What is the right question tag (in British English) when we use the verb have?
I have interviewed a few native speakers and none of them could explain why sometimes they prefer "haven't/hasn't" and why other times they prefer "don't/doesn't".
Here are 4 different groups of sentences. Which ones are correct and which ones aren't and why?
Group 1
- I've got a good voice, haven't I?
- You've got a dog, haven't you?
- She's got a new boyfriend, hasn't she?
- We've got very good friends, haven't we?
- They've got our address, haven't they?
Group 2
- I have a good voice, don't I?
- You have a dog, don't you?
- She has a new boyfriend, doesn't she?
- We have very good friends, don't we?
- They have our address, don't they?
Group 3
- I've got a good voice, don't I?
- You've got a dog, don't you?
- She's got a new boyfriend, doesn't she?
- We've got very good friends, don't we?
- They've got our address, don't they?
Group 4
- I have a good voice, haven't I?
- You have a dog, haven't you?
- She has a new boyfriend, hasn't she?
- We have very good friends, haven't we?
- They have our address, haven't they?
Best Answer
From the wikipedia article on question tags:
But then later on:
Using this rule, group 2 and group 4 would both be correct. (As an AmE, I prefer group 2 with group 4 sounding awkward to a degree approaching incorrect, but I'm unsure about BritE)
Following the same rule, group 1 would be correct and group 3 incorrect as has/have is the auxiliary verb, and so it should be used in the question. However, as a native AmE speaker, this actually runs counter to my intuition as I would prefer group 3. I have a feeling this has to do with the 'have got' construction somehow affecting things.
Edit: updated because I should have read the whole thing