Negative and echo questions: didn't you know? Negative and echo question exercises for B2
About this lesson
This B2 drill lesson gives negative and echo questions exercises: Didn't you get my email?, Why don't we…?, the right Yes or No in reply, and reactions like Oh, have you?
- Grammar
- Auxiliary + n't + subject, Aren't I, five meanings from surprise to complaint, answers that follow the facts, and echo questions that keep the auxiliary and polarity.
- Topic
- A 20-year high school reunion: the class group chat two weeks before, the class president's invitation, talk at the party, her post afterwards and a chat with Iggy.
- Activities
- True or false, sorting, choices, gap-fills, meaning quizzes, matching, tables, word order, drag-and-drop dialogues, a memory game and a chat.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
- PictureUnlock
- Study the scheme: negative and echo questionsGrammar schemeTry it
- Is the sentence correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Sort the questions: surprise, suggestion or complaint?Sort into columnsTry it
- Choose the right auxiliaryChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the auxiliary in the echo questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 2Didn't we meet before? Negative questions
- Write the negative questionsFill in the gapsTry it
- Choose the right form: negative questionsChoose the optionUnlock
- Choose what the speaker meansQuizUnlock
- Match the situations and the questionsMatchUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: negative questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Read Keoni's email and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 3Yes, I did! Answers that follow the facts
- Choose the right answer: follow the factsChoose the optionTry it
- Sort the situations: answer Yes or No?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Drag the answers into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Fill in the table: Yes or No, then the short answerFill in the tableUnlock
- Match the answers and what they meanMatchUnlock
- Read the texts and fill in the gaps with questions and short answersFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 4Oh, have you? Echo questions
- Write the echo questionsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right echo questionChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the table: two ways to reactFill in the tableTry it
- Sort the reactions: right or wrong?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Match the news and the reactionsMatchUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
- Read Zuzanna's messages and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: Class of 2007
- Read the class group chatReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the chat again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read Pippa's invitation and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the conversations at the reunion and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read Pippa's post and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Iggy texts youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right negative question: at workChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with negative questions: at homeFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right answer: the facts decideChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the echo questions: news from friendsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Sort the sentences: correct or wrong?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: news and reactionsMemory gameUnlock
- Fill in the table: ask and reactFill in the tableUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right words: everyday questionsQuizUnlock
- Choose the right reply for the situationQuizUnlock
- Read Winifred's note and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
- Read the ad and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the messages and drag the words into the gaps: new job newsDrag and dropUnlock
- Is the reply correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Match the questions and the answersMatchUnlock
Grammar: negative questions and echo questions
A negative question puts n't on the auxiliary before the subject: Didn't she call you back? It shows surprise, checks what you believe, or suggests and complains. An echo question reacts to someone else's news: “I've been to Peru.” “Have you?”
Negative and echo questions: didn't you know?
Ask a negative question when you're surprised, when you think something is true, or to suggest or complain. React to news with a short echo question.
Auxiliary + n't + subject
Every auxiliary works: Don't you like it?, Wasn't she there?, Haven't you eaten?, Can't you stay?, Why don't we go? With I it is Aren't I. The full form Do you not like it? is correct but more formal.
Negative questions: auxiliary + n't + subject
auxiliary + n'tsubjectverb …?
Don't you live near the station?
Didn't she call you back?
Haven't they met your parents?
Every auxiliary
| Auxiliary | Negative question | Formal (correct, less common) |
|---|---|---|
| do / does / did | Don't you like it? · Doesn't he know? · Didn't they call? | Do you not like it? |
| am / is / are | Aren't I late? · Isn't it cold? · Aren't you hungry? | Am I not late? |
| was / were | Wasn't she there? · Weren't you in my class? | Was she not there? |
| have / has / had | Haven't you eaten? · Hasn't he changed? · Hadn't they left? | Have you not eaten? |
| can / could | Can't you stay? · Couldn't we try? | Can you not stay? |
| will / would / should | Won't you sit down? · Wouldn't it be fun? · Shouldn't we go? | Will you not sit down? |
| question word | Why don't we go? · Why didn't you call? | Why did you not call? |
What do negative questions mean?
The context decides: surprise (Don't you know Ana?), a guess you want confirmed (Didn't we meet at your sister's wedding?), an opinion (Isn't this view beautiful?), a suggestion (Why don't we share a pizza?) or a complaint (Can't you be quiet?).
| Meaning | Example |
|---|---|
| Surprise: I thought it was true! | Don't you know Ana? You worked together for years! |
| I think it's true: please say yes | Didn't we meet at your sister's wedding? |
| An opinion: agree with me! | Isn't this view beautiful? |
| A suggestion or an offer | Why don't we share a pizza? · Wouldn't you like some tea? |
| A complaint | Can't you be quiet? · Why didn't you warn me? |
Answers follow the facts
Yes means it's true, no means it isn't, whatever form the question takes: Didn't you see the game? – Yes, I did if you saw it, No, I didn't if you missed it.
| Question | The facts | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Didn't you see the game? | I saw it. | Yes, I did. |
| Didn't you see the game? | I didn't see it. | No, I didn't. |
| Isn't Max coming? | He's coming. | Yes, he is. |
| Isn't Max coming? | He isn't coming. | No, he isn't. |
Echo questions: react to news
Copy the speaker's auxiliary and polarity and change the person: “She can't drive.” “Can't she?” With no auxiliary, use do, does or did: “Ben loves opera.” “Does he?” American English also says He does?
| They say | You react | American English also |
|---|---|---|
| I'm a pilot now. | Are you? | You are? |
| I'm not coming. | Aren't you? | You're not? · You aren't? |
| Ben loves opera. | Does he? | He does? |
| We met in 2010. | Did you? | You did? |
| I've been to Peru. | Have you? | You have? |
| She can't drive. | Can't she? | She can't? |
| There's a pool. | Is there? | There is? |
| I never eat breakfast. | Don't you? (never = not) | You don't? |
Echo question or question tag?
A tag ends your own sentence and flips it: You're a pilot, aren't you? An echo reacts to someone else's words and keeps their polarity: “I'm a pilot.” “Are you?”, not Aren't you?
Echo question or question tag?
A question tag ends your own sentence and flips it: You're a pilot, aren't you? An echo question reacts to someone else's words and keeps them the same: “I'm a pilot.” — “Are you?” (Not: Aren't you?) Copy their auxiliary and change the person: I → you, my sister → she. No auxiliary? Use do / does / did: “I love jazz.” — “Do you?”
Common mistakes
Watch for Do you don't want some?, Amn't I invited?, the answer Didn't you go? – Yes, I didn't and a flipped echo such as “I'm a nurse.” “Aren't you?”
Do you don't want some?
Don't you want some?
n't joins the auxiliary
Amn't I invited?
Aren't I invited?
I → aren't I (formal: Am I not…?)
“Didn't you go?” — “Yes, I didn't.”
“Didn't you go?” — “No, I didn't.”
Yes = it happened · No = it didn't
“I'm a nurse.” — “Aren't you?”
“I'm a nurse.” — “Are you?”
an echo question keeps the polarity
Examples
- Didn't you bring a coat? It's freezing!surprise
- Isn't that our old chemistry teacher?I think it's true
- Why don't we meet for coffee on Saturday?a suggestion
- Can't you turn that music down? It's midnight!a complaint
- “Isn't the store open?” — “No, it isn't. It closes at six.”the answer follows the facts
- “I've just run a marathon.” — “Have you? Wow!”an echo question: interest
More lessons on this grammar: Questions lessons and exercises
Try the negative and echo questions exercises
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What's in the lesson
- 41 auto-checked exercises
- 3 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- form negative questions with every auxiliary: Haven't you finished your coffee yet? Weren't you and Sam in the school band? Aren't I supposed to sign in first?
- show surprise, suggest or complain: Can't you swim? I had no idea! Why don't we take a taxi? Can't you knock first?
- answer by the facts, not the question: Isn't Leo coming tonight? – No, he isn't. He's in bed with the flu.
- react to news with an echo question: “My uncle can't swim.” “Can't he?” “I used to live in Rome.” “Did you?”
- Grammar:
- negative questions · echo questions · reply questions · short answers · auxiliary verbs
- Topic:
- grammar practice · reunions · old friends · small talk
Teaching tips
- Share surprising news in turns: each student tells one fact, true or invented (I've never seen snow), and the class reacts with the right echo question and a follow-up.
- Hold up yes and no cards: read a negative question with its facts, such as Didn't you lock the car? (You forgot.), and students show a card before saying the short answer.
- Turn complaints into suggestions: give pairs a line like Why didn't you wait for me? and have them say the same thing as a suggestion: Why don't we leave together next time?
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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · B2
English Grammar Practice · B2 has 24 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the future perfect and continuous, the third and mixed conditionals, wishes, past modals, the impersonal passive, have something done, participle clauses, reporting verbs and verb patterns. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course
- 1Future continuous and future perfect: countdown to launch
- 2Future in the past: it was going to be perfect
- 3Past perfect continuous: what had been going on?
- 4Third conditional: if I hadn't missed that train…
- 5Mixed conditionals: where would you be now?
- 6Unless, in case and as long as: on one condition
- 7Wish and if only: is it too late?
- 8Would rather, had better and it's time: the couch crisis
- 9Past modals of deduction: what must have happened here?
- 10Should have and needn't have: what went wrong?
- 11Impersonal passive: it is said that…, she is said to…
- 12Have and get something done: who did the work?
- 13Non-defining relative clauses: the extra information
- 14Participle clauses: having planned everything
- 15Reporting verbs: what did they really say?
- 16Verbs + -ing or to: stop doing or stop to do?
- 17Make, let, allow and get: who makes the rules?
- 18Dependent prepositions: depend on, interested in, a reason for
- 19So do I and neither do I: agree, disagree and insist
- 20Articles with general ideas: life or the life?
- 21As, like and as if: interview like a pro
- 22Negative and echo questions: didn't you know?
- 23To, in order to and so that: what's it for?
- 24No use, no point and worth + -ing: what's worth your time?