QUESTION TAGS
Question tags are placed at the end of statements to turn them into questions. Negative tags are placed after positive statements and positive tags after negative statements.
It is incorrect to use the single tag ‘isn’t it?’ after all statements, as follows:
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He has gone home, isn’t it?
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She is pretty, isn’t it?
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You are Mr Gey, isn’t it?
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Positive statement
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Negative tag
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Negative statement
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Positive tag
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This bag is yours,
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isn’t it?
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That bag isn’t yours,
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is it?
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Those books are new,
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aren’t they
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These books aren’t new,
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are they?
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Mary was absent,
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wasn’t she?
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Jane wasn’t absent,
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was she?
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The boys were late,
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weren’t they?
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The girls weren’t late,
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were they?
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John has done it,
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hasn’t he?
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Patrick hasn’t done it,
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has he?
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They have seen it,
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haven’t they?
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They haven’t seen it,
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have they?
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She will help us,
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won’t she?
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She won’t help us,
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will she?
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There will be a show,
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won’t there?
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There won’t be a show,
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will there?
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You can carry it,
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can’t you?
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You can’t carry it,
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can you?
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They could do it,
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couldn’t they?
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They couldn’t do it,
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could they?
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She must be here,
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mustn’t she?
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She mustn’t be there,
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must she?
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Children like sweets,
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don’t they?
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They don’t like sweets,
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do they?
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James works hard,
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doesn’t he?
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Tom doesn’t work hard,
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does he?
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David lost the game,
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didn’t he?
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He didn’t lose the game,
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did he?
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Correct Question Tags
1. She can’t sing very well, can she? I wonder how she got a job as a singer.
2. You wouldn’t lie to me, ………………… ?
3. Stop arguing with him, ………………… ? It won’t get you anywhere.
4. No-one has arrived yet, ………………… ? I suppose it’s still early.
5. Some students will volunteer to plant trees, ………………… ?
6. Greg hardly practises on his guitar these days, ………………… ? I wonder why.
7. Mary should go to the doctor, ………………… ? She doesn’t feel well.
8. Mr and Mrs White hadn’t sold their house before they moved out, ………………… ?
9. I am shorter than her, ………………… ?
10. There is no reason for us to fight, ………………… ?
11. He has a shower every morning, ………………… ?
12. Don’t bother to call me again, ………………… ?
13. That’s a nice shirt, ………………… ?
14. She didn’t use to live in England, ………………… ?
15. Mr Rogers hasn’t had any experience in this job, ………………… ?
16. Everyone must come, ………………… ?
17. She has got her own office, ………………… ?
Complete the dialogues with question tags.
1
MR BLAKE: You’re from India, …………… ?
MR SMITH: Yes, I am. You’ve never been to India, …………… ?
MR BLAKE: No, but I’d like to go there some day. It’s very hot during the summer there,
…………… ? And the temperature can reach as high as 48°C, …………… ?
MR SMITH: Yes, but we try to stay in the shade during the day.
2
BEATRICE: The War Museum was fantastic, …………… ? Let’s visit the Science Museum
now, …………… ? And later we’ll have time to tour around the city, …………… ?
Come on…
ALEX: Hey, wait a minute, …………… ?
BEATRICE: What? You’re not tired, …………… ?
ALEX: Of course I am. I’m hungry too. We hardly had anything to eat this morning,
…………… ?
BEATRICE: Yes, but we can get something later, …………… ?
ALEX: No, you can go by yourself. I’m going to that fast food place over there.
3
MARK: Excuse me. You’re Jack Trap the famous singer, …………… ?
JACK: Why do you ask? You’re not an autograph hunter, …………… ?
MARK: Yes, I am actually. There’s nothing wrong with that, …………… ?
JACK: I don’t suppose you can understand just how tired we stars get of signing autographs,
…………… ?
MARK: No, I suppose not. But I bet you didn’t complain about it when you weren’t famous, …………… ?
JACK: Look. Let’s get this straight, …………… ? I don’t feel like signing autographs today, OK?
MARK: Oh, come on. One little signature isn’t much to ask for, …………… ?
JACK: You don’t give up easily, …………… ?
MARK: No.
JACK: OK. Here you are. Now leave me in peace, …………… ?
MARK: You’re a pretty rude person, …………… ?
Answer:
C. Complete the blanks with question tags.
1. She can’t sing very well, can she? I wonder how she got a job as a singer.
2. You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?
3. Stop arguing with him, will you/won’t you/can you/can’t you/could you/ would you? It won’t get
you anywhere.
4. No-one has arrived yet, have they? I suppose it’s still early.
5. Some students will volunteer to plant trees, won’t they?
6. Greg hardly practises on his guitar these days, does he? I wonder why.
7. Mary should go to the doctor, shouldn’t she? She doesn’t feel well.
8. Mr and Mrs White hadn’t sold their house before they moved out, had they?
9. I am shorter than her, aren’t I?
10. There is no reason for us to fight, is there?
11. He has a shower every morning, doesn’t he?
12. Don’t bother to call me again, will you?
13. That’s a nice shirt, isn’t it?
14. She didn’t use to live in England, did she?
15. Mr Rogers hasn’t had any experience in this job, has he?
16. Everyone must come, mustn’t they?
17. She has got her own office, hasn’t she? (possession)
D. Complete the dialogues with question tags.
1
MR BLAKE: You’re from India, aren’t you?
MR SMITH: Yes, I am. You’ve never been to India, have you?
MR BLAKE: No, but I’d like to go there some day. It’s very hot during the summer there,
isn’t it? And the temperature can reach as high as 48°C, can’t it?
MR SMITH: Yes, but we try to stay in the shade during the day.
2
BEATRICE: The War Museum was fantastic, wasn’t it? Let’s visit the Science Museum
now, shall we? And later we’ll have time to tour around the city, won’t we?
Come on…
ALEX: Hey, wait a minute, will you/won’t you/can you/can’t you/could you/ would you?
BEATRICE: What? You’re not tired, are you?
ALEX: Of course I am. I’m hungry too. We hardly had anything to eat this morning, did we?
BEATRICE: Yes, but we can get something later, can’t we?
ALEX: No, you can go by yourself. I’m going to that fast food place over there.
3
MARK: Excuse me. You’re Jack Trap the famous singer, aren’t you?
JACK: Why do you ask? You’re not an autograph hunter, are you?
MARK: Yes, I am actually. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?
JACK: I don’t suppose you can understand just how tired we stars get of signing autographs,
can you? Some introductory phrases beginning with “I” (I’m afraid, I think, I
believe, I suspect, I suppose) do not affect the tag question except for the transfer of
negation.
MARK: No, I suppose not. But I bet you didn’t complain about it when you weren’t famous, did you?
JACK: Look. Let’s get this straight, shall we? I don’t feel like signing autographs today, OK?
MARK: Oh, come on. One little signature isn’t much to ask for, is it?
JACK: You don’t give up easily, do you?
MARK: No.
JACK: OK. Here you are. Now leave me in peace, will you/won’t you/can you/can’t
you/could you/ would you?
You’re a pretty rude person, aren’t you?
MARK:
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Question Tags