Group 4

Authors: Badriyatul Mutiah, Muh. Alwi Yahya, Faizal, Hilda Sri Mardawani

Question Tag
Question tags is short question. Which is located after the statement (question sentence),
imperative (command sentence) and invitation (invitation sentence).

The purpose of the question tag is, to ask the listener's consent, and also functions to ask the
listener's confirmation about something that has not convinced the speaker.

Examples:

 You study English in school, Don’t you? (Statement)

 Close the door, Will you? (imperative)
 Let’s go home, Shall we? (Invitaion)

1. The rules in making question tags

A. General rules

• If the statement (+) then the tag (-)

• If the statement (-) then the tag (+)

• Writing negative tags must be abbreviated. Examples:

Do not - don't

Shall not – shan’t

Will not - Won't

Must not - Mustn’t / Needn’t

Have not - Haven't

Used not to - Didn't / Usedn’t

Have not to - Haven't / Don't

 .... etc.

• Subject tags must be pronoun

(I, You, They, We, She, He, It, There)

B. Special Rules

1. If in the statement there is an ordinary verb in the form of "be". So use the "be" in the tag,
example:

• Mary is there, isn’t she?

2. If in the statement there is an assist verb, then use the assist verb in the tag, example:

• He has read a book, hasn't he?

3. If the tenses in the statement are simple present (Verbal +) So use the assistive verb "do /
does + not" in the tag examples:

• Peter smokes, doesn’t he?

• We invite you, don’t we?

4. If the tenses in the statement consist of simple past (Verbal +) then use the auxiliary verb
"did + not" in the tag example:

• Peter helped you, didn’t he?

5. If the statement contains "I am" So use "aren’t I" in the tag, example:

• I'm happy, aren’t I?

6. If the subject's statement contains the word expletive "there", So use "there" in its tag,
example:

• There weren’t any problem, were there?

7. If the statement is a negative word, then the tag must contain positive (+) claims, such as:

• He never comes here,does he?

• Nothing was said, was it?

8. If in the statement there is an imperative (+) / (-), then use "will you / won't", Examples

• Close the door,will you?

• Don't be noisy, won’t you?

9. If in the statement there is an invitation "let's", then use "we will" in the tag like:

• Let's go together, shall we ?

B. Indenfinite subjects and their pronouns in question tags.

"Somebody , something , someone , everybody , everything , everyone , anybody , anything ,

anyone , nobody , nothing , and no one".

These subjects are known as indefinite subjects because they don't directly say 'who' or 'what'
the subject is. All the subjects are singular.

1. Though the subjects "somebody , someone , everybody , everyone , anybody , anyone ,

nobody , no one". Are considered as 'singular subjects', the pronoun of these subjects should
be plural and the pronoun is 'they'

So the auxiliary verbs with them also should be plural, even if the auxiliaries in the sentences
are singular.

To clear it, let's look at the following examples.

Somebody calls me, don't they?

Here, the subject somebody is singular that is why the singular auxaliary verb 'does' is used
with the verb 'call' . (Does + call = calls) in this simple present sentence.
But in the question tag, as the pronoun 'they' of the subject somebody is plural, the plural
auxiliary verb of simple present 'do' is used.

This rule should be applied to all these indenfinite subjects, if the tense of the sentence has
more than one auxiliary verb.

Eg: everybody is ready to attend the exam, aren't they?

Nobody was present there, were they?

But the pronoun of the indefinite subjects "something, everything, anything, nothing" is it

Eg : something is happening there, isn't it?

Nothing has been told, has it?

2. The pronoun of the subjects, "few , a few or the few" is also "they"

'few' is negative meaning where as , 'a few' and 'the few' are positive meaning.

Eg : few escaped unhurt, did they?

Few is negative meaning word, so the question tag becomes positive.

A few had gone there , hadn't they?

A few is positive meaning word, so the question tag becomes negative.

But the pronoun of subjects "little, a little or the little" is "it".

'little' is negative meaning where as , a little and the little are positive meaning.

Eg: little is wasted , is it?

Little is negative meaning word , so the question tag becomes positive.

A little has been spent, hasn't it?

A little is positive meaning word, so the question tag becomes negative.

REFERENCE :

http://www.myenglishtutor.in/indefinite-subjects-and-their-pronouns-in-question-tags/ ( 29th
april 2020).