ESL WORKSHEET - Question tags

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

QUESTION TAGS

LinguaHouse

Mar. 3, 2025

Level: Intermediate (B1-B2)
Type of language: General English
Tags: Grammar Practice; Question Tags; Speaking; 13-15 Years Old; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old
Publication date: 03/03/2025

In this lesson plan, students begin with a review of question forms and auxiliary verbs. They then examine question tags in conversational contexts and distinguish between the functions of checking information and asking genuine questions, as well as making suggestions and informal requests. They also practice recognizing and producing rising and falling intonation patterns to convey meaning. There is an optional extension task which takes a quick look at echo questions. (by Stephanie Hirschman)

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio 1 in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio 2 in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio 1 in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio 2 in British English.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPTS

Audio 1
Marcus: Hi Avril, thanks for much for coming in. I’m Marcus. Good to meet you.
Avril: Good to meet you too.
Marcus: Now, I promise that I’ve read your application, but it seems to have gone missing for the moment, so I just want to check that I’ve remembered your responses correctly. First of all, you’ve applied for this position because you’ve got a strong interest in the environment, haven’t you?
Avril: That’s right. I hope to start a degree in environmental studies next year.
Marcus: Great. And you enjoy working outside, don’t you?
Avril: Yeah, I love the outdoors, you know fresh air, exercise, and especially, being around trees.
Marcus: Me too. And to you, community means people sharing responsibility for the environment, doesn’t it?
Avril: Exactly. I also think it’s really important to give people of all ages the chance to work together.
Marcus: Good point. And you’ll get to the worksite by car, won’t you?
Avril: Yeah, I have my own transport. My car is pretty reliable.
Marcus: And you’re not able to provide your own boots, are you?
Avril: Correct, I don’t have any boots. I was hoping the project would provide them.
Marcus: Of course, we have some boots we can lend you. It’s really important to protect your feet. Now, just one more thing. You heard about us via social media, didn’t you?
Avril: Not exactly. I think I said I looked you up on social media after a friend told me about your work.
Marcus: I see. Thanks for confirming all of that with me.

Audio 2
Roger: Hi there. I’m Roger. Pleased to meet you, Avril.
Avril: And you.
Roger: So, I’d describe the next stage in our interview process as more of a chat. It’s an opportunity for you to ask questions as well. So, let’s get started, shall we? As you know, our work has two main parts: community work and planting trees. Do you think one is more important than the other?
Avril: Interesting question. I think both have equal importance, don’t they? I mean, the trees are important, and all that, but without community support, they won’t survive. When people, especially teenagers, are involved in planting trees, I imagine they’re less likely to damage them later on, aren’t they?
Roger: That’s exactly right. And that’s why we try to involve the whole community in our work. Both people and trees need a sense of belonging to each other, if that makes sense.
Avril: It does. But I see that you visit local schools to get kids and teenagers interested in the project. I guess they wouldn’t join without this type of contact, would they?
Roger: No, we’ve found that they wouldn’t come forward without that first contact via the school. How difficult do you think it is to get older members of the community to join in?
Avril: I suppose they’re excited to join, aren’t they?
Roger: Well, most are, but we still need to encourage a few of them to come along for the day, to try things out.
Ben: (sound of knock on door, door opening) Sorry to interrupt, Roger, just to let you know – the van has arrived.
Roger: Oh, all right. My apologies – that’s probably about some young trees that we ordered last week. Just give me a minute, won’t you? I’ll go and check everything’s ok.
Avril: Sure. No problem.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/question-tags. Accessed on March 10, 2025. LinguaHouse.com © 2008–2025. All rights reserved.