• Question tags are short questions at the
end of statements.
• They are mainly used in speech when we
want to:
• confirm that something is true or not, or
• to encourage a reply from the person we
are speaking to.
• A positive statement is followed by
a negative question tag.
• Jack is from Spain, isn't he?
• Mary can speak English, can't she?
• A negative statement is followed by
a positive question tag.
• They aren't funny, are they?
• He shouldn't say things like that, should he?
• Question tags are formed with the auxiliary
or modal verb from the statement and the
appropriate subject.
• They have 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?
• They couldn’t hear me, could they?
• Children can sing, can’t they?
• Teachers would teach, wouldn’t they?
Without Auxiliary and Modal Verbs
• When the verb in the main sentence is in the
present simple we form the question tag with
do / does.
• You play the guitar, don't you?
• Dechen likes tennis, doesn't she?
• If the verb is in the past simple we use did.
• They went to the cinema, didn't they?
• She studied in New Zealand, didn't she?
• When the statement contains a word with
a negative meaning, the question tag needs to
be positive.
• These words have negative sense.
• never
• seldom
• Hardly
• Rarely
• He hardly ever speaks, does he?
• They rarely eat in restaurants, do they?
• She never comes late, does she?
• We seldom see our parents, do we?
• You hardly knew your teacher, did you?
Exceptions
• Some verbs / expressions have different
question tags. For example:
• I am........., aren’t I?
• I am attractive, aren't I?
• I’m the fastest, aren’t I?
• I am late, aren’t I?
• Let's............, shall we?
• Let's go to the beach, shall we?
• Let's dance, shall we?
• You won’t tell anyone, will you?
• He will go to the market, won’t he?
• After the imperative "do" or "don't do", we use
the tag "will you/would you" or "won't you".
• Positive imperative -
• Stop daydreaming, will / won't you?
• Negative imperative -
• Don't stop singing, will you?
• Open the window, will you?
• Don't be noisy, will you?
• Get the phone for me, won't you?
• If the subject of the main sentence is everybody,
everyone, somebody, someone, nobody or no-
one, we use subject they on the question tag.
• Everybody loves her, doesn't they?
• Somebody entered our house last night, didn't they?
• Everyone applauded, didn’t they?
• There is / are -
• There aren't any spiders in the bedroom, are
there?
• There are many people, aren’t there?
• This / that is - This is Paul's pen, isn't it?
Exercise: Put question tags at the end of
each statement.
1. Your father is at home, ... ?
2. Dechen doesn't like chicken, ... ?
3. I am funny, .......?
4. You've got a camera, ... ?
5. He won't mind if I go early, ... ?
6. There are a lot of people here, ... ?
7. This is very boring, ... ?
8. You wouldn't tell anyone, ...
9. Listen, ... ?
10. I shouldn't have got angry, ... ?
11. She had gone home before we came here, ....?
12. They had to go home, ... ?
13. She seldom sees her parents in the village, ...?
14. Let's go,....?
15. Everybody came here,..........?
1. Let’s go surfing, ____?
2. The children are sleeping, ____?
3. The pan is hot, ___?
4. Dechen doesn’t like solving Maths problems, _____?
5. You are from West Bengal, ____?
6. I like eating chocolate pastries, ____?
7. You have completed your assignment, ____?
8. You don’t live here, ____?
9. The children are playing in the garden, ____?
10. We often go out for dinner on weekends, _____?
11. Rita never acts so rudely, ____?
12. Please stop talking, ___?
13. The children seldom write the homework, …………….?
14. He hardly listens to her,………………..?
15. Students studied well for the test, ………?
• Create a dialogue using question tags between two characters.
