Tag Questions / Question Tags
The tag question or question tag is a phrase added to the main part of the sentence. They are not really questions but are put with the statement in a sentence in order to keep the conversation going and make a comment. Tag Questions / Question Tags are frequently used in spoken English when you want to confirm something, but not in formal written English. So, we can define question tags as follow:
Tag Question/ Question Tag is a short question which is used for confirmation.
How to Form Tag Questions?
1. If the statement is positive, then the question tag will be negative
• You are a teacher, aren’t you?
2. If the statement is negative, then the question tag will be positive.
• He isn’t a teacher, is he?
3. Check the kind of verb used in the statement. If auxiliary verb is used in the statement follow the same verb in tag questions.
• They have won the match, haven’t they?
4. If the statement is without auxiliaries, then (doesn’t, don’t, didn’t) are used in the question tags.
• Ali likes reading books, doesn’t he?
• They postponed the test, didn’t they?
• They play cricket on weekends, don’t they?
How to respond to tag questions?
Question tags are used to keep a conversation going, you can agree or refuse to a sentence with a question tag. To agree or refuse possible answers are Yes or No.
• They are from Pakistan, aren’t they? (Yes, they are/ No, they aren’t)
Important Points
1. If “never” is used in the sentence, then we use the positive question tag.
• You never help me, do you?
2. If “have” is used as a main verb in the sentence, there are two possible tag questions.
• They have a lot of money, haven’t they? (British English)
• They have a lot of money, don’t they? (American English)
3. Use “will/ would” with imperative sentences. And remember with negative imperative sentences we use positive tag question.
• Close the door, will you?
• Don’t make noise, would you?
4. Use “shall” after let’s.
• Let’s go outside, shall we?
5. Tag question of personal pronoun “I”.
• I am a teacher, aren’t I?