Session 36
July 25, 2026 · Intermediate
- Question tags
- describing clever people
- your success story
- idioms (walk the walk)
1 Corrections
How you said it, the natural version, and why. These are your own sentences.
How you said it
I modified my certificates.
The natural version
I had my certificates recognized (evaluated for equivalency).
"Modify" means to change something. To make a foreign qualification officially equal, you have it recognized or evaluated for equivalency.
How you said it
I need a smart secretary to lie to people.
The natural version
I need a clever secretary who can politely turn people away.
"Clever" (good with people) fits better here, and it's kinder to say politely turn people away than "lie to."
How you said it
My degree was released.
The natural version
My degree was issued.
A degree or certificate is issued, or you receive / are awarded it — not "released."
How you said it
I have been working from 10 until now, have I?
The natural version
I have been working from 10 until now, haven't I?
A positive statement takes a negative tag (and a negative statement takes a positive one). "I have…" → haven't I?
1b Already right
These needed no correction at all.
Your friend likes coffee, doesn't he?
Correct! "Likes" has no helping verb, so the tag borrows does → doesn't he?
You are a doctor, aren't you?
Correct! Positive statement → negative tag, matching are.
2 Grammar tips
have something done (causative)
Use have + object + past participle for a service done for you.
I had my degree recognized.
"I am" → "aren't I?"
The one exception: the tag for I am is aren't I?
I'm right, aren't I?
Question tags: match the verb
Use the same helping verb in the tag. If there's no helping verb, use do / does / did.
He likes coffee, doesn't he? / They came, didn't they?
encourage / discourage
Opposites: encourage = give confidence; discourage = take it away.
My family encouraged me; the failure didn't discourage me.
Present-perfect tags
With have / has in the sentence, the tag uses have / has too.
I have been working since 10, haven't I?
Question tags: flip the sign
A positive sentence takes a negative tag; a negative sentence takes a positive tag.
You are a doctor, aren't you? / You haven't finished, have you?
be able to (= can)
Use be able to for ability, especially where "can" is awkward (other tenses).
I'm not able to continue. / I wasn't able to come.
3 New words and phrases
4 Pronunciation
- ·discourageStress on KUR; it holds the word "courage" inside it.
- ·engineeringStress on NEER; the "g" is soft, like "j."
5 Practice sentences
01You're the manager here, aren't you?
02My secretary is very clever, and she keeps an open-door policy for the staff.
03Some patients try to be foxy and get a discount on the bill, don't they?
04I was the top of my school, and then I studied civil engineering before medicine.
05I lived in the dorm during my first semester, didn't I?
06My teachers encouraged me, and nothing could discourage me.
07A lot of people talk the talk, but very few can walk the walk.
08Honesty and hard work are the cornerstone of any successful hospital.
09After all those years, I received my degree — I made it!
10I'm not able to continue tonight; I didn't notice how late it was.
11Meeting you here is a lovely coincidence, isn't it?
12A good manager is proactive — he solves the problem before anyone asks.
6 Model sentences
Read these out loud three times.
You're a doctor, aren't you? Then you know how important trust is.
A clever secretary is proactive — she solves small problems before they reach you.
Some people will try to trick you to get a discount, so stay careful.
I was the top of my school, and I studied civil engineering before I found medicine.
My family encouraged me, and I promised myself that nothing would discourage me.
A lot of people can talk the talk, but only a few can walk the walk.
Honest, hard-working people are the cornerstone of any successful business.
The day my degree was issued, I finally felt that I had made it.
7 Mini-dialogue
- A
You were the top of your school, weren't you?
- B
Yes, I was. And I studied civil engineering first, believe it or not.
- A
Civil engineering? That's a big change. What helped you break that barrier?
- B
My family encouraged me, and I refused to let anyone discourage me.
- A
A lot of people talk the talk, don't they?
- B
They do. But few can walk the walk. Hard work is the cornerstone of everything.
- A
And when your degree was finally issued?
- B
I felt it at last — I made it.
Read A, say B's line yourself, then check.
8 Homework
- Question tags: Write 8 statements about your life and add the correct tag (positive → negative, negative → positive). Include one with "I am … aren't I?"
- Speaking: Say these words out loud three times each and record yourself — coincidence, proactive, society, engineering, cornerstone.
- Writing: Tell your success story in 6 sentences, using top of my school, civil engineering, encourage, and made it.
- Real use: This week, use walk the walk and be proactive in a real conversation.
- Vocabulary: Write the difference between clever, foxy, and proactive, with one example sentence for each.
- Tags drill: Add the right tag — "She is a nurse, ___?", "They went home, ___?", "You have a hospital, ___?"
9 Self-check
The hardest new grammar was question tags. I now remember the rule: a positive sentence takes a negative tag, and a negative sentence takes a positive tag — and "I am" becomes "aren't I?" I want to keep drilling these until they come out automatically.
I enjoyed telling my own story in English — how I was the top of my school, studied civil engineering, and finally made it. The idiom "talk the talk vs walk the walk" will stay with me.
One thing I want to check next time: the exact difference between clever, foxy, and proactive, and the right verb for getting a foreign degree officially accepted — I think it's "have it recognized," not "modify."