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When we say : we ought not to smoke in the class, ought we ?

Is this sentence correct or should it be "don't we?" instead of "ought we?" or "do we?" ? Because this is so confusing. please help!

Mustafa Ahmed
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  • "We aren't ought to smoke"? Really? Maybe better for ell.stackexchange.com – GEdgar Dec 05 '21 at 23:33
  • Edited* sorry for that. xD – Mustafa Ahmed Dec 05 '21 at 23:37
  • 'Ought we' is fine, if a bit unusual. Most people would likely prefer to say "We shouldn't smoke... (..., should we?)" – Dan Dec 05 '21 at 23:42
  • One ought not to* smoke* sounds almost as strange with that extra to in there after the modal as One should not to* smoke* would sound. You really oughtn’t smoke no matter its tag-question. :) SEE ALSO 1, 2, 3, 4. – tchrist Dec 05 '21 at 23:47
  • "Ought" is an auxiliary verb in a negative clause, so the tag should contain the same verb in a positive clause: "We ought not to smoke in the class, ought we?" – BillJ Dec 06 '21 at 08:29
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    Except that that's not what native speakers say. Ought is not used in tag questions. If it's used in the main clause, its tag is should. We ought to get this one, shouldn't we? Ought not to is rare enough already; a tag structure for it is even rarer. We ought not to smoke, right? is about as far as one can go. – John Lawler Dec 06 '21 at 17:34

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