Question tags
Look at these examples to see how question tags are used.
You haven't seen this film, have you?
Your sister lives in Spain, doesn't she?
He can't drive, can he?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We can add question tags like isn't it?, can you? or didn't they? to a statement to make it into a question. Question tags are more common in speaking than writing.
We often use question tags when we expect the listener to agree with our statement. In this case, when the statement is positive, we use a negative question tag.
She's a doctor, isn't she?
Yesterday was so much fun, wasn't it?
If the statement is negative, we use a positive question tag.
He isn't here, is he?
The trains are never on time, are they?
Nobody has called for me, have they?
If we are sure or almost sure that the listener will confirm that our statement is correct, we say the question tag with a falling intonation. If we are a bit less sure, we say the question tag with a rising intonation.
Formation
If there is an auxiliary verb in the statement, we use it to form the question tag.
I don't need to finish this today, do I?
James is working on that, isn't he?
Your parents have retired, haven't they?
The phone didn't ring, did it?
It was raining that day, wasn't it?
Your mum hadn't met him before, had she?
Sometimes there is no auxiliary verb already in the statement. For example, when:
... the verb in the statement is present simple or past simple and is positive. Here we use don't, doesn't or didn't:
Jenni eats cheese, doesn't she?
I said that already, didn't I?
... the verb in the statement is to be in the present simple or past simple. In this case we use to be to make the question tag:
The bus stop's over there, isn't it?
None of those customers were happy, were they?
... the verb in the statement is a modal verb. Here we use the modal verb to make the question tag:
They could hear me, couldn't they?
You won't tell anyone, will you?
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?
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
โ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ค
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ด๐ฌ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.
๐ธ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐๐:
a- You're the doctor, arenโt you?
b-You arenโt the doctor, are you?
-You are the doctor / You arenโt the doctor : ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ
-arenโt you? / are you?: ๐๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฌ
๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐๐:
-If the statement is positive โ the tag is negative:
You're the doctor (+) โ arenโt you? (-)
-If the statement is negative โ the tag is positive:
You arenโt the doctor (+)โ are you? (-)
๐๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ 1:
๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ'๐ฌ Mr Brown, and Iโm sure itโs him. But I just asked who that was to get more confirmation:
a- Fortunately, it really is Mr Brown:
โYouโre Mr Brown, arenโt you?
โYes, I am.
b-Unfortunately, it isn't Mr Brown:
โYouโre Mr Brown, arenโt you?
โSorry, Iโm not.
๐๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ 2:
๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ Mr Brown, and Iโm sure it isn't him. But I just asked who that was to get more confirmation:
a- In fact, it isn't Mr Brown:
โYou arenโt Mr Brown, are you?
โNo, Iโm not.
b-In fact, it really is Mr Brown:
โYou arenโt Mr Brown, are you?
โYes, I am.
๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ช๐ญ๐๐ก๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ:
-๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ปโ๐ remind you about the appointment, ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ?
-๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ invited him yourself, ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ผ๐?
-๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ฃโ๐ฉ so cold yesterday, ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ?
๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ช๐ญ๐๐ก๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ:
-You ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ what happened, ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ปโ๐ you?
-You ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ค loudly to your friend, ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ you?
-Mary ๐๐ค๐๐จ๐ฃ'๐ฉ always ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ in class, ๐๐ค๐๐จ ๐จ๐๐?
๐๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐จ:
-This job ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก be suitable for me, ๐ฌ๐ค๐ฃโ๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ?
-We ๐๐๐งโ๐ญ go through the city road, ๐๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐?
-They ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ come in on time, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ปโ๐ they?
๐ ๐๐ข:
-๐โ๐ฆ not late, ๐๐ฆ ๐?
-๐'๐ฆ wrong about you, ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป'๐ ๐? (ฬทaฬทmฬท ฬทIฬท ฬทnฬทoฬทtฬท)ฬท
Hello LearnEnglish Team,
I was wondering why the second option is incorrect in the following sentence:
The second option seems natural in this case. Could you help?
Shetu Yogme
Hello Shetu Yogme,
To form tag questions we have three options:
positive verb + negative tag (She went, didn't she?)
negative verb + positive tag (She didn't go, did she?)
positive verb + positive tag - shows surprise (She went, did she?)
However, your example is not a tag question. Rather, it is an echo question in which the responder simply echoes back the first speaker's statement as a question to show that it was an unexpected piece of information:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter,
Oh, I got it now. There are two speakers here:
That's why it is an example of an echo question.
Shetu Yogme
Hello LearnEnglish Team,
Why "is there?" is correct instead of "isn't there?" in the following sentence?
Shetu Yogme.
Hello again,
I think I have found the answer.
In the above sentence, scarcely expresses a negative idea. It's like saying "The train is so full! There isn't anywhere to sit down, is there?"
Am I right?
Shetu Yogme.
Hello Shetu Yogme,
Yes, that's right. Well done!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello ShetuYogme,
The tag 'isn't there' is used because the verb in the sentence has a negative sense as a result of the adverb 'scarcely'. Adverbs like scarcely, hardly and rarely have negative meanings and so have a positive tag. This is also the reason for the use of 'anywhere' rather than 'somewhere'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
OK, thank you very much.
Shetu Yogme.
Are the following tags correct?