Question tags

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A tag question is a statement followed by a mini-question. The whole sentence is a TAG

QUESTION, and the mini-question at the end is called a QUESTION TAG.

You are English, ?

We use questions tags at the end of statements to ask for confirmation or to make the

other person say something in reply and encourage conversation. Question tags are very

commonly used in English.

1) Positive and negative tags

POSITIVE STATEMENT, NEGATIVE TAG? Ex: It is hot, isn’t it?

NEGATIVE STATEMENT, POSITIVE TAG? Ex: It isn’t warm, is it?

Pay attention: never, nothing, none, neither, nobody and no one are negative

constructions.

Ex: Nobody is coming tomorrow, are they?

He never says that, does he?

A negative question tag is always contracted.

TAG QUESTION

QUESTION TAG

aren’t you

Question tags

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2) Auxiliary verb

If an auxiliary verb is used in the statement, the same auxiliary is used in the question tag

Ex:

• She is married, isn’t she?

• You can stay, can’t you?

• He might come, mightn’t he?

• I ought to go, oughtn’t I?

• We shan’t be late, shall we?

• You didn’t want it, did you?

• They haven’t paid, have they?

• You don’t like chocolate, do you?

3) No auxiliary

If there is no auxiliary in the sentence (= affirmative sentence in the present simple tense),

the correct form of do/did is introduced in the question tag.

Ex: He comes every Friday, doesn’t he?

You went to the supermarket, didn’t you?

4) Subject

After the auxiliary verb we introduce the subject, always in the form of a personal pronoun:

Ex: Mary is your friend, isn’t she?

Mary is your friend, isn’t Mary?

Question tags

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5) Imperatives

Invitation won’t Ex: Take a seat, won’t you?

Order can, can’t, would, will Ex: Help me, can’t you?

Close the door, would you?

Go away, will you?

With negative imperatives only will is possible!

6) Be careful:

Subject Subject in question tag Example

anybody/anyone they Anyone could have done it, couldn’t they?

somebody/someone they Somebody has come, haven’t they?

everybody/everyone they Everybody has understood, haven’t they?

that it/he/she That is a strange book, isn’t it?

That woman is very intelligent, isn’t she?

That man is so handsome, isn’t he?

this it/he/she This is the best film we’ve ever seen, isn’t it?

these they These are apples, aren’t they?

those they Those books aren’t boring, are they?

Question tags

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Verb Verb in question tag Example

I’m aren’t I I’m optimistic, aren’t I?

have (no

possession)

don’t You have breakfast every morning, don’t you?

used to did We used to go to bed early, didn’t we?

7) Answers in tag question Ex: The moon is bigger than the sun, isn’t it? No, it isn’t!

Chinese people don’t eat rice, do they? Yes, they do!

Zebras live in Europe, don’t they? No, they don’t!