| Question Tag is a typical construction in English. It is a statement followed by a short question. A statement is turned into question to ask for confirmation. Question tag is the shortest form of question in English language. Question tag is also known as Tag Question, Short Question and Question Tail. |
| Positive Sentence – Negative QT |
| Smith is American, isn’t he? We studied Japanese last year, didn’t we? Clara has an idea about it, hasn’t she? They would climb the hill, wouldn’t they? John wakes up earlier, doesn’t he? Covid-19 is a very lethal disease, isn’t it? India had played excellently in the 1983 World Cup, hadn’t it? They borrowed money for their daughter’s wedding, didn’t they? Sachin gets up early in the morning every day, doesn’t he? Ram and Shyam are twins, aren’t they? Wait and watch! He will take revenge on them, won’t he? We must learn from our experiences, mustn’t we? She ought to look after her family, oughtn’t she? They were supposed to attend that meeting, weren’t they? You could have done better, couldn’t you? We should have gone there yesterday, shouldn’t we? I am committed to carry out my duties sincerely, aren’t I? He has completed his task, hasn’t he? Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, was the disciple of Plato, wasn’t he? |
| Negative Sentence – Positive QT |
| Joseph is not interested, is he? She didn’t go with her sister, did she? That wasn’t a good movie, was it? We had not supported him, had we? Students won’t solve the problems, will they? I am not bound to answer your every question, am I? She was not loyal to her principles, was she? They should not have hurt my feelings, should they? You have never listened to me, have you? William did not abandon his beloved till last breath, did he? Those days were not good at all, were they? You must not behave like this, must you? It would not have been possible without you, would it? We never liked each other, did we? They cannot tolerate this nonsense, can they? I shall never obey you, shall I? He will not succeed without hard work, will he? Let’s not discuss this matter again, shall we? David does not feel well today, does he? They might not be at home now, might they? |
| ‘This/That’ becomes ‘it’ |
| That must be a good idea, mustn’t it? This is the village where I was born, isn’t it? That could have a better option, couldn’t it? That was not my choice at all, was it? That hill looks very beautiful in Monsoon, doesn’t it? This is not my cup of tea, is it? This is a long-cherished dream come true, isn’t it? That tree bears beautiful flowers in autumn, doesn’t it? That was my lost pen, wasn’t it? This is just unutterable and unbearable, isn’t it? That was not a good decision, was it? This is my favourite restaurant, isn’t it? That must not have been done by him, must it? This is the climax of cruelty, isn’t it? This is the school where I studied, isn’t it? This isn’t your favourite dish, is it? This dress doesn’t suit you, does it? That book was really interesting, wasn’t it? That is not the part of my duty, is it? This is not the place I wanted to visit, is it? |
| ‘These/Those’ becomes ‘they’ |
| These must have been the footsteps of a lion, mustn’t they? Those were the golden days of my life, weren’t they? These books are our best and truest friends, aren’t they? Those flowers smell sweetly, don’t they? These are my childhood friends, aren’t they? These circumstances are not avoidable, are they? Those are the real heroes, aren’t they? These are excellent works of art, aren’t they? Those flowers will not wither quickly, will they? Those boys do not exercise daily, do they? These things are not good for the betterment of country, are they? Those outdoor games have lost somewhere now, haven’t they? Those curtains look beautiful, don’t they? These days of pandemic are worst of all, aren’t they? These video games took over the minds of youth, didn’t they? These are happy children, aren’t they? These books are not important for you, are they? Those boys were in my team, weren’t they? Those are not the elected members, are they? Those were very useful books, were they? |
| ‘There’ remains ‘there’ |
| There are many alternatives available before you, aren’t there? There is no any chance of winning the case, is there? There is a way, where there is a will, isn’t there? There were many trees in this forest at one time, weren’t there? There must not be anybody in the room, must there? There is a strength in unity, isn’t there? There are not many friends in my life, are there? There can be only one person behind this crime, can’t there? There are different variants of Corona virus, aren’t there? There are many countries in the world suffering from Omicron, aren’t there? There will be an interview for this post, won’t there? There are many candidates, aren’t there? There were many years ago, that disaster took place, weren’t there? There are two sides of every coin, aren’t there? There will be a severe drought if we don’t save water, won’t there? There are different types of trees, aren’t there? There were few students in the class, weren’t there? There is no difficulty in paper, is there? There won’t be a proper training, will there? There was not a single mistake, was there? |
| Simple Past – ‘did’ |
| He accepted my challenge confidently, didn’t he? I met them last week, didn’t I? James never talked about his depression, did he? They scolded their son harshly, didn’t they? She never got ready to marry him, did she? You broke your promise, didn’t you? They betrayed each other, didn’t they? He surpassed all the players in Tennis, didn’t he? I took every step very carefully, didn’t I? She burst into tears all of a sudden, didn’t she? They became sworn enemies afterwards, didn’t they? You never backed me up for my dreams, did you? We enjoyed a picnic to our heart’s content, didn’t we? We saw a movie yesterday, didn’t we? John didn’t solve all questions, did he? They worked really hard, didn’t they? Smith attended online lecture, didn’t he? All students participated in the race, didn’t they? |
| Simple Present – ‘do’ / ‘does’ |
| He who reads, leads the world, doesn’t he? I love spending time in the lap of Nature, don’t I? John speaks Spanish fluently, doesn’t he? They don’t do their work honestly, do they? She has a honey-coated voice, doesn’t she? We want a corruption-free country, don’t we? You cheat on her, don’t you? It looks something suspicious, doesn’t it? He drinks and beats his wife every day, doesn’t he? They don’t come to college regularly, do they? Omicron spreads very rapidly, doesn’t it? I don’t want to lose my courage, do I? It boosts my morale every time I listen to that song, doesn’t it? Sachin goes to temple every Saturday, doesn’t he? Boys make much noise in the classroom, don’t they? My father works in this office, doesn’t he? We go to beach every Sunday, don’t we? George doesn’t like to eat pickle, does he? They play on the ground regularly, don’t they? Students do not like to play football, do they? |
| Imperative – ‘will you?’ |
| Keep things simple, will you? Do not break your word, will you? Sit there and read a book, will you? Be inspiring as much as you can, will you? Abide by traffic rules to avoid accidents, will you? Make good friends in your life, will you? Turn the fan off, will you? Develop good habits in yourself, will you? Do not touch the electric wire, will you? Cool down, everything will be fine, will you? Don’t judge books by their covers, will you? Stop irritating me now, will you? Study hard if you want success, will you? Try to be more pro-active than reactive, will you? Read the instructions carefully, will you? Use mask at public places, will you? Go straight and turn right, will you? Stop discussing on that topic, will you? Show me you notebook now, will you? Do not shout in the classroom, will you? |
| ‘Let’s’ – ‘shall we?’ |
| Let’s have a lot of fun on his birthday, shall we? Let’s start our discussion, shall we? Let’s not forget that we are grown up now, shall we? Let’s devote ourselves to our work, shall we? Let’s bring about reformation in our society, shall we? Let’s be honest with each other, shall we? Let’s not fight any longer, shall we? Let’s take an oath to develop our beloved nation, shall we? Let’s motivate others to take education, shall we? Let’s join hands together for this noble cause, shall we? Let’s save water and our planet, shall we? Let’s say ‘No’ to plastic, shall we? Let’s help the poor, shall we? Let’s get united and stronger, shall we? Let’s forget hostility and become friends, shall we? Let’s go and fight with them, shall we? Let’s learn English grammar, shall we? Let’s visit the exhibition now, shall we? Let’s solve the problem together, shall we? Let’s swim in the river, shall we? |
| Plural subject – ‘they’ |
| Many people are suffering from Covid-19, aren’t they? Those boys are from 10th standard, aren’t they? John and David had been dismissed from their jobs, hadn’t they? These are very frosty days, aren’t they? My in-laws are good-hearted people, aren’t they? They have many followers on Instagram, haven’t they? Julia and Mary were cousins, weren’t they? Bennets live next to us, don’t they? These fruits are so fresh, aren’t they? They sacrificed their entire life for their children, didn’t they? Honest people are rarely found these days, aren’t they? All students were making noise in the classroom, weren’t they? Those were sweetest memories of my life, weren’t they? They were not ready to help me, were they? These are my chocolates, aren’t they? Many have answered correctly, haven’t they? All boys danced very well, didn’t they? Schools are not opening this month, are they? Tourists had not visited all the spots, had they? Volunteers will help the victims, won’t they? |
| ‘I am’ – ‘aren’t I?’ |
| I am studying English grammar, aren’t I? I’m going to Australia next month, aren’t I? I am a man of work, aren’t I? I am fond of music, aren’t I? I am working for a finance company, aren’t I? I am good at cooking, aren’t I? I am learning to keep calm, aren’t I? I am interested in paintings, aren’t I? I am going abroad next week, aren’t I? I’m studying very hard, aren’t I? I am taking care of myself properly, aren’t I? I am my own master, aren’t I? I am enjoying my vacation, aren’t I? I’m scornful of hypocrisy, aren’t I? I am a principled and disciplined person, aren’t I? I am a night owl, aren’t I? I am your bosom friend, aren’t I? I am obsessed with my passion for music, aren’t I? I’m interested in detective stories, aren’t I? I’m drawing a picture, aren’t I? |
| More details about Question Tag |
| MORE GRAMMAR TOPICS |
| GRAMMAR: SPOT THE ERROR |
| USEFUL EXPRESSIONS IN ENGLISH SPEAKING |
Superb
Nice grammar. Thanks
Ok