Choose the correct option and rewrite the sentence according to the instruction given after each.
She said she would not be available. (Add a question tag)
Topic: Question tags
Try it
Pick an option and check your answer. The full worked answer is below either way.
Answer
(c) She said she would not be available, didn’t she?.
A question tag is built from the verb of the MAIN clause, not the subordinate one. The main clause here is "She SAID" — positive and in the simple past — so the tag must be negative and use DID: "didn’t she?"
The two rules:
- positive statement takes a NEGATIVE tag, and negative statement takes a POSITIVE tag.
- the tag repeats the auxiliary of the MAIN verb, with the subject as a pronoun.
Option (d) is the trap and the one most candidates choose: it takes "would" from the subordinate clause "she would not be available". The subordinate clause is irrelevant — cover it with your finger and the answer becomes obvious. Option (b) uses a positive tag after a positive statement.
She said she would not be available, didn’t she?.