TAG QUESTIONS

PART 2
BY VERA LANDIVAR
 INTRODUCTION
We use tag questions to confirm or check information or ask for agreement.

• You want to come with me, don’t you?

• You can swim, can’t you?
• You don’t know where the boss is, do you?
• This meal is horrible, isn’t it?
• That film was fantastic, wasn’t it?
INTRODUCTION
We use tag questions to check whether something is true.

• The meeting’s tomorrow at 9am, isn’t it?

• You won’t go without me, will you?
• You’re not Spanish, are you?

SPECIAL CASES
Anyway we have some special cases in the use of TAG QUESTIONS that are
important to consider. Look at the cases below.
1. With I am:

If the main verb or auxiliary verb in the statement is am, the positive question tag is
am I? but the negative question tag is usually aren't I?:

• I'm never on time, am I?

• I'm going to get an email with the details, aren't I?
• I am attractive, aren't I?
 2. Imperatives
Sometimes we use question tags with imperatives (invitations, orders), but the sentence
remains an imperative and does not require a direct answer.
We use won't for invitations. We use can, can't, will, would for orders.
IMPERATIVE + QUESTION TAG NOTES

Take a seat, won't you? polite invitation

Help me, can you? quite friendly
Help me, can't you? quite friendly (some irritation?)
Close the door, would you? quite polite
Do it now, will you. less polite

Don't forget, will you. with negative imperatives only will is possible

3. There is / there are
With there is /are the question tag is formed using there:

• There aren't any spiders in the bedroom, are there?

• There isn’t any bread left, is there?
• There is plenty of time, isn’t there?
• There is a lot of work to do today, isn’t there?
• There is a mistake, isn't there?
• There are not any cars, are there?
4. This / These or That / Those
Use “it” in a question tag when the sentence includes the words “this” or “that”.
Use “they” in a question tag when the sentence includes “these” or “those”.
For example:

• This is your pen, isn’t it?

• Those are your sandals, aren’t they?
• That dress looks great on her, doesn't it?
• These books are really interesting, aren’t they?
• Those children don’t belong to this class, do they?
5. Let’s = Let us
With let’s, the tag is shall we?

• Let’s have lunch, shall we?

• Let’s not argue, shall we?
• Let's go, shall we?
• Let’s go to the beach, shall we?
• Let’s have a coffee, shall we?
6. Never, hardly, nobody.
We use an affirmative tag after a sentence containing a negative word such as:
never, hardly, nobody.

• Nobody lives in this house, do they?

• You’ve never liked me, have you?
• You hardly knew your father, did you?
• Bobo never barks, does he?
• Nobody came from the army, did they?
• You hardly ever came late, did you?
7. Nothing
When the subject is nothing, we use “it” in the tag.

• Nothing bad happened, did it?

• Nothing ever happens, does it?
• Nothing is related to security, is it?
• Nothing is right, is it?
8. Used to
With used to, we use “didn’t” in the tag.

• You used to work here, didn’t you?

• He used to have long hair, didn’t he?
• She used to work in that bank, didn’t she?
• They used to have a blue car, didn’t they?
9. Affirmative tags after affirmative sentences
We can use affirmative tags after affirmative sentences to express a reaction
such as surprise or interest.

• You’re moving to Brazil, are you?

• She’s the new student, is she?
• That new house is amazing, is it?
• The news on TV are shocking, are they?
EXERCISES
Find and correct the mistakes in the tag questions
below
1. They live in San Francisco, aren’t they? don’t they?
………………..
2. He didn’t buy the chairs, doesn’t they? did he?
…………..
3. We are late, do we? ………………...aren’t we?
4. He can’t swim, does he? …………..can he?
5. She was a student, isn’t she? wasn’t she?
………………..
6. Thomas saw a movie, wasn’t he? didn’t he?
……………..
7. He couldn’t answer the question, did he? could he?
……………..
8. Mr. Smith was late, wasn’t she? wasn’t he?
………….……..
9. They had dinner, were they? didn’t they?
………………..
 Choose the best option

1. He's still sleeping, _____ is not he? isn't he? wasn't he?

2. You do go to school, _____ do you? aren't you? don't you?

3. Let's go for a walk, _____ shall we? shan't we? will we?

4. We won't be late, _____ won't we? will we? are we?

5. Nobody called, _____ do they? didn't they? did they?

6. They will wash the car, _____ will it? won't they? wouldn't they?

7. We must lock the doors, _____ mustn't they? shouldn't we? mustn't we?
Put in the correct question tags.
isn't she
1. She is collecting stickers, ……………………….. ?
don't we ?
2. We often watch TV in the afternoon, ……………………..
haven't you ?
3. You have cleaned your bike, ………………………..
do they
4. John and Max don't like math, ……………………….. ?
didn't he
5. Peter played handball yesterday, ……………………….. ?
aren't they
6. They are going home from school, ……………………….. ?
did she
7. Mary didn't do her homework last Monday, ……………………….. ?
couldn't he ?
8. He could have bought a new car, ………………………..
won't he
9. Kevin will come tonight, …………………….. ?
aren't I
10. I'm clever, …………………….. ?
Complete the conversation with the question tags from the box.
aren’t I
SARA I’m so silly, (1) _____________?
ROSIE Why?
isn’t she
isn’t she
SARA Well, Tessa is Steve’s girlfriend, (2) _____________?

isn’t it ROSIE Yes, she is. Didn’t you know?

aren’t they
SARA No, I didn’t. They’re happy together, (3) ______________?
isn’t he ROSIE I think so. Forget about Steve.
aren’t you
SARA You’re going to the barbeque tonight, (4) _____________?
aren’t you
ROSIE Yes, I am.
aren’t isn’t it
SARA It’s a perfect day for a barbeque, (5) _____________?
isn’t he
ROSIE Carl’s going as well, (6) _____________?
you
SARA Yes, he is.
aren’t they aren’t you
ROSIE You’re happy with him, (7) ____________?
SARA Yes, I am. He’s lovely
 Find the correct beginnings of the sentences
1) ……… , can't he?
a) He can write b) He can't sing c) She can't read
2) ……… , haven't we?
a) They haven't seen this film b) We've seen this film c) We haven't seen this film
3) ……… , doesn't she?
a) Andy plays volleyball b) Peggy doesn't play volleyball c) Peggy plays volleyball
4) ……… , wasn't he?
a) Elisabeth I was English b) Mark Twain wasn't English c) Shakespeare was English
5) ……… , isn't it?
a) It's not your dog b) It's very hot in the Sahara c) This isn't Joe
6) ………, aren't I?
a) I'm your English teacher b) He's your English teacher c) You are my English teacher
 Write a sentence with A QUESTION TAG:
1. You are with a friend outside a restaurant. You are looking at the prices. It’s very
expensive. What do you say? ……. It’s very expensive, isn’t it? …………..
2. You look out of the window. It’s a beautiful day. What do you say to your friend?
a beautiful day, isn’t it?
It’s ……………………………………………………………. .
3. You’ve just come out of the cinema with your friend. You both really enjoyed the film.
was great, wasn’t it?
You thought it was great. What do you say? The film ………………………………………
4. Tom’s hair is much shorter. Clearly he has had his hair cut. What do you sat to him?
You ………………………………..…………………….
had your hair cut, hadn’t you?
5. You are shopping. You are trying on a jacket. You look in the mirror: it doesn’t look very
nice. What do you say to your friend? It ……………………………………………………….
doesn’t look very nice, does it?
6. You are talking about Bill. You know that Bill works very hard. Everyone knows this.
What do you say about Bill? Bill …………………………………………………….…
works very hard, doesn’t he?
SUMMARY