Comprehensive Lessons on Question Tags

 

Introduction

Tag questions (also known as question tags) turn statements into questions by adding a short question at the end. This article will define tag questions, and explore their forms and uses. Illustrative examples will be also provided.

Let’s start with understanding what tag questions are.

What Are Tag Questions?

A tag question (or question tag) is a grammatical structure that turns a statement or an imperative into a question by adding a short question at the end. It usually consists of an auxiliary verb or a modal verb and a pronoun that agrees with the subject of the sentence. The purpose of a question tag can be to confirm or clarify information or seek agreement from the listener.

Examples:

§  The movie was fantastic, wasn’t it?

§  Statement: The movie was fantastic.

§  Tag Question: wasn’t it?

§  You aren’t going to sleep late, are you?

§  Statement: You aren’t going to sleep late.

§  Tag Question: are you?

§  It is a gloomy house, isn’t it?

§  Statement: It is a gloomy house.

§  Tag Question: isn’t it?

§  You can’t do it, can you?

§  Statement: You can’t do it.

§  Tag Question: can you?

Close the door, will you?

§  Imperative: Close the door.

§  Tag Question: will you?

Why Are Tag Questions Used?

The purpose of tag questions can be to confirm or clarify information or seek agreement from the listener.

§  If we are sure or almost sure that the listener will confirm that our statement is correct, we say the question tag with a falling intonation.

§  If we are a bit less sure, we say the question tag with a rising intonation.

Here are some of the uses of question tags:

Used To Confirm Or Clarify Information:

§  “You’ve seen that movie, haven’t you?” (Asking for confirmation that the listener has seen the movie)

§  “The meeting is at 2 pm, isn’t it?” (Seeking confirmation of the time of the meeting)

Used To Seek Agreement:

§  “The weather is beautiful today, isn’t it?” (Seeking an agreement that the weather is indeed beautiful)

§  “We should go out for dinner tonight, shouldn’t we?” (Seeking agreement that going out for dinner is a good idea)

Used To Express Emotions Or Attitudes:

§  “You’re not going to wear that dress, are you?” (Expressing disapproval of the dress)

§  “You’re going to have a great time, aren’t you?” (Expressing enthusiasm for the listener”s plans)

Used To Soften A Request:

§  “You could help me with the dishes, couldn’t you?” (Softening a request for help with the dishes)

§  “You wouldn’t mind passing me the salt, would you?” (Softening a request for the listener to pass the salt)

Used In Leading Questions, Particularly In Legal Settings

§  Lawyer: “You were at the scene of the crime on the night of the incident, weren’t you?”

How Are Question Tags Formed?

Tag questions are formed by adding a short interrogative fragment to the end of a declarative statement or imperative. The form of the tag depends on the type of statement, including the choice of auxiliary verb and negation.

For example, you can turn “he writes beautiful poems“, into a tag question by adding “doesn’t he” at the end of the statement: “he writes beautiful poems, doesn’t he?“

 Question Tag Rule:

Question tags follow these patterns:

§  Positive statement + negative tag.

§  Negative statement + positive tag.

In a positive statement, a negative tag is used. However, in a negative statement, a positive tag is used.

Here are two examples for illustration:

Statement Type	Tag Type	Example
Positive	Negative	“You’re coming, aren’t you?”
Negative	Positive	“You aren’t coming, are you?”

Tag questions vary according to different factors such as the choice of auxiliary, type of sentence, and negation. The following table outlines the main rules for forming tag questions:

Rule	Example
Rule #1 – Use a negative tag if the statement is positive. – Use a positive tag if the statement is negative.	– She likes ice cream, doesn’t she? – She doesn’t like ice cream, does she?
Rule #2 – A personal pronoun (e.g., he, she, it, they, we, etc.) is used in the tag question. It refers to the subject of the sentence	– The house you bought was built in 2003, wasn’t it?”
Rule #3. – If an auxiliary or modal verb (e.g., is, are, was, were, have, has, can, should, etc.) is present in the statement, it is used in the tag question, and the main verb is not mentioned	– We have got a beautiful garden, haven’t we? – We can’t finish on time, can we? – They should keep quiet, shouldn’t they?
Rule #4 – If no auxiliary verb is present, “do” or “did” are used in the tag question with the same tense as the statement	– Jane likes to do a lot of sports, doesn’t she? – She joined a sports club, didn’t she? – They show up often, don’t they?
Rule #5 – If the sentence is imperative, “will”, “would”, “can”, or “could” are usually used	– Don’t be late, will you? – Show some respect, would you? – Be kind, can you? – Do your homework, could you?
Rule #6 – If the sentence expresses a suggestion or request, “shall”, “will”, or “could” are used in the question tag	– Let’s go shopping, shall we?” – Please, lend me $5, will you?
Rule #7 – When “there is, there are, there were, it is, etc.” are used to show that something exists, “there” or “it” are used in the question tag too	– There weren’t a lot of things left at the sale, were there? – It is hot, isn’t it?

Forms of Tag Questions

Question Tags with Affirmative Statements

When the statement is affirmative (positive), the question tag should be negative. For, example, “he writes beautiful poems, doesn’t he?“

Affirmative statement	Negative tag
He is excellent at languages,	isn’t he?
You were late,	weren’t you?
They are working on a new project,	aren’t they?
She writes good poems,	doesn’t she?
We have worked hard to earn this money,	haven’t we?
He called her,	didn’t he?
You should see a doctor,	shouldn’t you?
He can drive,	can’t he?
You will help us,	won’t you?

 

Question Tags with Negative Statements

When the statement is negative, the question tag should be affirmative (positive.) For, example, “he doesn’t write beautiful poems, does he?“

Negative statement	Affirmative tag
He isn’t an athlete,	is he?
They weren’t early,	were they?
You aren’t writing a new book,	are you?
She doesn’t work in a hospital,	does she?
He hasn’t found the solution,	has he?
You didn’t visit the museum,	did you?
We shouldn’t sleep late,	should we?
You won’t tell her,	will you?

Question Tags with Imperatives

When we add a question tag after an imperative clause, it can help to soften the tone of the imperative sentence. The most common tag verb with imperative sentences is “will.”

Here are some examples:

§  “Keep quiet, will you?”

§  “Drive safely, will you?”

§  “Don’t get mad at me, will you? “

Note: there are instances where we can also use “would,” “could,” “can,” or “won”t.” This depends mainly on the intended meaning and the context.

§  “Please pass the salt, would you?”

§  “Take a seat, won’t you? We’ll be with you shortly.”

§  “Show me your passport, can you?”

It’s important to remember that the choice of tag verb depends on the tone, formality, and regional variations of the language.

Examples of Question Tags

Here is a list of question tags with all the tenses:

Tense	Question Tag
Present Simple	You like pizza, don’t you?
	You don’t like pizza, do you?
Present Continuous	He is studying for the test, isn't he?
	He isn’t studying for the test, is he?
Present Perfect	She has finished the project, hasn’t she?
	She hasn’t finished the project, has she?
Past Simple	They went to the beach yesterday, didn’t they?
	They didn’t go to the beach yesterday, did they?
Past Continuous	She was studying for the test, wasn’t she?
	She wasn’t studying for the test, was she?
Past Perfect	They had finished the project before the deadline, hadn’t they?
	They hadn’t finished the project before the deadline, had they?
Future Simple	You will come to the party, won’t you?
	You won’t come to the party, will you?
Modals	He should study for the test, shouldn’t he?

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to the general rules of forming question tags. These include:

 

§  The first person singular of the verb to be “I am” – “I am exhausted, aren’t I?“

§  Imperatives require the question tag “will, would, can, or could” – “Do your homework, will you?“

§  We use “shall”, “will”, or “could” with expressions in which we make a suggestion – “Let’s visit Grandpa, shall we?“,

§  This / that is – “This is Jane’s car, isn’t it?“

How Do You Punctuate Question Tags?

A question tag is punctuated with a comma before the tag. It is structured as follows:

§  A statement, question tag?

Example:

§  “You like ice cream, don’t you?”

Summary

Here is a table summarizing tag question structures with various auxiliary verbs and tenses:

Tense – Auxiliary Verb	Affirmative Sentence	Negative Sentence
Present Simple of " Be" – “be”	You are French, aren’t you?	You aren’t French, are you?
Present Simple of Other Verbs – “do”	You like pizza, don’t you?	She’s playing tennis, isn’t she?
Present Continuous – “be”	She’s playing tennis, isn’t she?	They aren’t studying, are they?
Present Perfect – “have/has”	You’ve seen this movie, haven’t you?	They haven’t arrived yet, have they?
Simple Past – “did”	He went to the party, didn’t he?	You didn’t eat breakfast, did you?
Past Continuous – “was/were”	They were working hard, weren’t they?	She wasn’t watching TV, was she?
Modal Verbs – “can, could, will, would, may, might, should”	He can swim, can’t he?	You shouldn’t eat too much, should you?

 Conclusion

In conclusion, question tags are useful and serve to confirm information, seek agreement, and convey different attitudes and emotions. Learning how to form and use them correctly is essential for effective communication.