Question tags
are the short questions that we put on the end of sentences – particularly in
spoken English. There are lots of different question tags but the rules are not
difficult to learn.
Positive/negative
If the main part of the sentence is positive, the question tag is negative:
· He’s a doctor, isn’t he? · You work in a bank, don’t you?
and if the
main part of the sentence is negative, the question tag is positive:
· You haven’t met him, have you? · She isn’t coming, is she?
· You haven’t met him, have you? · She isn’t coming, is she?
With auxiliary verbs
The question tag uses the same verb as the main part of the sentence. If this is an auxiliary verb (‘have’, ‘be’) then the question tag is made with the auxiliary verb.
The question tag uses the same verb as the main part of the sentence. If this is an auxiliary verb (‘have’, ‘be’) then the question tag is made with the auxiliary verb.
· They’ve gone
away for a few days, haven’t they? · They weren’t
here, were they?
· He had met him
before, hadn’t he? ·This isn’t
working, is it?
Without auxiliary verbs
If the main part of the sentence doesn’t have an auxiliary verb, the question tag uses an appropriate form of ‘do’.
If the main part of the sentence doesn’t have an auxiliary verb, the question tag uses an appropriate form of ‘do’.
· I said that,
didn’t I? · You don’t
recognise me, do you? · She eats meat,
doesn’t she?
With modal verbs
If there is a modal verb in the main part of the sentence the question tag uses the same modal verb.
· They couldn’t hear me, could they? ·You won’t tell anyone, will you?
If there is a modal verb in the main part of the sentence the question tag uses the same modal verb.
· They couldn’t hear me, could they? ·You won’t tell anyone, will you?
With ‘I am’
Be careful with question tags with sentences that start ‘I am’. The question tag for ‘I am’ is ‘aren’t I?’: I’m the fastest, aren’t I?
Be careful with question tags with sentences that start ‘I am’. The question tag for ‘I am’ is ‘aren’t I?’: I’m the fastest, aren’t I?
Try these exercises to test your comprehension:
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