A question tag is a short question (isn't it? do you? haven't they?) added to the end of a sentence. A positive sentence usually takes a negative tag and a negative sentence a positive one; the intonation decides whether it is a real question.
A What a question tag is
Isn't it?, have you? and didn't they? are question tags: small questions added to the end of a sentence.
A tag uses an auxiliary verb (have / was / will / can etc.). For the present simple and past simple, use do / does / did (see Unit 51).
- "You haven't seen my keys, have you?" "No, I haven't."
- "That was a good match, wasn't it?" "Yes, brilliant."
- "Your dad plays golf, doesn't he?" "He does, though not with any great success."
- "You didn't post the letter, did you?" "No, sorry. I forgot."
B Positive sentence, negative tag; negative sentence, positive tag
Normally a positive sentence takes a negative tag, and a negative sentence takes a positive tag:
| Positive sentence + negative tag | Negative sentence + positive tag |
|---|---|
| Becky will ring soon, won't she? | Becky won't forget, will she? |
| There was a queue, wasn't there? | They don't eat meat, do they? |
| Rory should win, shouldn't he? | You haven't paid yet, have you? |
Take care with yes and no after a negative sentence. They answer the facts, not the grammar:
"You're not driving tonight, are you?"
- "Yes." (= Yes, I am driving)
- "No." (= No, I am not driving)
- Becky will ring soon, won't she?
- They don't eat meat, do they?
- You haven't paid yet, have you?
- "You're not driving tonight, are you?" "No, I'm getting the bus."
C What your voice does
The meaning of a tag depends on how you say it.
If your voice goes down on the tag, you are not really asking. You expect the listener to agree with you.
If your voice goes up, it is a real question. "You haven't seen Jamal today, have you?" means "Have you seen Jamal today?"
A negative sentence + positive tag, with the voice going up, is also a polite way to ask for something, to ask for information, or to ask somebody to do something. It assumes the answer will be no, which makes it rather difficult to refuse gracefully.
- "It's freezing today, isn't it?" "Yes, bitter."
- "Alfie doesn't look well, does he?" "No, he looks exhausted."
- "Your nan's a great cook. She makes amazing pies, doesn't she?" "Yes, she does."
- "You haven't seen Jamal today, have you?" "No, I haven't."
- "You couldn't lend me a tenner, could you?" "It depends what it's for."
- "You don't know where the scissors are, do you?" "Sorry, no idea."
D Let's ..., Don't ..., I'm ...
After Let's ... (= Let us), the tag is shall we? The voice goes up.
After Don't ..., the tag is will you? The voice goes down.
After I'm ..., the negative tag is aren't I? (= am I not?)
- Let's get a taxi, shall we?
- Don't touch the paint, will you?
- "I'm next, aren't I?" "Yes, you are."
Exercises
52.1 Complete these sentences with a question tag.
"Harry won't forget, will he?" "No, he never forgets anything."
"Harry won't forget, will he?" "No, he never forgets anything."
"You're hungry, aren't you?" "Yes, starving."
"You're hungry, aren't you?" "Yes, starving."
"You cook a lot, ?" "Yes, I love it."
"You cook a lot, don't you?" "Yes, I love it."
"You weren't paying attention, ?" "Yes, I was!"
"You weren't paying attention, were you?" "Yes, I was!"
"Martin doesn't know Gemma, ?" "No, they've never been introduced."
"Martin doesn't know Gemma, does he?" "No, they've never been introduced."
"Laura's at work, ?" "Yes, she's on a late shift."
"Laura's at work, isn't she?" "Yes, she's on a late shift."
"It didn't cost much, ?" "No, only a fiver."
"It didn't cost much, did it?" "No, only a fiver."
"You can play the guitar, ?" "Yes, but rather badly."
"You can play the guitar, can't you?" "Yes, but rather badly."
"The neighbours won't mind if we park here, ?" "No, of course not."
"The neighbours won't mind if we park here, will they?" "No, of course not."
"There's a lot of traffic today, ?" "Yes, it's worse than usual."
"There's a lot of traffic today, isn't there?" "Yes, it's worse than usual."
"Let's get a takeaway, ?" "Yes, good idea."
"Let's get a takeaway, shall we?" "Yes, good idea."
"This film isn't very good, ?" "No, it's dreadful."
"This film isn't very good, is it?" "No, it's dreadful."
"I'm a bit late, ?" "Yes, about twenty minutes."
"I'm a bit late, aren't I?" "Yes, about twenty minutes."
"You wouldn't tell my mum, ?" "No, I promise."
"You wouldn't tell my mum, would you?" "No, I promise."
"Dylan has worked here for ages, ?" "Yes, since 2009."
"Dylan has worked here for ages, hasn't he?" "Yes, since 2009."
"I shouldn't have said that, ?" "No, but never mind."
"I shouldn't have said that, should I?" "No, but never mind."
"She'd never been to Ireland before, ?" "No, it was her first trip."
"She'd never been to Ireland before, had she?" "No, it was her first trip."
"Don't lose the receipt, ?" "No, I'll keep it safe."
"Don't lose the receipt, will you?" "No, I'll keep it safe."
52.2 In these situations you expect your friend to agree with you. Use a question tag in your sentence, starting with the words given.
You open the curtains. There is frost on the grass and the sun is shining. You say to your friend:
(lovely morning) It ...
It's a lovely morning, isn't it?
It's a lovely morning, isn't it?
You are reading the menu outside a seaside café. The prices are far higher than you expected. You say:
(pricey) It ...
It's pricey, isn't it?
You and a friend have just come out of a concert. You both loved it. You say:
(brilliant) The concert ...
The concert was brilliant, wasn't it?
You visit a friend. The kitchen was grey when you last saw it and now it is bright yellow. You say:
(have / your kitchen / paint) You ...
You've had your kitchen painted, haven't you?
You are listening to a young man playing the piano in a station. You think he is very good. You say:
(a lot of talent) He ...
He's got a lot of talent, hasn't he?
You are trying on a pair of trousers in a shop. You look in the mirror and you are not impressed. You say to your friend:
(not / fit / properly) They ...
They don't fit properly, do they?
You and a friend are walking along a cliff path. The edge is crumbling in several places. You say:
(not / look / safe) This path ...
This path doesn't look safe, does it?
52.3 In these situations you are asking for information, or asking people to do things. Write a negative sentence with a positive question tag.
Your phone is nearly dead. Perhaps Kezia has a charger. Ask her.
Kezia, you ...
Kezia, you don't have a charger I could borrow, do you?
Kezia, you don't have a charger I could borrow, do you?
You have to carry a sofa upstairs. You want Ben to help you with it. Ask him.
Ben, you ...
Ben, you couldn't help me with this sofa, could you?
You are looking for Tariq. Perhaps Joanne knows where he is. Ask her.
Joanne, you ...
Joanne, you don't know where Tariq is, do you?
You want to borrow a ladder. Perhaps Phil has one. Ask him.
Phil, ...
Phil, you don't have a ladder I could borrow, do you?
Mel has a car and you need a lift to the hospital. Perhaps she will take you. Ask her.
Mel, ...
Mel, you couldn't give me a lift to the hospital, could you?
You are looking for your glasses. Perhaps Graham has seen them. Ask him.
Graham, ...
Graham, you haven't seen my glasses, have you?