You think I am hungry, … ?

Analyze the question

This is a question tag. The sentence is: "You think I am hungry, __?"

The key is to find the main clause that the tag must agree with. The sentence has two parts:

• Main clause: "You think"
• Subordinate clause: "I am hungry"

Explain the concept

When a sentence has a main clause with a verb like think, believe, or suppose followed by a subordinate clause, the question tag usually refers to the main clause, especially when the subject of the main clause is "you" or "they" and the sentence is an opinion statement.

The rule for tags:

• A positive statement takes a negative tag.
• A negative statement takes a positive tag.
• The tag repeats the auxiliary of the main clause, or uses do/does/did if there is no auxiliary.

Solution

1. The main clause is "You think", which is positive.
2. The verb "think" is in the simple present with no auxiliary, so we use do.
3. A positive statement takes a negative tag, so we get "don't you?"

Full sentence: You think I am hungry, don't you?

Checking the other options

• A. am I is positive, and it would be used if it referred to "I am hungry", which is also positive. It does not suit the main clause.
• C. aren't I is the correct tag for "I am..." when it is the main clause (e.g., "I am hungry, aren't I?"). Here, however, "I am hungry" is only the subordinate clause, so the tag does not agree with it.
• D. isn't I is ungrammatical.

Answer: B. don't you

Exam tip: With sentences like "You think...", "You believe...", "You suppose...", find the main clause and build the tag from it. Do not be distracted by "I am" in the second part.