will, would, and must).

Modal verbs NEVER appear alone; they always accompany a main verb.

a word a day

bobby (BOB-ee)
noun British: A policeman.

After Sir Robert Peel, who was Great Britain’s Home Secretary when the 1828 Metropolitan Police Act was passed.

“The fish and chip shop may be as ‘Truly British’ as the bobbies patrolling in their pointed black helmets, but the tidy streets, royalist sentiments and low crime rate hark back to an era that faded away decades ago in Britain.”
—New York Times