In grammar, a question tag is a very short clause at the end of a statement which changes the statement into a question. For example, in ‘She said half price, didn’t she?’, the words ‘didn’t she’ are a question tag.
In this section, you will learn how to form a question using a tag. Remember, the tag is always at the end of the sentence. The question in this form has two important parts: the sentence and the tag.
A question tag is special because the two parts are opposites. They are like magnets with a positive end and a negative end. If we have a positive sentence, we need a negative tag. However, if we have a negative sentence, we add a positive tag to it. Look at the examples below:
- She is your sister, isn’t she?
Positive sentence: She is your sister
Negative tag: isn’t she?
- Luke doesn’t have kids, does he?
Negative sentence: Luke doesn’t have kids
Positive tag: does he?
Positive tags
Now, let’s take a look at the rules for forming the positive tags. Remember: a negative sentence asks for a positive tag.
| Verb Tense | Negative Sentence | Positive Tag |
| To Be | He isn’t American, | is he? |
| Simple Present | Lucy doesn’t like to drive, | does she? |
| Simple Past | Kelly didn’t go to class, | did she? |
| Past Continuous | Paul wasn’t cooking dinner, | was he? |
| Present Perfect | You haven’t been to Canada, | have you? |
| Future (Will) | She will not come to the party, | will she? |
| Future (Going to) | Joanna isn’t going to the doctor tomorrow, | is she? |
| Modal Verbs | Julie can’t drive, | can she? |
Negative tags
Now, let’s take a look at the rules for forming the negative tags. Remember: a positive sentence asks for a negative tag.
| Verb Tense | Positive Sentence | Negative Tag |
| To Be | Sarah is tall, | isn’t she? |
| Simple Present | They like pizza, | don’t they? |
| Simple Past | They went to the party, | didn’t they? |
| Past Continuous | They were making pizza, | weren’t they? |
| Present Perfect | He has worked there for 5 years, | hasn’t he? |
| Future (Will) | We will go home, | won’t we? |
| Future (Going to) | They are going to Paris, | aren’t they? |
| Modal Verbs | He can speak English, | can’t he? |
COMPLETE THE SENTENCES WITH THE CORRECT TAGS:
won’t they
didn’t he
can she
don’t you
will you
shall we
isn’t she
isn’t she
did they
hasn’t she
1. Haley is a journalist,………… ?
2. They will travel next week, ……………?
3. Your aunt has lived in Canada, ……………?
4. They didn’t go to the party, ……………..?
5. Paul went to New York, ………………….?
6. You like apple pie, ………………………..?
7. Susie’s best friend is going to have a baby, ………………….?
8. Your sister can’t cook, ……………………….?
9. Let’s go home, …………………………?
10. Close the window, ……………………………?
Fill in the missing tag questions:
1. She was watching TV,……………………… ?
2. I am late,…………………… ?
3. Nobody here knows how to speak Japanese,………………….. ?
4. Come over for dinner today,………… ?
5. He hardly ever speaks,………………… ?
6. Your boyfriend is tall,……………….. ?
We use question tags every day, don’t we? Being able to use them correctly is essential for any English learner.
SEE YOU LATER!