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Question Tag

Question tags are short questions added to statements to encourage a reply or confirm something is true. Positive statements use negative tags, while negative statements use positive tags. Tags are formed using auxiliary verbs when present, or auxiliary 'do/does/did' with main verbs. Special rules apply for subjects like 'somebody' and pronouns like 'this'.

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135 views2 pages

Question Tag

Question tags are short questions added to statements to encourage a reply or confirm something is true. Positive statements use negative tags, while negative statements use positive tags. Tags are formed using auxiliary verbs when present, or auxiliary 'do/does/did' with main verbs. Special rules apply for subjects like 'somebody' and pronouns like 'this'.

Uploaded by

sangay.deki
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Question tags

Question tags are short questions at the end of statements.


They are used when we want to:
a) encourage a reply.
b) confirm whether something is true or not.
We often use question tags when we expect the listener to agree with our statement. In this case,
when the statement is positive, we use a negative question tag.

Example :
• She's a doctor, isn't she?
• Yesterday was so much fun, wasn't it?
If the statement is negative, we use a positive question tag.

Example :
• He isn't here, is he?
• The trains are never on time, are they?
• Nobody has called for me, have they?
Formation

1. If there is an auxiliary verb in the statement, we use it to form the question tag.

Example :

• I don't need to finish this today, do I?


• James is working on that, isn't he?
• Your parents have retired, haven't they?
• The phone didn't ring, did it?
• It was raining that day, wasn't it?
• Your mum hadn't met him before, had she?

2. In some sentences there is no auxiliary verb in the statement. For example :

a. When the verb in the statement is present simple or past simple and is positive, we use
don't, doesn't or didn’t:

Example:

• Jenni eats cheese, doesn't she?


• I said that already, didn't I?

b. When the verb in the statement is to be in the present simple or past simple, in this case
we use to be verbs to make the question tag:

Example:

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• The bus stop's over there, isn't it?
• None of those customers were happy, were they?

c. When the verb in the statement is a modal verb, we use the modal verb to make the
question tag:

Example:

• They could hear me, couldn't they?


• You won't tell anyone, will you?

3. If the main verb or auxiliary verb in the statement is am, the positive question tag is am I? but
the negative question tag is usually aren't I?:

Example:

• I'm never on time, am I?


• I'm going to get an email with the details, aren't I?
4. Imperative sentences take the question tags, “Will you? Or Won’t you?”

Example:
• Please lend me your book, will you?
• Come here, won’t you?

NOTE : Will you (Request) Won’t you (Order)

5. Suggestions beginning with “Let’s” take “Shall we?” as the question tag.

Example: Let’s play, shall we?

6. Somebody, someone, everybody and everyone are often followed by the tag with the pro-
noun “they”

Example: Somebody borrowed my pen, didn’t they?

7. If the subject is “this” or “that” in the statement “it” is used as the pronoun in the tag.

Example :
• This is true, isn’t it?
• That was right, wasn’t it?

8. Question tag for “used to” is didn’t.

Example : I used to sing, didn’t I?

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