A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement or imperative to confirm information or seek agreement. These small additions make conversations more engaging and interactive.
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✅ Example:
- You’re a doctor, aren’t you?
- You’re not going to leave, are you?
In both examples, the question tag seeks confirmation from the listener.
General Rules for Using Question Tags
| Rule | Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|---|
| If the statement is positive, the question tag is negative. | It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it? | He’s lucky, isn’t he? |
| If the statement is negative, the question tag is positive. | We don’t win things in a lottery, do we? | We can’t stand here chatting all day, can we? |
| The auxiliary verb in the statement determines the tag. | There is a café at the corner, isn’t there? | You heard about Atul, didn’t you? |
| Past tense statements use past tense question tags. | Yesterday was too hot, wasn’t it? | (Add another past tense example here if needed) |
Organizing Question Tags into Categories
Here’s how we can group the previous examples under the correct headings:
| Category | Example |
|---|---|
| Statements about weather or time | It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it? |
| Past events | Yesterday was too hot, wasn’t it? |
| Confirming information | You heard about Atul, didn’t you? |
| Statements with "there" | There is a café at the corner, isn’t there? |
| Describing a person | He’s lucky, isn’t he? |
| Negative sentences with auxiliary verbs | We don’t win things in a lottery, do we? |
| Imperatives (suggestions/commands) | We can’t stand here chatting all day, can we? |
Understanding Negative Sentences in Question Tags
A sentence is generally negative if it contains words like:
❌ not, never, no, none, hardly, barely, scarcely, seldom
✅ Example:
- We never go there, do we?
- She hardly speaks, does she?
Basic Rules for Using Question Tags
Understanding how to form question tags is easy if you follow these simple rules:
| Rule | Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|---|
| A positive statement takes a negative tag. | It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it? | He’s lucky, isn’t he? |
| A negative statement takes a positive tag. | We don’t win things in a lottery, do we? | We can’t stand here chatting all day, can we? |
| Use the auxiliary (helping) verb in the statement for the tag. | There is a café at the corner, isn’t there? | You heard about Atul, didn’t you? |
| Past tense statements take past tense question tags. | Yesterday was too hot, wasn’t it? | (Add another past tense example here if needed) |
Grouping Question Tags into Categories
To understand how question tags work in different contexts, let’s categorize them:
| Category | Example |
|---|---|
| Statements about weather or time | It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it? |
| Past events | Yesterday was too hot, wasn’t it? |
| Confirming information | You heard about Atul, didn’t you? |
| Statements with "there" | There is a café at the corner, isn’t there? |
| Describing a person | He’s lucky, isn’t he? |
| Negative sentences with auxiliary verbs | We don’t win things in a lottery, do we? |
| Imperatives (suggestions/commands) | We can’t stand here chatting all day, can we? |
Understanding Negative Sentences in Question Tags
Some sentences are already negative because they contain words like:
❌ not, never, no, none, hardly, barely, scarcely, seldom
💡 Examples:
- ✅ We never go there, do we?
- ✅ She hardly speaks, does she?
Subjects of Question Tags
Understanding Subjects in Question Tags
When forming question tags, we use subject pronouns instead of repeating the original subject of the statement. This rule applies to:
- ✅ Pronouns in the statement
- ✅ Nouns (people, places, or things)
- ✅ Indefinite pronouns (e.g., someone, everybody, nobody)
- ✅ Multiple subjects (two pronouns or a noun and a pronoun)
Let’s break it down with clear examples and explanations!
Using Subject Pronouns in Question Tags
We replace nouns or multiple subjects with the correct subject pronoun in the tag.
| Statement | Subject Type | Correct Question Tag |
|---|---|---|
| She works in a bank. | Pronoun (She) | doesn’t she? |
| James is a football player. | Noun (James) → He | isn’t he? |
| Emma cooks food. | Noun (Emma) → She | doesn’t she? |
| The boys are clever. | Noun (The boys) → They | aren’t they? |
| Oliver sings beautifully. | Noun (Oliver) → He | doesn’t he? |
| The teacher explains well. | Noun (The teacher) → He/She | doesn’t he/she? |
| My parents love traveling. | Noun (My parents) → They | don’t they? |
💡 Key Rule: If the subject is a noun, replace it with the matching subject pronoun in the tag.
Handling Multiple Subjects
When there are two pronouns in the subject, replace them with a single pronoun in the tag.
| Statement | Subject Type | Correct Question Tag |
|---|---|---|
| He and I bought a bag. | Two pronouns → We | didn’t we? |
| Olivia and John are friends. | Two nouns → They | aren’t they? |
| You and I should leave early. | Two pronouns → We | shouldn’t we? |
| Emma and Sophia went shopping. | Two nouns → They | didn’t they? |
| Tom and his brother play football. | Noun + Noun → They | don’t they? |
🔹 Why? Instead of repeating both names, we use they for two people and we for "he and I."
Question Tags with Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns like somebody, someone, nobody, and everybody take "they" as the pronoun in question tags.
| Statement | Indefinite Pronoun | Correct Question Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Somebody broke it. | Somebody → They | didn’t they? |
| Everyone enjoyed the trip. | Everyone → They | didn’t they? |
| Nobody knows the answer. | Nobody → They | do they? |
| Someone left their phone. | Someone → They | didn’t they? |
| Anybody can solve this. | Anybody → They | can’t they? |
| No one called you. | No one → They | did they? |
🔹 Why "they"? Indefinite pronouns refer to people in general, so we use they in the tag.
More Examples for Clarity
Here are additional sentences to reinforce the concept:
- ✅ Girls wear skirts, don’t they?
- ✅ Daniel plays cricket, doesn’t he?
- ✅ The students studied hard, didn’t they?
- ✅ Nobody called you, did they?
- ✅ Jack and Emma love music, don’t they?
- ✅ The dog barked loudly, didn’t it?
- ✅ Your parents are kind, aren’t they?
- ✅ The children are playing outside, aren’t they?
- ✅ Mia and I went to the park, didn’t we?
- ✅ Somebody knocked at the door, didn’t they?
By following these rules and practicing with examples, forming question tags will become easy and natural! Keep practicing, and soon you’ll use them with confidence.
Subjects of Question Tags: Rules and Examples
Understanding Subjects in Question Tags
When forming question tags, the subject of the statement determines the subject of the tag. The subject of the tag is always a pronoun, even if the subject in the statement is a noun or multiple nouns.
Here’s a complete breakdown with examples to make this concept easy!
Subjects and Their Corresponding Tags
| Subjects in the Statement | Subjects in the Tag | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| I | I | I can do it, can’t I? I enjoy dancing, don’t I? |
| I and another person (e.g., You and I, He and I, Ravi and I) | We | You and I can do it, can’t we? He and I will go, won’t we? Ravi and I played well, didn’t we? |
| You and another person (e.g., You and he, You and Anu) | You | You and he will do it, won’t you? You and Anu can do it, can’t you? |
| Singular male noun (e.g., John, his father, his son) | He | John is a doctor, isn’t he? His father is very tall, isn’t he? His son likes ice cream, doesn’t he? |
| Singular female noun (e.g., Anu, her mother, my daughter) | She | Anu is a nurse, isn’t she? Her mother has gone out, hasn’t she? My daughter is intelligent, isn’t she? |
| This/That, Singular uncountable noun, Singular thing/animal, Something/Nothing/Everything | It | This is my pen, isn’t it? Milk is white, isn’t it? A cat is an animal, isn’t it? Nothing was there, was it? |
| These/Those, Plural nouns, Somebody/Everybody/Nobody/Someone/Everyone | They | These books are good, aren’t they? Girls wear skirts, don’t they? Somebody stole my purse, didn’t they? |
More Example Sentences for Clarity
- ✅ Statements with "I"
- I am late, aren’t I?
- I finished my work, didn’t I?
- I have to go now, don’t I?
- ✅ Statements with "We"
- We should leave early, shouldn’t we?
- Jack and I were at the mall, weren’t we?
- We have completed the project, haven’t we?
- ✅ Statements with "You"
- You are my best friend, aren’t you?
- You went to the market, didn’t you?
- You should try this, shouldn’t you?
- ✅ Statements with "He"
- He plays the guitar well, doesn’t he?
- Tom was here yesterday, wasn’t he?
- His brother is an engineer, isn’t he?
- ✅ Statements with "She"
- She likes reading books, doesn’t she?
- Olivia was tired, wasn’t she?
- Her mother speaks French, doesn’t she?
- ✅ Statements with "It"
- It is a beautiful day, isn’t it?
- The cat is sleeping, isn’t it?
- Nothing happened, did it?
- ✅ Statements with "They"
- They are coming to the party, aren’t they?
- The children played outside, didn’t they?
- Somebody called you, didn’t they?
- ✅ Statements with "There"
- There is a problem, isn’t there?
- There were many people at the park, weren’t there?
- There will be a meeting tomorrow, won’t there?
- ✅ Statements with "One"
- One must always be honest, mustn’t one?
- One should respect elders, shouldn’t one?
Key Takeaways
- 📌 Always replace nouns with appropriate pronouns in question tags.
- 📌 Indefinite pronouns (somebody, nobody, etc.) take "they" as the subject of the tag.
- 📌 For "I am," the tag is "aren’t I?"
- 📌 For "there is/there are," the tag uses "there."
By following these rules and practicing with examples, forming question tags will become easy and natural! Keep practicing, and soon you’ll use them with confidence.
Question Tags with Imperatives: Rules, Usage, and Examples
Understanding Question Tags with Imperatives
Question tags are not just used with statements—they can also be used with imperatives (commands, requests, invitations, and suggestions). However, the rules change slightly when using tags with imperatives.
General Rules for Imperatives in Question Tags
- ✅ Invitations → Use “won’t you” (polite)
- ✅ Orders and requests → Use “can you,” “can’t you,” “will you,” or “would you”
- ✅ Offers and suggestions (Let’s…) → Use “shall we”
- ✅ Negative imperatives (Don’t… / Never…) → Use “will you”
Let’s break it down with examples and explanations.
Question Tags with Imperatives
| Imperative Type | Example | Question Tag Used | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invitations | Take a seat, won’t you? | won’t you? | Polite |
| Have some tea, won’t you? | won’t you? | Friendly | |
| Orders / Requests | Help me, can you? | can you? | Quite friendly |
| Help me, can’t you? | can’t you? | Less friendly | |
| Close the door, would you? | would you? | Polite | |
| Do it now, will you? | will you? | Less polite | |
| Suggestions / Offers | Let’s go to the park, shall we? | shall we? | Neutral |
| Let’s buy a camera, shall we? | shall we? | Neutral | |
| Negative Imperatives | Don’t forget, will you? | will you? | Standard |
| Don’t sit here, will you? | will you? | Neutral | |
| Never do it again, will you? | will you? | Strong warning |
💡 Important Rule: For negative imperatives (commands with “don’t” or “never”), only “will you” is used.
More Examples for Practice
- ✅ Invitations with ‘won’t you’
- Have a cup of coffee, won’t you?
- Join us for dinner, won’t you?
- Take a break, won’t you?
- ✅ Orders/Requests with ‘can you’, ‘can’t you’, ‘will you’, ‘would you’
- Pass me the salt, can you?
- Stop talking, can’t you?
- Help me with this, will you?
- Turn off the lights, would you?
- ✅ Suggestions with ‘shall we’
- Let’s go for a walk, shall we?
- Let’s visit the museum, shall we?
- Let’s buy some groceries, shall we?
- ✅ Negative Imperatives with ‘will you’
- Don’t be late, will you?
- Don’t shout, will you?
- Never lie to me, will you?
Key Takeaways
- 🔹 Use ‘won’t you’ for polite invitations.
- 🔹 Use ‘can you’, ‘can’t you’, ‘will you’, or ‘would you’ for requests or commands.
- 🔹 Use ‘shall we’ for suggestions with "Let’s…".
- 🔹 For negative imperatives, always use ‘will you’.
- 🔹 Pay attention to the subject of the sentence when forming the tag.
By understanding these rules and practicing the examples, you’ll master question tags with imperatives easily! Keep practicing, and soon, using them will feel completely natural. 🚀