2. USE
A question tag is a short question at the end of a
statement:
He won the prize, didnât he?
question tag
We use question tags when we want to check if
information is correct.
3. FORM
1. Use question tags at the end of a sentence:
He won the prize, didnât he?
question tag
4. FORM
2.a. NEGATIVE QUESTION TAG:
If the sentence is positive, the question tag is negative:
You have seen that film, havenât you?
+ -
2.b. POSITIVE QUESTION TAG:
If the sentence is negative, the question tag is positive:
You havenât seen that film, have you?
- +
If the sentence contains a negative word (never, hardlyâŚ) the
question tag is positive:
Ann never goes anywhere, does she?
- +
5. FORM
3. Questions tags consist of âŚ
AUXILIARY VERB + PRONOUN:
I shouldnât laugh, should I?
Sarah was winning, wasnât she?
We use the auxiliary verb that is used in the previous
sentence. If there is no auxiliary verb, se use âdo/doesâ
(present tense) and âdidâ (past tense):
You live near here, donât you?
You turned left, didnât you?
The pronoun refers to the subject of the previous
sentence.
6. FORM
4. Some verbs form question tags differently:
I am ď arenât I?
Iâm helpful, arenât I?
There is ď isnât there?
There is a chemistâs near here, isnât there?
There are ď arenât there?
There are many shops in the area, arenât there?
This is / That is ď isnât it?
Thatâs your wife over there, isnât it?
7. FORM
5. When we answer question tags, we often use short
answers:
A: You are French, arenât you?
B: Yes, I am. / No, Iâm not. ď SHORT ANSWERS
A: Sheâs got a dog, hasnât she?
B: Yes, she has. / No, she hasnât. ď SHORT ANSWERS
A: You smoke, donât you?
B: Yes, I do. / No, I donât. ď SHORT ANSWERS
8. FORM
6. Intonation:
When we are sure of the answer, the voice goes
down in the question tag:
John doesnât like gold, does he?
ď The speaker knows John doesnât like gold.
When we are not sure of the answer, the voice
goes up:
They left for Milan, didnât they?
ď The speaker doesnât know if they left for Milan
or not.