QUESTION TAGS RULES :

1. An affirmative statement takes a negative tag

2. Only the short form n’t is used in question tags.

They are ready, aren’t they?

3. A negative statement goes with an affirmative tag

They are not yet ready, are they?

4. A suitable pronoun is used according to the subject of the statement

Srinivasa Ramanujan is a famous mathematician, isn’t he? Sheela is a good dancer, isn’t she?

Sportsmen practise regularly, don’t they? Cricket is a popular game, isn’t it?

5. The tag begins with the auxiliary verb of the statement.

She can speak in English, can’t she? He did not attend the class, did he?

6. Appropriate forms of do / does in the simple present tense and did in the simple past tense are used
in question tags, when the statement doesn’t have an auxiliary verb.

He supports {does + support} any one, doesn’t he?

Most of the villagers depend {do+ depend} on agriculture, don’t they?

They required {did + require} a happy life, didn’t they?

7. With imperatives expressing an order or request, modal auxiliary verbs like will, would, can, could are
used.

Do me a favour, Raju, won’t you? Take a right decision, won’t you?

8. After a negative imperative, ‘will you?’ is used.

Don’t start immediately, will you? Don’t waste your time, will you?

9. After let’s, shall we is used.

Let’s understand their problems, shall we?

10. The practice is to use aren’t I? in the place of amn’t I?.

I am going home, aren’t I? I am a doctor, aren’t I? I am not a doctor, am I ?

11. For the statements beginning with everybody / everyone, somebody / someone, and nobody / no
one, ‘they’ is used in the question tag.
Everyone appreciated her performance, didn’t they?
12. For the statements beginning with there and one, they are repeated in the question tags.
There will be problems in that case, won’t there? One can achieve anything by faith, can’t one?