Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: hasn't she?
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question involves the correct formation of a question tag, a short question added at the end of a statement to seek confirmation. The main sentence uses the present perfect tense, and the tag must match both the auxiliary verb and the subject while usually reversing the polarity from positive to negative. Understanding this rule is an important part of spoken and written English.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
For forming question tags, there are two key rules. First, the auxiliary verb in the tag must match the auxiliary in the main clause in both tense and form. Second, an affirmative statement takes a negative tag and vice versa. In the sentence She has finished writing the article, the auxiliary is has, and the statement is affirmative. Therefore, the tag must be has not she, reduced to has not she in formal writing and has not she or has not she in speech, but the natural contracted form is has not she written as has not she or has not she. In standard exam options, this appears as has not she with the contraction has not she.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the auxiliary verb in the main clause. Here it is has.Step 2: Note that the subject is she and that the statement She has finished is positive.Step 3: Apply the rule for a positive sentence: it should be followed by a negative tag.Step 4: Combine the auxiliary and negative particle with the subject to form has not she, commonly written as has not she in contracted form.Step 5: Evaluate the options. has she is positive and would only follow a negative main clause. is not it and is it use the wrong auxiliary and refer to it instead of she.Step 6: Therefore, the only correct tag is has not she, written as has not she.
Verification / Alternative check:
Read the full sentence aloud with the chosen tag: She has finished writing the article, has not she. This sounds natural as a confirmation question. If we try She has finished writing the article, has she, the structure sounds odd because there is no contrast between the positive statement and the tag. Using is not it or is it would be completely incorrect because the verb and subject no longer match the original clause. This confirms that has not she is the correct grammatical choice.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
has she is the positive form of the tag and should follow a negative main clause such as She has not finished writing the article, has she. is not it and is it both use the verb be, which is not the auxiliary in the main sentence, and they replace she with it, breaking the rule that the tag subject must repeat the subject of the statement. Therefore, none of these three options meet the basic rules for forming question tags.
Common Pitfalls:
One common mistake is to ignore the auxiliary verb and attach a general tag like is not it to many sentences. Another error is to forget to reverse the polarity and end an affirmative sentence with another affirmative tag. To avoid these problems, always identify the auxiliary in the main clause, repeat it in the tag, and switch from positive to negative or negative to positive as required.
Final Answer:
The correct question tag is has not she?, so the full sentence reads She has finished writing the article, has not she?
Discussion & Comments