UNIVERSITY OF PAMULANG MANAGEMENT

Meeting 8
TAG QUESTIONS

A. The Objectives of the Topic

After learning this topic, the students:
1. are able to understand how to create tag questions
2. are able to understand the exceptions in tag questions

B. The Aims of the Topic

After learning this topic, the students:
1. are expected to understand how to create tag questions
2. are expected to understand exceptions in tag questions

C. Guidance and Method of Learning

1. Discussions
2. Lectures
3. Presentations
4. Practices

D. Material Description

1. TAG QUESTIONS
A tag question is a question that is added onto the end of a sentence. A
tag question is not only used to ask but also to check the information that we
think true. Tag questions are made by using an auxiliary verb (be, do, have,
modals) and a subject pronoun. The form of a tag question contrasts the form
of the statement. If the statement is positive, the tag question is negative. On
the contrary, if the statement is negative, the tag question is positive. Look at
the examples below:

ENGLISH II
88
(INTERMEDIATE)
 UNIVERSITY OF PAMULANG MANAGEMENT

Jokowi is from Solo, isn’t he?

A Transjakarta loads tens of passengers, doesn’t it?
She can’t sing well, can she?
Neneng came at 6pm, didn’t she?
I have given the money, haven’t I?

2. Exception on tag questions

a. For the positive statement, if the pronoun is that or this, the tag question’s
pronoun should be it. If the statement’s pronoun is those or these, the tag
question’s pronoun should be they.
- That/this is your book, isn’t it?
- Those/these cars are expensive, aren’t they?

b. Personal pronouns are used to refer to indefinite pronouns. They is used

usually in a tag to refer to everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, no
one, nobody,
- Everything is beautiful, isn’t it?
- Everyone knows Obama, don’t they?

c. For the pronoun I and auxiliary verb am:

In informal language “aren’t I?” is very acceptable in informal language.
While “am not I?” is grammatical but extremely formal. So, in most
contexts “aren’t I?’ is the preferred choice.
- I am writing the letter, aren’t I? formal/written
- I am the President, am not I? informal/spoken

d. For the positive statement which contains negative meaning words (never,
rarely, seldom, hardly, barely and scarcely, nothing, nobody), the
question tags need to be positive.
- He rarely comes here, does he?
- She has never visited me here, has he?
- Nobody buys the book, do they?

ENGLISH II
89
(INTERMEDIATE)
 UNIVERSITY OF PAMULANG MANAGEMENT

e. For the statement started with “Let’s + V1”, the tag question will be “shall
we?”
- let’s go, shall we?
- Let’s play, shall we?

f. If the statement is in form of imperative sentence, the tag questions should

be “please”, “will you please?”, “would you?”, “could you please?” (in
positive form).

EXERCISE 7.1.
7.1 Please create the tag questions below:
1) You’re going to the Ohio State game, aren’t you?
2) I don’t look good in his, ____________?
3) We’d like to pay the bill, ________?
4) We won’t get there on time, ________?
5) She’s always late, _________________?
6) He’s never seen a Michigan game, __________________?
7) He has a season ticket, __________________?
8) We’re watching Captain America – Civil War now in XXI, ________ ?
9) She’d like to go, _____________?
10) We swam in Nasha pool last week, ________?
11) They’d never gone before, _________________?
12) There’s a car in the parking lot, ___________________?
13) The car’s in the parking lot, ________________?
14) Bill and Sue will come late, ______________?
15) No one can see us here, __________________?
16) Anybody can do it,____________________________?
17) Someone may do it soon, __________________________?
18) Everybody must be seated, _____________________?
19) Somebody enters the room, _____________________?
20) Each kid wrote a story, _________________?
21) They might have been seen, ________________?

ENGLISH II
90
(INTERMEDIATE)
 UNIVERSITY OF PAMULANG MANAGEMENT

22) Put the cooler in the trunk, ______________?

23) She may not like that, ________________________?
24) He let us go to the game, _______________________?
25) Let us go to the game, _________________________?
26) Let’s go to the game, __________________________?
27) One must occasionally make exceptions, ___________?
28) The fans are really fast, ___________?
29) The company sells the used product, ___________?
30) She claimed the money yesterday, ___________?
31) Nobody will pay without receipt, ___________?
32) Mom should be there by 9pm, ___________?
33) The police has caught the terrorists, ___________?
34) Krisdayanti is singing on the stage right now, ___________?
35) The Sun is really hot, ___________?

Exercise 7.2: match the sentence to the right tag questions.

Exercise 7.3: complete the question with the correct tags.

ENGLISH II
91
(INTERMEDIATE)
 UNIVERSITY OF PAMULANG MANAGEMENT

Exercise 7.4: Write the affirmative or negative short answers

Circle the correct answers.

ENGLISH II
92
(INTERMEDIATE)
 UNIVERSITY OF PAMULANG MANAGEMENT

Exercise 7.5: change these statements into affirmative or negative questions with
question tags.

D. References

Azar, Betty Schrampfer. 2002. Understanding and Using English Grammar (3rd
Edition). New York: Longman.
Eastwood, John. 1994. Oxford Guide to English Grammar (7th Impression). Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Godfrey, Rachel. 2009. Oxford Practice Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

ENGLISH II
93
(INTERMEDIATE)