Question tag

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yogi2005  #109760  Fri, 17 Jun 05 12:03 AM
hi,


could you tell me if I used the right question tag in the sentence below?

They might have played chess, didn't they?


thank you
  
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ranchhand  #109775  Fri, 17 Jun 05 12:39 AM
Since a tag is simply asking for an affirmation of what one already believes, either positively or negatively, tags with such a low degree of certainty are uncommon. If your feeling is marked by such unsureness, then the tendency wouldn't be to use a tag, though it's not impossible.

They might have played chess, don't you think?

Do you think they might have played chess?

They might have played chess, mightn't they? {I'd suggest this one is quite uncommon}

They might have played chess, might they not have? {even more so}


  
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MrPedantic  #109778  Fri, 17 Jun 05 12:45 AM
Perhaps the 'mightn't' tag is more common in BrE. It doesn't seem unusual to me.

MrP
  
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CalifJim  #109838  Fri, 17 Jun 05 07:12 AM
In any case, yogi, "didn't they" just won't do.
  
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