Ali writes a letter in English ,.....................?(question tag)

[abo.omar]

Ali writes a letterin English ,.....................?
1-does he
2-doesn't he
3-she does
I know the answer is (2). It is too easy and clear.
But I think it is better to say letters or the letters and not a letterto express the present simple in a right way.
What do you think?

 

[GoesStation]

What's the source? A native speaker would use the present continuous, not the present simple. Either "a letter" or "letters" is possible, assuming the intended meaning is "written correspondence".

[EDIT] Ah, I see what you were getting at. If we're talking about a habitual action, "writes letters in English" would be correct.

 

[abo.omar]

The source is a non-native examiner .
so ,we can not use such a sentence, Ali writes a letter in English , -doesn't he?

 

[emsr2d2]

The source is a non-native examiner.
So, we cannot use [STRIKE]such a[/STRIKE] the sentence (no comma here) "Ali writes a letter in English, (no dash here) doesn't he?"

Please note my corrections above. Don't put a space before a comma or a full stop. Always put a space after a comma or a full stop.

Your assertion that we cannot use that sentence is wrong. We can use that sentence in the right context. For example:

Tom: Ali does something every Monday. Do you know what it is?
Helen: He writes a letter in English, doesn't he?
Tom: Yes, you're right. That's what he does every Monday.

As explained earlier in the thread and by my example above, it would refer to a habitual action.

 

[abo.omar]

Please note my corrections above. Don't put a space before a comma or a full stop. Always put a space after a comma or a full stop.

Your assertion that we cannot use that sentence is wrong. We can use that sentence in the right context. For example:

Tom: Ali does something every Monday. Do you know what it is?
Helen: He writes a letter in English, doesn't he?
Tom: Yes, you're right. That's what he does every Monday.

As explained earlier in the thread and by my example above, it would refer to a habitual action.

It is a multiple choice sentence in an exam without such context.So it is wrong to use it in the provided form or question.
That is what I wanted to be sure of.

 

[emsr2d2]

It's not a great exam question but, nonetheless, "doesn't he?" is the only choice that makes a common grammatical sentence. It should be noted that "does he?" would be possible in a sarcastic response.