UNIT 7: AUXILIARY QUESTIONS

A. INTRODUCTION

Auxiliary questions will ask for
confirmation, opinions or preferences,
request something, make a suggestion
and make an offer. So they are not
always answered with Yes or No.
Auxiliary questions often begin with
auxiliaries such as: Am/ is /are, Do/
does/ did, Have /has /had, Can/ could ,
Will/ would , May/ might, Shall/ should
…
Ex:
a. Do you always get up early?
Anh luôn dậy sớm chứ? (Tôi chỉ muốn
biết thói quen sinh hoạt thông thường
của anh thôi)
- No. Only on weekdays
- Yes, every working days
- Never on Sunday.
Negative auxiliary questions are used to
show the speaker’s attitudes like a
surprise, an anger or a shock to
someone’s action or event.
They often begin with negative modals
or auxiliaries such as: isn’t /aren’t, don’t/
doesn’t/ didn’t, haven’t/ hasn’t /hadn’t,
can’t/ couldn’t , won’t/ wouldn’t , shouldn’t
…
Ex:
a. Don’t you always get up early?
Không phải là anh luôn dậy sớm sao? (Tôi
ngạc nhiên khi thấy anh dậy muộn mặc dù
biết anh có thói quen dậy sớm)
- No. We’ve just got another kid and I
have to stay up late.
- Yes. But I’ve just moved to a new flat
which is 20km away.
- Sorry. I’ve got a bad cold and I
couldn’t sleep well these days.

b. Have they set those shelves up yet?
Họ lắp mấy cái kệ lên chưa vậy? (Tôi
chỉ muốn biết liệu họ đã làm đúng tiến
độ thi công hay không)
- Not yet. They won’t finish until 4.
-Yes. They just finished this morning.
- I don’t know. I’ll phone Mr. John to
check it, Madam.
b. Haven’t they set those shelves up yet?
Họ chưa lắp mấy cái kệ lên sao? (Tôi
bực mình khi biết họ chưa làm việc đó
mặc dù tôi đã đòi họ phải làm từ hôm
qua.)
- Not yet. They’re still waiting for the
delivery.
- Yes. Everything is fine now.
- Not until the weekend, Sir.

B. LISTENING TIPS
- Focus on the verbs that follow the subjects.
- Look for words or phrases that express acceptance or refusal in the answer
choices: Pleased, well, No/Yes, Glad, Great, Sorry, Good, Okay, Thank you…
- Correct answers may take the form of “I don’t know”.
- Answers with Yes/No are not always correct.
- Watch out for pronouns and tense distractors in the answer choices.
C. ANSWER TRENDS:
You can answer these types of questions in 2 ways:

Questions a. Yes + Positive statement + b. No + Negative statement +

reason/ explanation reason/ promise
1. Have you - (Yes), I did it yesterday. The - (No), sorry. I haven’t had time. I’ll
repaired the car battery was too old. contact Mr John’s garage tomorrow
yet? Rồi, anh đã sửa hôm qua. Bình morning.
(Anh sửa xe chưa điện cũ quá rồi. Chưa, xin lỗi. Anh chưa rảnh. Anh
vậy?) sẽ gọi chỗ garage của ông John
sáng mai.

2. Don't you wear - (Yes), I do wear them. But it was - (No), I don’t use them. My
glasses? broken yesterday. eyesight is kind of great.
(Em không đeo Có chứ. Em có đeo kính mà. Không ạ. Em không dùng kính. Thị
kính à?) Nhưng hôm qua nó bị gãy rồi. lực của em thuộc loại tốt mà.

D. SPEAKING PRACTICE
First, listen to your teacher (one-two-three times) and repeat after her. Raise your
hands and say it again to show that you understand the questions. Then, think about 2
suitable responses to each question.

Shoulds:
- Focus on the content of the question
- Apply the answering tips and new words you just learnt
- Use good grammar
- Use a phrase or sentence in 5-10 words
- Use synonyms and antonyms
Shouldn’ts:
- Make too long answers
- Repeat a lot of words in the questions
- Repeat your friends’ answers, ideas, vocabulary.
- Speak Vietnamese while practicing.

NOTES FOR TEACHERS

- Choose any questions to start depending on the students’ ability.
- Reminds the students of the required information, tips to have the best responses,
the number of words in each reply (6-10 words).
- Try to listen and find out mistakes so as to correct as much as possible (grammar,
pronunciation, verb tense, word usage).
- Teach the students the sentence stress and intonation to make them sound better.
- Extend the Question and Response into a short conversation.

Q: Have they set those shelves up yet?

R: I don’t know. I’ll phone Mr. John to check it, Madam.
Q: Why does it take so long?
R: The weather was so bad and they had to delay their work very often.
Q: Are you sure that it will be done by the end of this week?
R: Absolutely. They will complete this project soon.

- Ask the students to extend the question-response into a short conversation.

1. Q: ___________________, Sir?
A: Yes, I’m looking for white trousers.
- _____________________________________________.

2. Q: Excuse me. Could you help me find a suit in my size?

A: Sure, what size ___________________?
- _____________________________________________.

3. Q: ___________________ to the concert on Saturday?

A: Yes, but I’m afraid I can’t.
- _____________________________________________.

4. Q: Have you ever been to our headquarters before?

A: Yes, ___________________.
- _____________________________________________.

5. Q: ___________________ a chance to review your task list?

A: I’m planning to do it this morning.
- _____________________________________________.

6. Q: Do you have time to prepare the samples for our clients?

A: Sure, ___________________ right away.
- _____________________________________________.
7. Q: ___________________ the interest rates will go up again?
A: I hope they won’t.
- _____________________________________________.

8. Q: Have you seen ___________________?

A: It’s on your desk.
- _____________________________________________.

9. Q: Is this ladder strong enough to support me?

A: Yes, but ___________________.
- _____________________________________________.

10. Q: Could I possibly pick up my winter coat ___________________?

A: I’ll have it ready by tomorrow.
- _____________________________________________.
 11. Q: Don’t you have to leave for the airport?
A: Yes, I’m leaving ___________________.
- _____________________________________________.

12. Q: Isn’t the local pharmacy expensive?

A: Yes, the price is ___________________.
- _____________________________________________.

13. Q: Don’t you want to reserve an aisle seat?

A: No, ___________________.
- _____________________________________________.

14. Q: Didn’t you attend the central office’s ___________________?

A: Yes, but that was years ago.
- _____________________________________________.

15. Q. Aren’t they planning on building a new clinic around here?

A: Yes, ___________________, actually.
- _____________________________________________.

16. Q: Isn’t the job fair today?

A: No, I think it’s ___________________.
- _____________________________________________.
17. Q: ___________________ review this lease before you sign?
A: Yes, you’re right.
- _____________________________________________.

18. Q: ___________________ about the increasing student enrollment numbers?

A: Yes, the figures are much higher lately.
- _____________________________________________.

19. Q: Didn’t you have plans to take a leave of absence ___________________?

A: I decided to postpone them.
- _____________________________________________.

20. Q: Shouldn’t we take a break?

A: Yes, ___________________.

- _____________________________________________.
 UNIT 8: ALTERNATIVE Questions
A. INTRODUCTION
Choice questions always contain the word OR.
They often begin with auxiliaries such as: Am/ is/ are, Do/ does/ did, Have/ has/ had, Can/
could, Will/ would, May/ might, Shall/ should …
Ex: Would you like to be addressed as Dr. Black or David?
- David’s fine. Thank you.
Remember that this type of questions can’t be answered using Yes or No.

Choice questions usually provide a choice of TIME/ ITEMS/ ACTIONS.

There are 3 answer trends for Alternative questions:

“Either A or B” responses:
- Whatever you say.
- Anything is okay with me.
- I will take whatever you suggest.
“Neither A nor B” responses:
- May I suggest something else?
- Why don’t we do something different?
- Nothing has been decided yet.
3 - Neither of them.
typical answer - Let’s wait until the director comes in.
trends - It’s hard to say.
“Both A and B” responses:
- Both if possible.
- Both if you don’t mind.
- Both of them, please.
- A little of this and a little of that.

Examples:
1. “Can you make it on Tuesday or Wednesday?” (Choice of time)
- Wednesday is much better. (Either A or B)
- Sorry. I can’t make it. How about Thursday? (Neither A nor B)
2. a. Do you want a kilo of tomatoes or potatoes, dear? (Choice of items)
- One kilo of tomatoes and one kilo of potatoes for my sauce. (Both A and B)
- Neither of them. What I need is a kilo of avocados. (Neither A nor B)
2. b. Do you want milk or sugar in your coffee? (Choice of items)
- A little milk and a little sugar if you don’t mind. (Both A and B)
- Neither. I’d prefer it as bitter as possible. (Neither A nor B)
3. a. Are you driving or getting a lift to the headquarters? (Choice of actions)
- Actually, I’m thinking of taking a taxi. (Neither A nor B)
- Give me a lift if you don’t mind. (Either A or B)
3. b. Can we go now or do we have to wait for Paul? (Choice of actions)
- Why don’t we stay home and play a game if he doesn’t come?. (Neither A nor B)
- There’s no time left. Let’s go! (Either A or B)
B. LISTENING TIPS
- Identify the alternatives before and after the word OR.
- The alternatives may be clauses or phrases.
- A correct response may repeat the words in the question.
- Answers with Yes/ No is completely wrong.
- The best response can be in the question form showing a suggestion.

C. SPEAKING PRACTICE
First, listen to your teacher (one-two-three times) and repeat after her. Raise your
hands and say it again to show that you understand the questions. Then, think about 2
suitable responses to each question.

Shoulds:
- Focus on the content of the question
- Apply the answering tips and new words you just learnt
- Use good grammar
- Use a phrase or sentence in 5-10 words
- Use synonyms and antonyms
Shouldn’ts:
- Make too long answers
- Repeat a lot of words in the questions
- Repeat your friends’ answers, ideas, vocabulary.
- Speak Vietnamese while practicing.

NOTES FOR TEACHERS

- Choose any questions to start depending on the students’ ability.
- Reminds the students of the required information, the number of words in each reply.
- Try to listen and find out mistakes so as to correct as much as possible (grammar,
pronunciation, verb tense, word usage).
- Teach the students the sentence stress and intonation to make them sound better.
- Extend the Question and Response into a short conversation.

Q: Have they set those shelves up yet?

R: I don’t know. I’ll phone Mr. John to check it, Madam.
Q: Why does it take so long?
R: The weather was so bad and they had to delay their work very often.
Q: Are you sure that it will be done by the end of this week?
R: Absolutely. They will complete this project soon.

Write 2 possible answers to each of these questions. Follow either of these ways:
- Either A or B: ______________
- Both A and B: ______________
- Neither A nor B: ______________
1. Are you going to review the report now or later?
- ______________
- ______________
2. Do you want a medium or an extra-large T-shirt?
- ______________
 - ______________
3. Can we go now or do we have to wait for the bus?
- ______________
- ______________
4. Are you going on trip or relaxing near the beach?
- ______________
- ______________
5. Do you prefer working alone or together?
- ______________
- ______________
6. Will the branch office open this year or next?
- ______________
- ______________
7. Do you want to go out for lunch or would you prefer your meal to be delivered to your
office?
- ______________
- ______________
8. Should I wear casual or formal clothes to a job interview?
- ______________
- ______________
9. Will you make the hotel reservation or should I do it?
- ______________
- ______________
10. Would you like a flan or ice-cream for your dessert?
- ______________
- ______________
11. Would you be interested in that apartment?
- ______________
- ______________
12. Will you do it by yourself or do you want me to do it?
- ______________
- ______________
13. Will you hire a cleaner or should I give you a hand?
- ______________
- ______________
14. Will we go to the cinema or to the theme park now?
- ______________
- ______________
15. Did sales rise or fall last quarter?
- ______________
- ______________
16. Shall we make the changes or keep everything the same?
- ______________
- ______________
17: Is the job fair on Saturday or Sunday?
- ______________
- ______________
18: Should we drive or walk to the restaurant?
 - ______________
- ______________
19. Would you be interested in working indoors or outdoors?
- ______________
- ______________
20. Are you going to go over the report today or tomorrow?
- ______________
- ______________
 UNIT 9: STATEMENTS & TAG Questions
A. INTRODUCTION

STATEMENTS TAG Questions

A statement can raise responses
from the listener. The answer will usually
begin with Yes or No. Sometimes, Yes/
No is omitted. Also, a question is the
response to it.
a. Positive/ Negative statements
Ex: She’s the greatest vocalist I’ve
known.
b. Exclamations
Ex: What a beautiful summer day!
How sweet her voice is!
Tag questions are phrases added to the
end of a statement. They match the main
verb of the sentence in number and
tense. The answer is very similar to
STATEMENTS.
a. Positive statement, negative tag?
Ex: He’s just got a promotion, hasn’t he?
b. Negative statement, positive tag?
Ex: You can’t drive a bus, can you?
He isn’t recruited, is he?

HOW TO REPLY: HOW TO REPLY:

Responses that express agreement/ disagreement:

Ex: What terrible traffic!
- Yes, I’ll take the train tomorrow.
- No, I think it’s because of the
construction site.
Ex: I can’t stand the quietness of the
country life.
- Me neither/ I can’t either.
- Well, I know what you mean.
2/ Responses that consist questions:
Ex: I need your help to revise the report.
- Didn’t someone do it already?
- Would you mind coming back an
hour later?
Ex: She is my new partner, isn’t she?
- Yes, she’s just been here for 2 days.
- Actually, she’s your new manager.
Ex: You didn’t see my wallet, did you?
- No. what I saw was a red leather
handbag.
- Sorry. I just came here 5 minutes ago.
2/ Responses that consist questions:
Ex: They will send us the samples next
week, won’t they?
- Didn’t we receive them yesterday?
- Won’t that be too late for our
production plan?

B. LISTENING TIPS FOR BOTH STATEMENTS and TAG QUESTIONS

Statements and Tag questions often look for AGREEMENT/ DISAGREEMENT from
the listeners. So the ways to reply to statements and tag questions are quite similar:
Agreement or Disagreement with Yes/ No or Questions.
- The correct answer may give additional information to the content of the question.
C. SPEAKING PRACTICE
First, listen to your teacher (one-two-three times) and repeat after her. Raise your
hands and say it again to show that you understand the questions. Then, think about 2
suitable responses to each question.

Shoulds:
- Focus on the content of the question
- Apply the answering tips and new words you just learnt
- Use good grammar
- Use a phrase or sentence in 5-10 words
- Use synonyms and antonyms
Shouldn’ts:
- Make too long answers
- Repeat a lot of words in the questions
- Repeat your friends’ answers, ideas, vocabulary.
- Speak Vietnamese while practicing.

NOTES FOR TEACHERS

- Choose any questions to start depending on the students’ ability.
- Reminds the students of the required information, the number of words in each reply.
- Try to listen and find out mistakes so as to correct as much as possible (grammar,
pronunciation, verb tense, word usage).
- Teach the students the sentence stress and intonation to make them sound better.
- Extend the Question and Response into a short conversation.

Q: Have they set those shelves up yet?

R: I don’t know. I’ll phone Mr. John to check it, Madam.
Q: Why does it take so long?
R: The weather was so bad and they had to delay their work very often.
Q: Are you sure that it will be done by the end of this week?
R: Absolutely. They will complete this project soon.

Example:
0. My toothache is becoming really painful.
- You should take some medicine, my dear.
- Why don’t you see a dentist this afternoon?

1/ Q: _____________ the event schedule to Richard, did you?

A: No, I forgot about it.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..

2/ Q: You’ve already registered for the class, _____________ ?

A: Yes, I did yesterday.
- Yes/ No …………….….
 - …………………………..
3/ Q: _____________ credit cards, do you?
A: No, we don’t.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
4/ Q: You’re going to the mailroom now, right?
A: Yes, _____________?
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
5/ Q: The performance hasn’t ended yet, _____________?
A: No, but It’ll end soon.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
6/ Q: You’re going to the _____________, aren’t you?
A: Yes, but I’ll be an hour late.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
7/ Q: You sell books on _____________, don’t you?
A: Sure. Check the engineering section to your left.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
8/ Q: I finally completed _____________.
A: Could you help me then?
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
9/ Q: The technical support staff will help you _____________.
A: Great. Do you have the extension?
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
10/ Q: The book you ordered _____________.
A: Thanks. I’ll be there on my way home.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
11/ Q: The weather is pretty nice today.
A: Yes, it’s warm _____________.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
12/ Q: I heard the entire staff is getting a raise.
A: _____________ because sales have been quite poor recently.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
13/ Q: I think _____________ with us today.
A: Yeah, it seems like it will rain when we come back.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
14/ Q: _____________ to complete this assignment.
A: Okay. Let’s ask for an extension.
- Yes/ No …………….….
 - …………………………..
15/ Q: _____________ for today’s soccer game result.
A: Jason should know it.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
16/ Q: _____________ is outstanding.
A: Thank you for the comment.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
17/ Q: Don’t forget to turn in _____________.
A: Thank for reminding me.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
18/ Q: Please present any type of identification _____________.
A: Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
19/ Q: These sales data are inaccurate.
A: I’ll ask James to _____________.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..
20/ Q: I think we’ll need more brochures for the conference.
A: _____________.
- Yes/ No …………….….
- …………………………..