Tag Questions

You speak English, don't you?

A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a mini-question.

A "tag" is something small that we add to something larger. For example, the little piece of cloth
added to a shirt showing size or washing instructions is a tag.

We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean something
like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in English.

The basic structure is:

statement question tag

+ -
Positive statement, negative tag?

Snow is white, isn't it?

- +
Negative statement, positive tag?

You don't like me, do you?

Notice that the question tag repeats the auxiliary verb (or main verb when be) from the statement
and changes it to negative or positive.

A question tag is the "mini-question" at the end. A tag question is the whole sentence.
Positive Statement Tag Questions
Look at these examples with positive statements. You will see that most of the time, the
auxiliary verb from the positive statement is repeated in the tag and changed to negative.

positive statement [+] negative tag [-] notes:

personal
main pronoun
subject auxiliary auxiliary not
verb (same as
subject)

You are coming, are n't you?

We have finished, have n't we?

You do like coffee, do n't you?

You like coffee, do n't you? You (do) like...*

They will help, wo n't they? won't = will not

I can come, can 't I?

We must go, must n't we?

He should try harder, should n't he?

You are English, are n't you?

*Note that in this example the auxiliary verb do in the statement - "You like coffee," - is
understood and not expressed because the tense is normal present simple. But the question tag
uses the do auxiliary to make "don't you?" It is also possible to say: "You do like coffee, don't
you?"
Negative Statement Tag Questions
Look at these examples with negative statements. Notice that the negative verb in the original
statement is changed to positive in the tag.

negative statement [-] positive tag [+]

personal
subject auxiliary main verb auxiliary pronoun
(same as subject)

It is n't raining, is it?

We have never seen that, have we?

You do n't like coffee, do you?

They will not help, will they?

They wo n't report us, will they?

I can never do it right, can I?

We must n't tell her, must we?

He should n't drive so fast, should he?

You wo n't be late, will you?

You are n't English, are you?

John was not there, was he?

Notice that in the tag, we repeat the auxiliary verb, not the main verb. Except, of course, for the
verb be in present simple and past simple.
Answering Tag Questions
How do we answer a tag question? Often, we just say Yes or No. Sometimes we may repeat the
tag and reverse it (They don't live here, do they? Yes, they do). Be very careful about answering
tag questions. In some languages, an opposite system of answering is used, and non-native
English speakers sometimes answer in the wrong way. This can lead to a lot of confusion!

Answer a tag question according to the truth of the situation. Your answer reflects the real facts,
not (necessarily) the question.

For example, everyone knows that snow is white. Look at these questions, and the correct
answers:

correct
tag question
answer

Snow is
Yes (it
white, isn't
is). the answer is the same in both
it? cases - because snow IS
WHITE!
Snow isn't
Yes it is!
white, is it? but notice the change of stress
when the answerer does not agree
Snow is with the questioner
No it
black, isn't
isn't! the answer is the same in both
it? cases - because snow IS NOT
BLACK!
Snow isn't No (it
black, is it? isn't).

In some languages, people answer a question like "Snow isn't black, is it?" with "Yes" (meaning
"Yes, I agree with you"). This is the wrong answer in English!

Here are some more examples, with correct answers:

 The moon goes round the earth, doesn't it? Yes, it does.
 The earth is bigger than the moon, isn't it? Yes.
 The earth is bigger than the sun, isn't it? No, it isn't!
 Asian people don't like rice, do they? Yes, they do!
 Elephants live in Europe, don't they? No, they don't!
 Men don't have babies, do they? No.
 The English alphabet doesn't have 40 letters, does it? No, it doesn't.
Tag Question Special Cases
Negative Adverbs

The adverbs never, rarely, seldom, hardly, barely and scarcely have a negative sense. Even
though they may be in a positive statement, the feeling of the statement is negative. We treat
statements with these words like negative statements, so the question tag is normally positive.
Look at these examples:

positive statement treated as negative statement positive tag

He never came again, did he?

She can rarely come these days, can she?

You hardly ever came late, did you?

I barely know you, do I?

You would scarcely expect her to know that, would you?

You have to go, don't you? you (do) have to go...

I have been answering, haven't I? use first auxiliary

Nothing came in the post, did it? treat statements with nothing, nobody etc like negative statements

Let's go, shall we? let's = let us

He'd better do it, hadn't he? he had better (no auxiliary)

Intonation

We can change the meaning of a tag question with the musical pitch of our voice. With rising
intonation, it sounds like a real question. But if our intonation falls, it sounds more like a
statement that doesn't require a real answer:

intonation

You don't know where my wallet is, do you? / rising real question

It's a beautiful view, isn't it? \ falling not a real question

Sometimes we use question tags with imperatives (invitations, orders), but the sentence remains
an imperative and does not require a direct answer. We use won't for invitations. We use can,
can't, will, would for orders.

imperative + question tag notes:

invitation Take a seat, won't you? polite

Help me, can you? quite friendly

Help me, can't you? quite friendly (some irritation?)

order Close the door, would you? quite polite

Do it now, will you. less polite

Don't forget, will you. with negative imperatives only will is possible
Exercises!

1. You want to go on holiday, ____?

2. Charles will help us, ____?

3. Mary has a little lamb, ____?

4. I am the new student, ___?

5. They never clean the windows, ____?

6. Read your books, _____________?

7. The door has been locked, ___?

8. Let's not make stupid people famous, ___?

9. He moved abroad, _______?

10. Everything is possible, ___?