A tag question is a positive or negative sentence that is immediately followed by a short question. It is used when asking for confirmation. It means something similar to: “Is that right?” or “Do you agree?” Keep in mind that the tag takes on the form of auxiliary or main verb be from the main sentence and is changed to either negative or positive.
For simple past and present, do, does, and did are used in the tag.
POSITIVE STATEMENT TAG QUESTIONS
Positive Statement Negative Tag
He is English, isn’t he?
He is English, isn’t he?
| Positive Statement | Negative Tag | |||||
| Subject | Auxiliary | Main Verb | Auxiliary | Not | Personal Pronoun Same as Subject | |
| You | are | exhausted, | are | n’t | you? | |
| We | have | prepared, | enough | have | n’t | we? |
| You | do | hate | machines, | do | n’t | you? |
| You | love | puppies, | do | n’t | you? | |
| They | will | skip | lunch | wo | n’t | they? |
| I | can | sing | at your party, | can | ‘t | I? |
| We | must | sleep | early tonight, | must | n’t | we? |
| She | should | work | a lot harder, | should | n’t | she? |
| You | are | a microbiologist, | are | n’t | you? | |
| Kimberly | was | there, | was | n’t | she? | |
NEGATIVE STATEMENT TAG QUESTIONS
Negative Statement Positive Tag
You don’t work here, do you?
You don’t work here, do you?
| Negative Statement | Positive Tag | ||||||
| Subject | Auxiliary | Main Verb | Auxiliary | Personal Pronoun Same as Subject | |||
| It | is | n’t | snowing, | is | it? | ||
| We | have | never | done | this, | have | we? | |
| You | do | n’t | like | the food, | do | you? | |
| They | will | not | attend | my wedding, | will | they? | |
| They | wo | n’t | tell | him, | will | they? | |
| I | can | never | learn | how to sing, | can | I? | |
| We | must | n’t | eat | all the food, | must | we? | |
| She | should | n’t | cry | so loud, | should | she? | |
| You | wo | n’t | be | absent, | will | you? | |
| You | are | n’t | Mexican, | are | you? | ||
| Pete | was | not | happy, | was | he? | ||
ANSWERING TAG QUESTIONS
A tag question is answerable by yes or no. To answer, simply repeat the tag and reverse it.
Example:
Tag Question: The sun revolves around the earth, doesn’t it?
Answer: Yes, it does.
The meanings of yes and no when responding to a negative sentence:
Question: You’re not attending the meeting this afternoon, are you?
Answers:
Yes. – Yes, I am attending
No. – No, I am not attending.
| Tag Question | Correct Answer | Notes |
| It’s cold in here, isn’t it. | Yes, it is. | If it is really cold |
| It’s cold in here, isn’t it. | No, it isn’t. | If it is not cold |
| Cows can’t fly, can they? | No, they can’t. | Cows cannot fly. |
| The earth isn’t oblate spheroid, is it? | Yes, it is! | The earth’s shape is oblate spheroid. The answer expresses disagreement to the statement. |
| Animals can speak, can’t they? | No, they can’t. | To disagree and when something is not true, the whole form of the tag (with pronoun and verb) are used. |
INTONATION
With a tag question, the meaning is implied by the way it is said.
Using rising intonation denotes that it is an actual question. Meanwhile, using falling intonation means it is not a real question but a mere invitation for the listener to agree to what the speaker is saying.
SOME EXCEPTIONS
- The tag for Let’s is shall we.
Example: Let’s begin the ceremony, shall we?
- The tag for imperatives is will you.
Example: Give that to me, will you?
- The negative tag for I’m is aren’t I.
Example: I’m one of your best friends, aren’t I?