Tag-Questions

or
Question Tags
• Statement Sentences with short questions at
the end with a question mark!
 Tag-Questions
• A ‘tag-question’ or ‘question tag’ is not a true
question.
A tag question is used at the end of a
Statement Sentence to get the confirmation
from the listener, or just to express one’s
doubt.
A question sentence, on the contrary, is used to
get the answer.
 Tag-Questions

 You are my student. Statement Sentence positive

 You are not my student. Statement negative
 Are you my student? Question (interrogative)

 You are my student, aren’t you? Tag-question

 Tag-Questions

 Whose books are these? – a true question

 These are your books, aren’t they?

-Tag-question – Positive
These are not your books, are they?
- Tag-question -- Negative
 Tag-Questions
• Making a tag-question sentence:

• She is your friend

,
isn’t she
?
A positive tag-question sentence!
 Tag-Questions
 There are five simple points we
should follow when we use a Tag-
question:
 Point 1

 A comma is used between the main

sentence and the ‘tag’ part, e.g.
 This is your book isn’t it?

,
 Tag-Questions
► Point 2:

► Evenif the subject of the main sentence is a

noun – proper noun or common noun – the
subject of the ‘tag’ part is always a
corresponding PERSONAL PRONOUN. e.g.

Mary isn’t your sister, is she?

 Tag-Questions
Point 2 (continued)

John has gone home, hasn’t ?

‘John’ – proper noun – male – singular
he
pronoun – male – singular – subjective case
 Tag-Question
 Point 2 (continued)

 Ted and Jerry got their books,

didn’t ?
‘Ted and Jerry’ – Proper nouns – male – plural
they
Personal Pronoun – male -- plural
 Tag-Questions
 Point 3

 The verb in the ‘tag’ part depends on the verb in the

main sentence:
 If the verb in the main sentence is in Present Tense,
the verb in the ‘tag’ part will be in Present Tense; and
the verb in the main sentence is in Past Tense, the
verb in the ‘tag’ part will be in Past, and so on.
 If the verb in the main sentence is in Positive form,
the verb in the ‘tag’ part will be in Negative form.
 Tag-Questions
• Point 3 (continued)

• She is your sister, she?

“is” – main verb – Simple Present Tense –POSITIVE

isn’t
– Simple present tense – NEGATIVE
 Tag-Questions
 Point 3 (continued)

 Brad hasn’t done his work, he?

‘hasn’t’ – Present perfect – NEGATIVE
has
Present perfect -- POSITIVE
 Tag-Questions
 Point 3 (continued)
 Kate goes to school, she?
‘goes’ – Simple present – POSITIVE
‘does not go’ – Simple present – NEGATIVE
doesn’t
Point 4
The negative form of the verb in the ‘tag’ part is
always contracted:
does not = doesn’t; has not = hasn’t; will not = won’t
Tag-questions
 Point 3 (continued)

 James did not go to school, he?

‘did not go’ – Simple past – NEGATIVE
‘go’ – Simple past – Positive; however, in
‘tag’ part, the auxiliary (helping) verb
alone is used:
did
Tag-questions

• Point 5 -- Word order

• In the statement sentence (in the main

sentence) the subject comes first and the
verb comes next; but in the ‘tag’ part, the
verb comes first and the subject comes
next, just as in the interrogative sentence.
 Tag-Question
 Point 5 – word order (continued)
For example:
A woman fainted, didn’t she?

Main sentence
‘tag’ part
Subject first; verb next
Verb first; subject next
Tag-Questions

 There are some exceptions to some of the rules

(points) we have discussed so far. To understand
those rules (points), first we have to master these
points.
 Therefore, let’s master these rules (points) now, and
then we can go for those exceptions later!