In an English sentence improvement and tag question item, choose the correct question tag to complete the sentence: "He dislikes the word, _______?"

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of question tags in English, especially the agreement of auxiliary verb, tense, and polarity with the main clause. The original sentence is "He dislikes the word, isn't he?" which contains an incorrect tag. Correct use of question tags is important in spoken English and appears frequently in exams that test grammar and usage.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Main clause: "He dislikes the word".
• Original tag: "isn't he?" is incorrect.
• Options: does not he (written as "doesn't he?"), did not he (written as "didn't he?"), does he?, No improvement.
• We assume a normal, neutral statement in the simple present tense expressing dislike.

Concept / Approach:
The rule for forming a question tag is: use the auxiliary verb corresponding to the tense and form of the main clause, and make the tag negative if the main clause is positive, and positive if the main clause is negative. In "He dislikes the word", the verb "dislikes" is simple present, third person singular. The corresponding auxiliary is "does". Since the statement is positive, the tag must be negative: "doesn't he?"

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the tense of the main verb "dislikes". It is simple present tense. Step 2: Find the auxiliary used with simple present tense for third person singular: "does". Step 3: Note that the main clause is positive ("He dislikes the word"), so the tag must be negative. Step 4: Combine the auxiliary and negative: "does not he?" in contracted form becomes "doesn't he?". Step 5: Test the full sentence: "He dislikes the word, doesn't he?" This sounds correct and natural. Step 6: Check other options for tense and polarity agreement.

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with similar sentences: "He likes tea, does he?" would be wrong, because the tag must be negative for a positive statement. The correct form is "He likes tea, doesn't he?" Likewise, "She works hard, doesn't she?" The structure remains consistent: subject plus present simple verb, followed by "doesn't" plus subject pronoun. These patterns confirm that "doesn't he?" is the correct tag here.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• didn't he? Uses the past tense auxiliary "did", while the main verb "dislikes" is in the present tense. Tense mismatch makes it incorrect.
• does he? This is a positive tag. For a positive statement, the tag should be negative, so "does he?" is not suitable here.
• No improvement: Keeping "isn't he?" would be wrong because the auxiliary "is" matches the verb "is", not "dislikes". There is no form of "to be" in the main clause.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners mechanically use "isn't he?" or "does he?" as tags without checking the main verb. Another common mistake is to forget the opposite polarity rule, using a positive tag with a positive statement. To avoid such errors, always identify the tense and auxiliary implied by the main verb first, and then apply the positive/negative rule carefully. Practice with many examples will build automatic correctness in forming question tags.

Final Answer:
The correct tag is: "He dislikes the word, doesn't he?"