1. John has a book, doesn't he?
2. John has a book, hasn't he?
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Is #2 used in British English?
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3. I think he is serious, isn't he?
4. I know he is kind, isn't he?
5. I believe she isn't diligent, is she?
6. I think he is serious, don't I?
7. I know he is kind, don't I?
8. I believe she isn't diligent, don't I?
(What about these ones? Which ones are correct?)
Yes, 1 is American English and 2 is British English.
None of the rest are normally used in English, British or American. Here are some that would be:
He's serious, isn't he?
She's a kind person, isn't she?
They work very hard, don't they? (sub for "diligent")
The tag question is asked about the person(s) being described, not the person with the opinion.
1. John has a book, doesn't he?
To answer this question, we can use the tag question pattern. In English, we often use a negative tag question after a positive sentence. So, since the statement "John has a book" is positive, the corresponding tag question would be "doesn't he". Therefore, the correct answer is "Yes, he does."
2. John has a book, hasn't he?
This sentence is not commonly used in standard English. The use of "hasn't he" as a tag question can sound awkward or old-fashioned. Instead, it is more common to use "doesn't he" as a tag question with the verb "have" in the present simple tense. Consequently, the correct tag question for this sentence is "doesn't he". The correct answer to this question would be "Yes, he does."
Regarding the British English usage, it is important to note that both "doesn't he" and "hasn't he" are used as tag questions in British English, but "doesn't he" is more common and considered more standard.
3. I think he is serious, isn't he?
4. I know he is kind, isn't he?
5. I believe she isn't diligent, is she?
These sentences follow the same tag question pattern as in the first example. Since the main statements are positive, the corresponding tag questions should be negative. Therefore, the correct forms for these sentences are "isn't he" and "isn't she."
6. I think he is serious, don't I?
7. I know he is kind, don't I?
8. I believe she isn't diligent, don't I?
These sentences have incorrect tag questions. When the main statements are in the first-person singular (e.g., "I think," "I know," "I believe"), the correct tag question is "don't I" instead of "don't he" or "don't she."
So, to summarize, the correct forms for the sentences would be:
3. I think he is serious, isn't he?
4. I know he is kind, isn't he?
5. I believe she isn't diligent, is she?
And the incorrect forms are:
6. I think he is serious, don't I?
7. I know he is kind, don't I?
8. I believe she isn't diligent, don't I?