Question tags are short questions added to the end of statements. They are used in speech to confirm something is true or encourage a reply. Question tags have the opposite polarity of the main statement - a positive statement takes a negative tag and vice versa. There are specific rules for forming question tags that depend on verbs, tenses, subjects, and word order between the main statement and tag. Question tags follow a standard format and set of rules to confirm information or elicit a response from the person being spoken to.

1. TAG-QUESTIONS
OR
QUESTION TAGS
By Marlon Centeno, 2017

2. WHAT ARE QUESTION TAGS?
QUESTION TAGS ARE SHORT QUESTIONS
AT THE END OF STATEMENTS.

3. They are mainly used in speech when we want to:
a. confirm that something is true or not, or
b. to encourage a reply from the person we are speaking to.

4. STRUCTURE

5. FORM :
• POSITIVE STATEMENT → NEGATIVE QUESTION TAG
• NEGATIVE STATEMENT → POSITIVE QUESTION TAG

6. EXAMPLES
THEY AREN'T FUNNY , ARE
THEY?
JACK IS FROM SPAIN , ISN'T
HE?

7. ARE YOU PAYING
ATTENTION?

8. OTHER VERBS USE DON’T/ DOESN’T / DIDN’T ON
THE TAGS.
FOR EXAMPLE :
A. YOU PLAY THE GUITAR, DON'T YOU?
B. THEY WENT TO THE CINEMA, DIDN'T
THEY?

9. SOME VERBS / EXPRESSIONS HAVE DIFFERENT
QUESTION TAGS.
FOR EXAMPLE:
 I AM - I AM ATTRACTIVE, AREN'T I?
 POSITIVE IMPERATIVE - STOP DAYDREAMING, WILL / WON'T YOU?
 NEGATIVE IMPERATIVE - DON'T STOP SINGING, WILL YOU?
 LET'S - LET'S GO TO THE BEACH, SHALL WE?
 HAVE GOT (POSSESSION) - HE HAS GOT A CAR, HASN'T HE?
 THERE IS / ARE - THERE AREN'T ANY SPIDERS IN THE BEDROOM, ARE
THERE?
 THIS / THAT IS - THIS IS PAUL'S PEN, ISN'T IT?

10. TAG-QUESTIONS
• THERE ARE FIVE SIMPLE POINTS WE SHOULD FOLLOW
WHEN WE USE A TAG-QUESTION:
• POINT 1
• A COMMA IS USED BETWEEN THE MAIN SENTENCE AND THE
‘TAG’ PART,
EXAMPLE: THIS IS YOUR BOOK,ISN’T IT?

11. • POINT 2:
• EVEN IF THE SUBJECT OF THE MAIN SENTENCE IS A NOUN – PROPER NOUN OR
COMMON NOUN –
THE SUBJECT OF THE ‘TAG’ PART IS ALWAYS A CORRESPONDING PERSONAL PRONOUN.
MARY ISN’T YOUR SISTER, IS SHE?
JOHN HAS GONE HOME, HASN’T ________?

12. • POINT 3
• THE VERB IN THE ‘TAG’ PART DEPENDS ON THE VERB IN
THE MAIN SENTENCE:
• IF THE VERB IN THE MAIN SENTENCE IS IN PRESENT
TENSE, THE VERB IN THE ‘TAG’ PART WILL BE IN PRESENT
TENSE, AND SO ON.
• IF THE VERB IN THE MAIN SENTENCE IS IN POSITIVE FORM,
THE VERB IN THE ‘TAG’ PART WILL BE IN NEGATIVE FORM.

13. • POINT 4 -- WORD ORDER
• IN THE MAIN SENTENCE THE SUBJECT COMES FIRST AND THE VERB
COMES NEXT; BUT IN THE ‘TAG’ PART, THE VERB COMES FIRST AND
THE SUBJECT COMES NEXT, JUST AS IN THE INTERROGATIVE
SENTENCE.

14. FOR EXAMPLE:
A WOMAN FAINTED , DIDN’T SHE?
MAIN SENTENCE ‘TAG’ PART
SUBJECT FIRST; VERB NEXT VERB FIRST; SUBJECT NEXT

15. TIME 2
PRACTICE

16. Excellent!!!
Excellent!!!
Excellent!!!

17. QUESTIONS?