What Is a Question Tag?

A question tag can be generally described as a simple statement followed by a short

question. Question tags are most often used in spoken language to confirm
something that is said and also to encourage the listener to give an answer. In
written language, the use of question tags can be seen only in dialogue writing and
in stories which include dialogues.

Definition of a Question Tag

A question tag or a tag question, according to the Oxford Learner‟s Dictionary, is
defined as “a phrase such as „isn‟t it?‟ or „don‟t you?‟ that you add to the end of a
statement in order to turn it into a question or check that the statement is correct, as
in, you like mushrooms, don’t you?” The Cambridge Dictionary defines a question
tag as “a short phrase such as “isn‟t it” or “don‟t you” that is added to the end of a
sentence to check information or to ask if someone agrees with you”, and according
to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a question tag is “a question (such as isn‟t it in
“it‟s fine, isn‟t it?”) added to a statement or command (as to gain the assent of or
challenge the person addressed)”. The Collins Dictionary definition of a question tag
is as follows – “In grammar, a question tag is a very short clause at the end of a
statement which changes the statement into a question. For example, in „She said
half price, didn‟t she?‟, the words „didn‟t she‟ are a question tag.”

Forming and Using Question Tags in Sentences

While question tags can look pretty easy to use, there are a few things you have to
be mindful of when using them. Take a look at the following points to learn how to
use a question tag accurately in a sentence.

 A sentence with a question tag takes the form – Statement, question tag?
 The punctuation of a sentence with a question is as follows – Capital letter to begin the
sentence, a comma at the end of the statement, followed by the tag question and
a question mark.
 The use of pronouns in question tags is another thing you need to focus on. If a pronoun
is used as the subject, use the same pronoun in the question tag. On the other hand, if
a noun (name of a person/place/animal/thing/idea) or a noun phrase acts as the subject
in the statement, use a pronoun based on the gender/number in the question tag.
 If the statement is positive or affirmative, the question tag should be negative, and if the
statement is negative, the question tag used should be positive.

For example: You are happy, aren‟t you? (Positive statement – negative tag)

You aren‟t happy, are you? (Negative statement – positive tag)

  When a statement expresses emotions of anger, surprise or interest, the question tag
used has to be positive even though the statement is positive. For example: You think it
is something to be proud of, do you?
 When there are two verbs (a main verb and an auxiliary/helping verb) in a sentence, the
question tag should be formed using the auxiliary verb. For example: They were waiting
for her, weren‟t they?
 If the sentence contains a modal auxiliary verb, the question tag has to be formed using
the modal verb. For example: The students should bring their parents for the meeting,
shouldn‟t they?
 Sentences with „have‟, „has‟ and „had‟ as the main verb use the positive and negative
form of „do‟ as the question tag. For example: You have a pair of shoes, don‟t you?
 Sentences with pronouns such as „nothing‟ and „nobody‟ should be considered negative
statements and a positive tag has to be used. For example, Nothing is working, is it?
 Sentences with action verbs in the simple present tense form a question tag using the
verb „do/does‟ and its corresponding negative form. For example: He teaches Chemistry,
doesn‟t he?
 A sentence in the past tense will have question tags formed using the verb „did‟. For
example: Harry and Ron played tennis, didn‟t they?
 As far as imperative sentences are concerned, use the positive or negative form of the
verb „will‟ to form the question tag.

Verbs and Their Corresponding Question Tags

Forming question tags is one of the easily comprehensible grammatical components
in the English language. However, there are some exceptions. Check out the
following table to have a clear idea of the verb and its question tag.

Positive Statement – Negative Tag Negative Statement – Positive Tag

Subject + Verb Question Tag + Subject + Verb Question Tag +
Pronoun Pronoun
Simple Present Tense
I am Aren‟t I? I am not Am I?
You are Aren‟t you? You are not Are you?
He is Isn‟t he? He is not Is he?
She is Isn‟t she? She is not Is she?
It is Isn‟t it? It is not Is it?
They are Aren‟t they? They are not Are they?
We are Aren‟t we? We are not Are we?
Simple Past Tense
I was Wasn‟t I? I was not Was I?
You were Weren‟t you? You were not Were you?
 He was Wasn‟t he? He was not Was he?
She was Wasn‟t she? She was not Was she?
It was Wasn‟t it? It was not Was it?
They were Weren‟t they? They were not Were they?
We were Weren‟t we? We were not Were we?
Simple Future Tense
I will Won‟t I? I will not Will I?
You will Won‟t you? You will not Will you?
He will Won‟t he? He will not Will he?
She will Won‟t she? She will not Will she?
It will Won‟t it It will not Will it?
They will Won‟t they? They will not Will they?
We will Won‟t we? We will not Will we?
Present Perfect Tense
I have Haven‟t I? I have not Have I?
You have Haven‟t you? You have not Have you?
He has Hasn‟t he? He has not Has he?
She has Hasn‟t she? She has not Has she?
It has Hasn‟t it? It has not Has it?
They have Haven‟t they? They have not Have they?
We have Haven‟t we? We have not Have we?
Past Perfect Tense
I had Hadn‟t I? I had not Had I?
You had Hadn‟t you? You had not Had you?
He had Hadn‟t he? He had not Had he?
She had Hadn‟t she? She had not Had she?
It had Hadn‟t it? It had not Had it?
They had Hadn‟t they? They had not Had they?
We had Hadn‟t we? We had not Had we?
Future Perfect Tense
I will have Won‟t I? I will not have Will I?
 You will have Won‟t you? You will not have Will you?
He will have Won‟t he? He will not have Will he?
She will have Won‟t she? She will not have Will she?
It will have Won‟t it It will not have Will it?
They will have Won‟t they? They will not have Will they?
We will have Won‟t we? We will not have Will we?
Sentence with Modal Verbs
I/You/We/They/He/ Wouldn‟t I/You/We/They/He/ Would
I/you/we/they/he/ I/you/we/they/he/
She/It would She/It wouldn‟t
she/it? she/it?
I/You/We/They/He/ Couldn‟t I/You/We/They/He/ Could
I/you/we/they/he/ I/you/we/they/he/
She/It could She/It couldn‟t
she/it? she/it?
I/You/We/They/He/ Mustn‟t I/You/We/They/He/ Must I/you/we/they/he/
I/you/we/they/he/
She/It must She/It mustn‟t she/it?
she/it?
I/You/We/They/He/ Shouldn‟t I/You/We/They/He/ Should
I/you/we/they/he/ I/you/we/they/he/
She/It should She/It shouldn‟t
she/it? she/it?
I/You/We/They/He/ Can‟t I/you/we/they/he/ I/You/We/They/He/ Can I/you/we/they/he/

She/It can she/it? She/It can‟t she/it?

Sentence with Action Verb in the Simple Past Tense
I/You/We/They like Don‟t I/you/we/they? I/You/We/They do not Do I/you/we/they?
like
He/She likes Doesn‟t he/she? He/She does not like Does he/she?
It rings Doesn‟t it? It does not ring Does it?
Sentence with Action Verb in the Simple Past Tense
I/You/We/They Didn‟t I/you/we/they? I/You/We/They did not Did I/you/we/they?
liked like
He/She liked Didn‟t he/she? He/She did not like Did he/she?
It rang Didn‟t it? It did not ring Did it?
Examples of Sentences with Question Tags
Now that you know the function of question tags and how it is formed, read through
the following 20+ question tag examples and analyse how it works.

Positive Statements with Negative Question Tags

 Shahina is the new lead, isn’t she?
 They have confirmed, haven’t they?
 Tharun and Varun are on their way to the airport, aren’t they?
 Her father is a doctor, isn’t he?
 The baby elephant that fell into the well was rescued by the locals, wasn’t it?
 Arranging transport and accommodation for the guests had been their first
priority, hadn’t it?
 You like cookies, don’t you?
 Bring me some tissue papers, will you?
 They bought a new LED television, didn’t they?
 You have been looking for an apartment, haven’t you?

Negative Statements with Positive Question Tags

 Ritu and Brinha were not the best of friends from the start, were they?
 Sheena will not be attending the ceremony, will she?
 She would not have done that, would she?
 They have not arrived yet, have they?
 Buying a new car when you already had a loan wasn’t a good idea, was it?
 Making small talk isn’t your forte, is it?
 Balu, the bear isn’t the one that saves Mowgli from the monkeys, is it?
 All students have not submitted their assignments yet, have they?
 Tina had not informed the others about the change of venue, had she?
 You cannot survive without your phone, can you?

Positive Statements with Positive Question Tags to Express

Interest, Anger and Surprise
 She is going ahead with her decision, is she?
 So they are moving to Italy, are they?
 You think this is a joke, do you?
 You’re just going to sit there, are you?
 So this is the way it is going to be from now on, is it?

Check Your Understanding on Question Tags

Here is an exercise for you to check how far you have understood the use of
question tags. Go through and add question tags to the following sentences.

1. You must be there by 11:30 a.m., ___________

2. Gowri is not present today, ___________

3. The teacher had asked you to submit an address proof, ___________

4. He is the prime suspect, ___________

5. Harini and Gowtham were not here, ___________

6. Get me the duster, ___________

7. I don‟t think your sister will be pleased to see this, ___________

8. You will have waited for me, ___________

9. They brought a bottle of wine when they came, ___________

10. Dom and Andreah have a baby girl, ___________