Form

auxiliary verb + subject

1. We use the same auxiliary verb in the tag as in the main sentence. If there is no
auxiliary verb, we use do.
o You live in Spain, don't you?
2. If the auxiliary verb in the sentence is affirmative, the tag is negative.
o You're Spanish, aren't you?
3. If the auxiliary verb in the sentence is negative, the tag is affirmative.
o You're not Spanish, are you?

Meaning
1. We use tag questions to confirm or check information or ask for agreement.
o You want to come with me, don't you?
o You can swim, can't you?
o You don't know where the boss is, do you?
o This meal is horrible, isn't it?
o That film was fantastic, wasn't it?
2. We use tag questions to check whether something is true.
o The meeting's tomorrow at 9am, isn't it?
o You won't go without me, will you?

Additional points
1. In the present tense if the subject is I, the auxiliary changes to are or aren't.
o I'm sitting next to you, aren't I?
2. With let's, the tag question is shall we.
o Let's go to the beach, shall we?
3. With an imperative, the tag question is will you.
o Close the window, will you?
4. We use an affirmative tag question after a sentence containing a negative word such as
never, hardly, nobody.
o Nobody lives in this house, do they?
o You've never liked me, have you?
5. When the subject is nothing, we use it in the tag question.
o Nothing bad happened, did it?
6. When the subject is nobody, somebody, everybody, no one, someone or everyone,
we use they in the tag.
o Nobody asked for me, did they?
7. If the main verb in the sentence is have (not an auxiliary verb), it is more common to
use do in the tag question.
o You have a Ferrari, don't you?
8. With used to, we use didn't in the tag.
o You used to work here, didn't you?
 9. We can use affirmative tag questions after affirmative sentences to express a reaction
such as surprise or interest.
o You're moving to Brazil, are you?

Pronunciation
1. If we don't know the answer, it is a real question and we use a rising intonation with
the tag question.
o You don't know where the boss is, do you? ↗
2. If we know the answer and are just confirming the information we use a falling
intonation with the tag question.
3. Question tags - English Grammar
4. Question tags - Complex Test
5. Exercises - Question tags
6. Use
7. frequently used in spoken English when you want s.o. to agree or disagree
8.

9. Form
10. positive statement ->question tag negative - You are Tom, aren't you?
negative statement->question tag positive - He isn't Joe, is he?
11.

12. Examples
13. with auxiliaries
You've got a car, haven't you?
14. without auxiliaries (use: don't, doesn't, didn't)
They play football on Sundays, don't they?
She plays football on Sundays, doesn't she?
They played football on Sundays, didn't they?
15. Questions tags are used to keep a conversation going. You can agree or refuse to a
sentence with a question tag.

You go to school, don't you?

You agree. You refuse.
Yes, I do. No, I don't.
16.
You aren't from Germany, are you?
You agree. You refuse.
No, I'm not. Yes, I am.
17.
18.

19. Questions tags - Special

20. Although the negative word not is not in the sentence, the sentence can be negative. Then
we use the "positive" question tag.

He never goes out with his dog, does he?

21. have is a main verb in the sentence -> two possibilities (when referring to states)
We have a car, _____?
We have a car, haven't we? We have a car, don't we?
mostly British English mostly American English

22. We use will/would with the imperative (Simple Present).

Open the window, will you?

Don't open your books, will you?
Open the window, would you?

23. We use won't with a polite request.

Open the window, won't you?

24. We use shall after Let's.

Let's take the next bus, shall we?

25. Auxiliary must

We must be at home at 8 pm, mustn't we?

Yes, we must. No, we needn't.
26.
27.

28. Procedure adding a question tag

Look at the sentence.

1 Is an auxiliary or a form of to be in the sentence?
  yes no
affirmative sentence
auxiliary or form of to be affirmative
-> Negate sentence (e.g. don't; doesn't;
-> negate auxiliary (add n't)
didn't)
 
auxiliary or form of to be negative
negative sentence
-> (delete n't)
-> (delete n't)
2 Is a personal pronoun the subject of the sentence?
  yes no
  Use the personal pronoun. Form the personal pronoun.
3 Complete the sentence.

29.  

Example 1: He can play football, ________.

1 Is an auxiliary or a form of to be in the sentence?
  yes -> can  
  auxiliary or form of to be affirmative  
-> negate auxiliary (add n't)
 can't
2 Is a personal pronoun the subject of the sentence?
  yes  
  Use the personal pronoun.  
3 He can play football, can't he?

30.  

Example 2: Peter can play football, ________.

1 Is an auxiliary or a form of to be in the sentence?
  yes -> can  
auxiliary or form of to be affirmative
-> negate auxiliary (add n't)
   
can't
2 Is a personal pronoun the subject of the sentence?
    no
Form the personal pronoun.
   
Peter -> he
3 Peter can play football, can't he?

31.  

Example 3: Peter plays football, ________.

1 Is an auxiliary or a form of to be in the sentence?
    no
affirmative sentence
-> Negate the verb.
   
verb plays -> Negation: doesn't play

We only use the auxiliary doesn't.

2 Is a personal pronoun the subject of the sentence?
    no
Form the personal pronoun.
   
Peter -> he
3 Peter plays football, doesn't he?

o That film was fantastic, wasn't it? ↘

A tag question is a question we can add to the end of a

statement.

The basic rules for forming the two-word tag questions are
as follows:
* the subject in the statement matches the subject in the
tag
* the auxiliary verb or verb to be in the statement
matches the verb used in the tag
* if the statement is positive, the tag is usually negative
and vice versa

Compare the following:

 You've posted my letters, haven't you?

 You won't forget to check my emails, will you?

 You're sad that I'm going, aren't you?

 You aren't going to cry when I leave, are you?

When present and past simple tenses appear in positive

statements, normally no auxiliary verb is used, but we use
the auxiliaries does, do or did in the tag. In negative
statements in the present or past simple, the auxiliaries
doesn't, don't or didn't are, of course, already present.
Compare the following:

 You play tennis on Thursdays usually, don't you?

 And Jack plays with you, doesn't he?

 You didn't play last Thursday, did you?

When we use the there is structure, there is reflected in

the tag:

 There's nothing wrong, is there?

 There weren't any problems when you talked to

Jack, were there?

Something / nobody /etc

When no one, somebody, something, etc is the

subject in the statement, we use it in the tag to refer to
something or nothing and they in the tag to refer to
e.g. someone or nobody:

   Something happened at Jack's house, didn't

it?

 No one phoned, did they?

 Somebody wanted to borrow Jack's bike, didn't

they? Who was it?
 When to use tag questions

We use tag questions, Ahmad, to check

information or to ask for agreement. If we use a
rising intonation in the tag, we do not know or
are not quite sure of the answer. If we use a
falling intonation in the tag, we are seeking the
agreement of the person we are talking to.

We can reply to tag questions either with simple

yes/no answers (negative tags normally expect a
yes answer and positive tags normally expect a no
answer) or by using yes/no + auxiliary verb.

In these examples, use a rising intonation in the

tag. It is a genuine question. You are not sure
what the answer will be.

 You haven't seen my tennis shoes, have

     you? ~ No, I'm sorry. I haven't.  

 I couldn't borrow yours by any chance,

could I? ~ No. They wouldn't fit you.

In these examples, use a falling intonation in the

tag. You are simply seeking agreement.

 It's been a lovely day today, hasn't it? ~

Yes, it has. Gorgeous.

 It was a lovely wedding, wasn't it? ~

Wonderful!

 I thought Sue looking stunning in her

wedding dress, didn't she? ~ Yes, she did.
Absolutely stunning.

 It's a shame the day is over, isn't it? ~

Yes, it is.

     tag questions - special features  

positive statement - positive tag

We sometimes use a positive tag with a positive

statement when we want to express surprise or
particular interest:

 I shall be staying at my favourite hotel -

the five-star hotel in Windsor. ~ Oh, you've
stayed there before, have you?

 And I'm having supper there with the

Australian tennis ace, Lleyton Hewitt. ~ Oh,
so you know Lleyton Hewitt, do you?
 imperative sentences and let's

After imperatives, we sometimes add will you?

or won't you? when we want people to follow our
advice:

 Don't stay there long, will you?

 And do take care, won't you?

After let's we sometimes add shall we? when we

are making a suggestion:

 Let's have buttered scones with strawberry

jam for tea, shall we?

Omission of pronoun subject and auxiliary

verb

In very informal speech, we sometimes leave out

pronoun subjects, auxiliary verbs and verb to be in
the statement. Compare the following:

    
 Awful weather, isn't it? (= It's awful
weather, isn't it?)

 Keeping well, are you? (=You're keeping

well, are you?)

 Nobody at home, is there? (=There's

nobody at home, is there?)

Tag Questions

Introduction

A tag question is a small question that is attached , or "tagged", to the end of a

sentence. Rather than repeat the main verb, a form of "be" or other auxiliary verb or
modal is used in the tag. Below are a few examples.

You came by train, didn’t you?

It’s very windy today, isn’t it?
You can meet me at the station, can’t you?
You couldn’t give me a ride, could you?

Sentence Pattern
If the sentence is negative, the tag is usually positive, as in the example below.

You didn’t tell him, did you?

Note: Sentences with negative words are considered to be negative. Therefore, they
require positive tag question endings, as in these examples:

He never drinks alcohol, does he?

Nobody left a message, did they?

If the sentence is positive, the tag is usually negative, as in the next example.

You told him, didn’t you?

Twelve Rules for Tag Questions

Rule Example

1. After “let’s”, the tag begins with Let’s invite the neighbours over
“shall”. for dinner on the weekend, shall
we?

2. Use “aren’t I” in tags to mean “I am I’m on time, aren’t I? (correct)

not”. I’m on time, am’t I? (incorrect)

3. Use “won’t” for polite request tags. You’ll bring the other things,
won’t you?

4. Use “will” or “would” with imperative Wait here until I return, will you?
sentences (commands). Wait here until I return, would
you?

5. Use “mustn’t” with the modal “must”. This must be the address, mustn’t
it?

6. Two endings are possible when “have” You have enough money, haven’t
is the main verb of the sentence. you? (British English)
You have enough money, don’t
you? (North American English)

7. Use pronouns for people, not proper Paul is a good tennis player, isn’t
names, in question tags. he?
Betty has a good job, hasn’t she? 
 Rule Example

8. Use “it” in a question tag when the

sentence includes the words “this” or This is your pen, isn’t it?
“that”.

9. Use “they” in a question tag when the Those are your sandals, aren’t
sentence includes “these” or “those”. they?

10. Use “there” in a question tag when

There is a lot of work to do today,
the sentences includes “there + a form of
isn’t there?
be”.

11. Use “they” in a question tag when the

sentence includes indefinite pronouns Everyone is here now, aren’t they?
(nobody, no one, someone, somebody, Nobody has eaten yet, have they?
everyone, everybody).

12. Use “didn’t” in a question tag when You used to go skating very often,
the sentence includes the verb “used to”. didn’t you?”

Using Tag Questions

Tag questions are used to ask for agreement or to ask for things, favours, or new
information. To determine which, listen to the speaker's tone. A rising tone at the
end of a tag question indicates that it is a real question. The speaker wants to know
something or wants someone to do something. Falling tone however, means that
the speaker is looking for agreement.

Rising tone -
You couldn't lend me some money, could you?
asking for a favour

Rising tone –
You don't happen to know if the No. 50 bus has already
asking for
passed here, do you?
information

Falling tone -
The boss wasn't in a good mood today, was he?
asking for
That dress looks great on her, doesn't it?
agreement
Note: We usually use a negative sentence with a positive tag to request things or
information, as in the preceding examples.

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the
exercises.

Tag-questions or Question Tags

Introduction

A “Tag-question or Question Tag” is rather like a ‘reply question’ we add to our Statement or Imperative
sentence, like a price tag tied to an item for sale. It is made up of an Auxiliary (helping verb) + a Personal
Pronoun in Nominative Case.

It is used at the end of the main part of a Statement or Imperative Sentence to ask for confirmation or something
we are not certain about, or just to ask for agreement.

A ‘Tag-question’ means something like “Is this true?” or “Do you ( Don’t you) agree?”

e.g.

You are the new watchman, aren’t you?

(‘You are the new watchman’ — main part of the sentence — ‘are’ – verb; ‘aren’t you’ — tag-question —  ‘aren’t’ –
verb)

Some grammarians prescribe that the sentence, starting from the first ‘You’ to the question mark (?) at the end is
the “Question Tag” and the question part at the end ‘aren’t you?’ is the “Tag-question”.  But some others use
either name for the end part “aren’t you?”.

Whatever be the name, the rules and the examples are the same.

So learners are not to be worried about the name given to this type of sentence.  You get the same rules either
way.  The main point is to understand, learn and use this structure correctly!

For power presentation slides, please, click here on tag.questions. For continuity, please keep clicking after each
feature in each slide.]

1. A ‘Tag-question’ is not used with an Interrogative Sentence which is already a question.

e.g.

Are you the new clerk?  — Interrogative Sentence (a question by itself)

Are you the new clerk, aren’t you? — [wrong]

You are the new clerk, aren’t you? — [correct]     (a statement sentence)
2. The ‘Tag’ is made on the Main Verb of the main part of the Statement or Imperative Sentence. when the main
verb is in the positive, the tag verb is in the negative; when the main verb is in the negative, the tag verb is in
the positive.

e.g.

You like fish, don’t you?

(‘like’ – verb in the main part – positive; ‘don’t’ – negative in the tag part)

You do not like fish, do you?

(‘do not like’ — verb in the main part – negative; ‘do’ – positive in the tag part)

3. The negative verb form in the ‘tag’ is, in almost all the cases, used in its contracted form:   is = is not = isn’t;
do = do not = don’t;    has = has not = hasn’t;

may = may not = mayn’t …

is not = isn’t

*am not = aren’t

are not = aren’t

will not = won’t

was not = wasn’t

shall not = shan’t

were not = weren’t

do not = don’t

cannot = can’t

did not = didn’t

must not = mustn’t

has not =  hasn’t

could not = couldn’t

have  not =  haven’t

would not = wouldn’t

Remember that though ANOMALOUS take the negative directly, Non-anomalous Verbs do not take the negative
directly but take the help of ‘do/does’ in Simple Present Tense and ‘did’ in Simple Past Tense to form negative.

Do not use “isn’t it?” for every tag! The verb in the ‘tag’ is made on the verb in the main part!!

e.g.

You like fish, don’t you?

She likes fish, doesn’t she?

You liked fish, didn’t you?

She liked fish, didn’t she?

The verb words ‘don’t’, ‘doesn’t’ and ‘didn’t’ are the auxiliary (helping) verbs, helping the non-anomalous verbs
‘like’, ‘likes’ and ‘liked’ to form negative.

*The contracted form of ‘am not’ is controversial.  Different grammarians have different opinions.  Some say “ain’t
I” is acceptable; a few say that there is nothing wrong in using “amn’t I” but most agree on the use of “aren’t I”
being the best alternative.   We, at this basic level, do take the most standard one, and so, in this course material,
we take “aren’t I” to be the contracted form of ‘am not I’ for granted.

4. Though the main part of a sentence has a common or proper noun as its subject,  the ‘tag’ takes only the
corresponding Personal Pronoun of that noun. When a Personal Pronoun is the subject, however, the same
Pronoun is used as it is.

e.g.

Ahmed is the best boxer in town, isn’t he?

(‘Ahmed’ –  3rd person — singular – male – PROPER NOUN

‘he’ – 3rd person – singular — male – personal pronoun)

Mary does not cook at home, does she?

(‘Mary’ – 3rd person – singular – female – PROPER NOUN

‘she’ – 3rd person – singular — female – personal pronoun)

The children cried for toys, didn’t they?

(‘The children’ – 3rd person – plural – common gender – COMMON NOUN

‘they’ –  3rd person – plural — common gender – personal pronoun)

Your dog bites its own tail, doesn’t it?

(‘Your dog’ – 3rd person – singular – (neuter) common gender – COMMON NOUN
‘it’ – 3rd person – singular – (neuter) common gender – personal pronoun)

You have all passed the test, haven’t you?

(‘You’ – 2nd person – plural (all) – common gender – PERSONAL PRONOUN

‘you’ –  2nd person –  plural — common gender – personal pronoun)

Exceptions:

5. With the Imperative Mood Sentences, however, the ‘tag’ is not made on the main verb of the main part, but the
standard ‘tag’ “will you?” is used.

e.g.

Leave me alone, will you? [IMPERATIVE SENTENCE]

Close the door, will you?

6. The verb word “let’s” (= let us — some suggestion) takes ‘shall + we?’ in the ‘tag’.

e.g.

Let’s go out for a drink, shall we?

7. The statement sentences with words such as neither, no, none, no one, no body, nothing, scarcely, barely,
hardly, hardly ever, seldom, etc. which are, strictly speaking, treated as negative, are followed by an ordinary
positive ‘tag’.

e.g.

No salt is allowed, is it?

Nothing was lost, was it?

Lee hardly worked, did he?

Sarah seldom visits us, does she?

8. When the subject of the main part of the sentence is anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, none, neither,
everyone, somebody, someone, everybody, etc., we use the Personal Pronoun “they” as the subject of the
‘tag’ part.

e.g.

Neither of them explained, did they?

I don’t suppose anyone will help us, will they?

Everybody has left, haven’t they?

[‘everybody’ – singular + ‘has’ singular; ‘they’ – plural + ‘have’ plural]

{Note: With No one, none or neither, nobody and nothing, the verb in the tag part does not take a ‘negative’
because the negative is already present in the main part with the subject — ‘no one’ or ‘nobody’ = not a/any
person; ‘neither’ = not this one or not that one; ‘nothing’ = not a thing, etc:

e.g.

Nobody visited you, did they?

‘visited’ = a positive verb but ‘did’ also a positive verb, because the subject is ‘nobody’ which shows negative!}

9. The apostrophe and ‘s’ (’s) with the Nouns and Personal Pronouns (other than the function of showing the
possession) in the Subject of the main part, used before a verb word, can be “is or has”; and (’d) can be “had or
would”.

(“Abe’s car was stolen.”  Here the “apostrophe and s” show possession.  The next word after Abe’s is ‘car’ which
is a noun. This sentence gives us the meaning: ‘The car of Abe was stolen.’) But the question here is not with
nouns that follow the nouns or pronouns in the subject part of a sentence, but with the verb words used as parts
of a verb.

e.g.

She’s going.

He’s done it.

I’d like to have some coffee.

She’d have gone there…

We are bound to make mistakes in identifying the  ’s or ’d — whether it is “has or is” or “had or would”.

The difficulty of identifying the form becomes simple when we follow the explanation: if the other part of the Verb
is in ‘past participle’ V3 form, the apostrophe and s mean “has” but if the other part is in ‘present participle (ing)’ 
form, they mean “is”.  And the same is the case with ’d, too. If the other part of  the verb is in past participle V3
form, they mean “had”, and if the other part is in  bare-infinitive form, they mean “would”.

e.g.

Sam’s gone mad, hasn’t he?

(‘gone’ is the past participle V3 form of the verb word ‘go’, and so the apostrophe and s mean “has”)

Sam’s going home, isn’t he?

(‘going’ is the present participle (ing) form of the verb word ‘go’, and so the apostrophe and s mean “is”)

He’d written the report before you called him, hadn’t he?
(‘written’ is the past participle V3 form of the verb word ‘write’, and so the apostrophe and d mean “had”)

He’d like to have some rest, wouldn’t he?

(‘like’ is the bare-infinitive form of the verb word ‘like’, and so the apostrophe and d mean “would”)

10. Negative interrogative without contraction is sometimes possible in ‘Tag’, but the word order is different.  This
type of construction is used to show disbelief or doubt or even to give more force to the expression.

e.g.

You saw him stealing the purse, did you not?

*11. ‘Will you’, ‘won’t you’, would you’, ‘can you’, ‘can’t you’ and ‘could you’ are used in ‘tag-questions’ after
imperative mood sentences [refer to item 5].

They are actually not questions: they mean something like “please”!

[‘Won’t’ is used to invite somebody; ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘can’ and ‘can’t’ are used to tell people to do things.]

e.g.

Do sit down, won’t you? [inviting somebody politely]

Give me a hand, will you? [asking somebody to help]

Open the door, would you?

[asking somebody to open the door politely]

Shut up, can’t you? [ordering somebody to keep quiet]

**12. After a negative imperative verb word in the main part of the sentence,

only ‘will you’ is used in the ‘tag’.

e.g.

Don’t wake me up early in the morning, will you?

***13.  In this type of construction, we use positive verb in the ‘tag’ even if the

verb in the main part of the sentence is positive.  When use this positive verb in the ‘tag’, we almost mean ‘really’
or ‘indeed!’.

e.g.

You saw him going, did you? [= Oh, so you saw him going]

You’ve found a job, have you? [= Ah, finally you got a job!]