A Tag question (also: question tag) is a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement or an imperative is

turned into a question by adding an interrogative fragment (the "tag"). The term "tag question" is generally
preferred by American grammarians, while their British counterparts prefer "question tag".
Contents
[hide]
1 Forms and uses
2 Tag questions in English
o 2.1 Auxiliary
o 2.2 Negation
o 2.3 Intonation
o 2.4 Emphasis
o 2.5 Variant Forms
2.5.1 False Tag in Welsh English
3 Tag questions in the Celtic languages

4 References

[edit] Forms and uses

In most languages, tag questions are more common in colloquial spoken usage than in formal written usage. They
can be an indicator of politeness, emphasis, or irony. They may suggest confidence or lack of confidence; they
may be confrontational or tentative. Some examples showing the wide variety of structure possible in English are:

Open the window, will you?

She doesn't really want that, does she?
You'd better stop now, hadn't you?
So you thought it would be a good idea to reprogram the computer, did you?
It's quite an achievement, isn't it, to win a Nobel prize!
Oh I must, must I?
I just adore Beethoven, don't you?
I'm coming with you, all right?
You've been there, right?
Easier said than done, eh?
You went there, no?

Some languages have a fixed phrase for the tag question, such as Russian ? (not true?), French n'est-
ce pas? ("is it not?") and German nicht wahr?. Standard English tag questions, on the other hand, are constructed
afresh for every sentence, and are therefore quite variable: have I? did you? won't we? etc. A similar pattern is
found in the Celtic languages. A tag question need not have the grammatical form of a question (will you?); an
adverb or adverbial may serve the purpose instead: right? all right? surely? OK? eh? German often uses oder?
("or") and ja? ("yes") as tag questions.

[edit] Tag questions in English

English tag questions, when they have the grammatical form of a question, are atypically complex, because they
vary according to four factors: the choice of auxiliary, the negation, the intonation pattern and the emphasis.

[edit] Auxiliary

The English tag question is made up of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun. The auxiliary has to agree with the tense,
aspect and modality of the verb in the preceding sentence. If the verb is in the perfect tense, for example, the tag
question uses has or have; if the verb is in a present progressive form, the tag is formed with am, are, is; if the verb
is in a tense which does not normally use an auxiliary, like the present simple, the auxiliary is taken from the
emphatic do form; and if the sentence has a modal auxiliary, this is echoed in the tag:
 He's read this book, hasn't he?
He read this book, didn't he?
He's reading this book, isn't he?
He reads a lot of books, doesn't he?
He'll read this book, won't he?
He should read this book, shouldn't he?
He can read this book, can't he?

A special case occurs when the main verb is to be in a simple tense. Here the tag question repeats the main verb,
not an auxiliary:

This is a book, isn't it?

(Not doesn't it?, as the normal rules for present simple would suggest.)

If the main verb is to have, either solution is possible:

He has a book, hasn't he?

He has a book, doesn't he?

[edit] Negation

English tag questions may contain a negation, but need not. When there is no special emphasis, the rule of thumb
often applies that a positive sentence has a negative tag and vice versa:

She is French, isn't she?

She's not French, is she?

These are sometimes called "balanced tag questions". However, it has been estimated that in normal conversation,
as many as 40%-50%[1] of tags break this rule. "Unbalanced tag questions" (positive to positive or negative to
negative) may be used for ironic or confrontational effects:

Do listen, will you?

Oh, I'm lazy, am I?
Jack: I refuse to spend Sunday at your mother's house! Jill: Oh you do, do you? We'll see about that!
Jack: I just won't go back! Jill: Oh you won't, won't you?

Patterns of negation can show regional variations. In North East Scotland, for example, positive to positive is used
when no special effect is desired:

This pizza's fine, is it? (standard English: This pizza's delicious, isn't it?)

Note the following variations in the negation when the auxiliary is the I form of the copula:

England (and America, Australia, etc.): Clever, aren't I?

Scotland/Northern Ireland: Clever, amn't I?
nonstandard dialects: Clever, ain't I?

[edit] Intonation

English tag questions can have a rising or a falling intonation pattern. This is contrasted with Polish, French or
German, for example, where all tags rise. As a rule, the English rising pattern is used when soliciting information
or motivating an action, that is, when some sort of response is required. Since normal English yes/no questions
have rising patterns (e.g. Are you coming?), these tags make a grammatical statement into a real question:

You're coming, aren't you?

Do listen, will you?
 Let's have a beer, shall we?

The falling pattern is used to underline a statement. The statement itself ends with a falling pattern, and the tag
sounds like an echo, strengthening the pattern. Most English tag questions have this falling pattern.

He doesn't know what he's doing, does he?

This is really boring, isn't it?

Sometimes the rising tag goes with the positive to positive pattern to create a confrontational effect:

He was the best in the class, was he? (rising: the speaker is challenging this thesis, or perhaps expressing
surprised interest)
He was the best in the class, wasn't he? (falling: the speaker holds this opinion)
Be careful, will you? (rising: expresses irritation)
Take care, won't you? (falling: expresses concern)

Sometimes the same words may have different patterns depending on the situation or implication.

You don't remember my name, do you? (rising: expresses surprise)

You don't remember my name, do you? (falling: expresses amusement or resignation)
Your name's Mary, isn't it? (rising: expresses uncertainty)
Your name's Mary, isn't it? (falling: expresses confidence)

It is interesting that as an all-purpose tag the London set-phrase innit (for "isn't it") is only used with falling
patterns:

He doesn't know what he's doing, innit?

He was the best in the class, innit?

On the other hand, the adverbial tag questions (alright? OK? etc.) are almost always found with rising patterns. An
occasional exception is surely.

[edit] Emphasis

English tag questions are normally stressed on the verb, but the stress is on the pronoun if there is a change of
person.

I don't like peas, do you?

I like peas, don't you?

This is often a rising tag (especially when the tag contains no negation), or the intonation pattern may be the
typically English fall-rise.

In French, this would be expressed with et toi?, which is also a kind of tag question.

[edit] Variant Forms

There are a number of variant forms that exist in particular dialects of English. These are generally invariant,
regardless of verb, person or negativity.

The tag right? is essentially equivalent to the Spanish verdad?. It is common in a number of dialects across the
UK and US.

The tag eh? is of Scottish origin, and can be heard across much of Scotland, New Zealand, Canada and the North-
Eastern United States. In Central Scotland (in and around Stirling and Falkirk), this exists in the form eh no?
which is again invariant.
[edit] False Tag in Welsh English

It is often erroneously assumed that Welsh speakers of English use a tag question to make an emphatic statement,
eg: Lovely day, isn't it?

However, this is instead a cleft sentence of the form: Lovely day, is in it.

This has its roots in the Welsh language, and this type of cleft features in all extant Celtic languages. The lack of
verb at the start of this construction coupled with the lack of rising intonation mark this as distinct from tag
questions, which are used in Welsh English in the same manner as the majority of the UK.

[edit] Tag questions in the Celtic languages

Like English, the Celtic languages form tag questions by echoing the verb of the main sentence. The Goidelic
languages, however, make little or no use of auxiliary verbs, so that it is generally the main verb itself which
reappears in the tag. Some examples from Scottish Gaelic:

Is toil leat fon, nach toil? - You like wine, don't you?
Tha i breagha an diugh, nach eil? - It's nice today, isn't it?
Chunnaic mi e, nach fhaca? - I saw him, didn't I?

(Here, eil and fhaca are dependent forms of the irregular verbs tha and chunnaic.)

In Welsh, a special particle is used to mark tag questions, which are then followed by the inflected form of the
verb:

Mae hi'n bwrw glaw heddiw, on'd ydy? - It's raining today, isn't it?
Canodd y bobl, on' do? - The people sang, didn't they?
Doi di yfory, on' doi? - You'll come tomorrow, won't you?

UNIT 3
QUESTION TAGS1

Question tags2 are normally used in informal speech or writing.

Therefore, we usually contract them. If we say a question tag
with a falling intonation, it is not a real question, that is
to say we just want our listener(s) to agree with us. However,
if it is uttered with a rising intonation, it is a real question,
as we are not sure whether something is true or not. They mean
isnt it true/right? or is it true/right?.

Add question tags to the statements given below.

1 Examples:
John can come next weekend, cant he?
John cant come next weekend, can he?

a I can ride a bicycle.

b She cant help talking nonsense.
c They cant take your car.
d We can arrange a big party.
e It cant be done.

2 Examples:
 I am your best schoolmate, arent I? (am I not? is also possible
in a more formal context.)
I am not your best schoolmate, am I?

a Im very intelligent.
b Im not very clever.
c I am not to blame for the accident.
d Im very naughty.
e I am very spoilt.

3 Examples: (he, she, it is; you, we, they are; see unit 6,
part 1, section 1.)
This is rubbish, isnt it?
This is not rubbish, is it?

a Paul isnt the black sheep of the family.

b Its a deal.
c Margaret and Mrs Green are speaking ill about Mr Green.
d There3 arent any strawberries left.
e There are two beds.

4 Examples: (he, she, it has; other persons, have; see

unit 6, part 4, sections 1 and 2.)
Shes got a beautiful smile, hasnt she?
She hasnt got a beautiful smile, has she?

a Youve got ten quid.

b Its got six sides.
c She hasnt got a son and two daughters.
d Theyve got some unripe bananas.
e I havent got a lot of apricots.

5 Examples: (simple present; all the persons, but the third

person singular; see also unit 7, part 1.)
My sisters love chatting to friends, dont they?
My sisters dont love chatting to friends, do they?

a You start work at 8 am.

b You dont finish work at 5 pm.
c They enjoy long conversations.
d You dont share anything.
e I talk too much.

6 Examples: (simple present; third person singular:

he, she, it; see also unit 7, part 1.)
This irritates him, doesnt it?
This doesnt irritate him, does it?

a He doesnt worry about car accidents.

b His dog leads his blind sister home.
c She wants to have a child.
d It smells fishy to you.
e She doesnt approve of parties.
7 Revision exercise.
a She revises your work.
b She doesnt like this corridor.
c Im the best singer in the world.
d I am not an amateur.
e They havent got the keys.
f He always rings the bell.
g They dont go out very often.
h He doesnt sell vegetables.
i There arent great expectations.
j We are quits now.
k He is going to phone Ann first thing in the morning.
l You hate hunting.
m You cant land a plane.
n He is going to wind the clock.
o Life is hard.
p Charles and William arent taking driving lessons.
q Natasha does not know what to do.
r My dogs dont bark at night.
s They cant leave this door open.
t Ingrid takes things easy.
u Maggie is easygoing.
v You remember the first time we met.
w It doesnt work properly.
x Oliver and Jeremy think this crossword is as easy as
falling of a log.
y You dont agree with them.
z A lady doesnt smoke cigars.

8 Examples: (simple past; irregular verbs; see the list provided

in unit 8; see also unit 7, part 3.)
Mary and John went to Cuba, didnt they?
Mary and John didnt go to Cuba, did they?

a Judith didnt feed her Alsatian dog last night.

b The vessel sank.
c It froze yesterday night.
d They didnt take cover from the blizzard.
e They didnt find their way out.

9 Examples: (simple past; regular verbs; see unit 7, part 3.)

Jason camplained about the food, didnt he?
Jason didnt complain about the food, did he?

a Kevin dropped the soup.

b Your grandfather always carried a stick.
c Barry robbed them last month.
d Christopher joined the army last year.
e His wound didnt heal.

10 Examples: (I, he, she, it was; you, we, they were; see unit 6,
part 1, section 2.)
You were frightened to death, werent you?
You werent frightened to death, were you?
a There wasnt anything to eat or drink.
b We were in danger.
c He wasnt inside the caf.
d She was outside the bookshop.
e They were very sensitive.

11 Examples:
He never goes to church, does he?
They hardly ever go to Lauras surgery, do they?

Barely, hardly, neither, never, nobody, scarcely, seldom, and

so on, are negative words. Consequently, we shall use an
affirmative interrogative tag. See units 5 (section 3) and
14 (section 9).

a There is no butter left.

b Nothing matters now.
c I never drink beer.
d He seldom stays at home.
e He can barely read.

12 Examples:
Nobody puts up with her behaviour, do they?
Everything was said, wasnt it?

We normally use they in the tag after anybody, anyone, everybody,

everyone, nobody, no-one, somebody, someone, and any other
singular words referring to people. However, he can be employed
in more formal speech or writing. The change of he to they is
due to the fact that many people consider he sexually bias. If
we refer to things (anything, everything, nothing, something),
we use it. See unit 10, section 9.

a Nobody knows where the treasure is hidden.

b Nothing was done about it.
c Everything is very expensive nowadays.
d Everybody gave him a warm reception.
e Every child has4 to help to lay the table.

13 Revision exercise.
a Edgars talk was a failure.
b The van crashed into a wall.
c We didnt buy any pears.
d My dog buried the bone.
e I cant look her up when I go to Glasgow.
f Your boss had to do without his secretary yesterday morning5.
g She wants to open a stationers shop.
h No-one betrayed you.
i She yelled at you about your getting there late.
j She hugged him.
k I cant catch up with you.
l Mildred never shows off.
m They were always boasting.
n Nothing grows up there.
o He wasnt up when you looked in on him at eight oclock in
the morning.
p I told you not to hit your sister.
q He doesnt cook very well.
r Philip didnt climb that oak-tree.
s Monica and you dont often make your beds.
t None of them entered the hut.
u Her new boss was impressed by her good manners.
v I am a good politician.
w Im not in the mood for going out tonight.
x They havent got your purse.
y He is in a good temper today.
z She concluded by saying that ones family always comes last.

____________________
1
They are also called tag questions.
2
If the tag is positive, we expect a negative reply; if it is
negative, a positive one:
She isnt cold-hearted, is she?
No, she isnt.
They should at least acquaint themselves with the machinery,
shouldnt they?
Yes, I think they should.
3
Use there as the subject of the question tag.
4
Use do.
5
Use did.
Author: Miquel Molina i Diez

Pages: 1, 2 and the key

Contents
Introduction
Notes
1 Negative and interrogative sentences (Page 2 and the key)
2 Short answers (Page 2 and the key)
3 Question tags (Page 2 and the key)
4 Questions and exclamations (Page 2 and the key)
5 So, neither, nor, either (the key)
6 Be, used to, would, be/get/become used to, dare, have, get, become, grow,
go, turn, fall and feel (Page 2 and the key)
7 Verb tenses: forms (Page 2 and the key)
8 Irregular verbs
9 Verb tenses: uses (Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5 and the key)
10 Personal pronouns, possessives and reflexive pronouns (Page 2 and the
key)
11 The genitive case (the key)
12 Singular and plural nouns (Page 2 and the key)
13 Gender (the key)
14 A, an, some, any, no, not, none, each, every and the; compounds of some,
any, no and every (Page 2, Page 3 and the key)
15 Neither, not...either, none, not...any, both and all (the key)
16 A few, few, a lot, lots, a little, little, many, much, no and plenty (the
key)
17 Enough, too, so and such (the key)
18 Comparative and superlative sentences (Page 2 and the key)
19 Adjective order (the key)
20 Relative clauses (Page 2 and the key)
21 Do and make (the key)
22 Modal verbs (Page 2, Page 3 and the key)
23 Infinitives, gerunds and present participles (Page 2 and the key)
24 Conditional sentences (Page 2 and the key)
25 Passive sentences
26 Reported speech
27 Purpose
28 Word order
29 Inversion
30 Connectors
31 Prepositions
32 Phrasal verbs (the key)
You have two children, havent you? (British English: OK, TOEFL: NOT)
You have two children, don't you? (Correct in American English)