QUESTION TAGS

Examples:

She laughed at you, didn’t she? aux + n’t + PRO(from S)

Jane is coming, isn’t she? QUESTION TAGS

You will not tell me that, will you? be + n’t + PRO(from S)

They have finished their work, haven’t they?

Notes:

1- a, Normally, if A (the statement) is (+), then B (the tag) is (-) and vice versa.*

E.g: Rose doesn’t want to go, does she?

He is not a doctor, isn’t he?

b, The meaning of the sentence depends on the intonation of the speaker on the tag. If one
gives the tag a rising intonation, it means that he is not sure if the statement is true, and
so the tag in this case is more like a real question, a request for information.

E.g: You have central heating, don’t you? – Yes, we do

We are going the right way, aren’t we? – I hope so

However, when the statement is clearly true, and the speaker just wants to seek for the
agreement from the listener, he uses a falling intonation on the tag.

E.g: That was fun, wasn’t it? – Yes, I really enjoyed it.

She is hot, isn’t she? – Absolutely.

c, Replying to a statement that includes a question tag could be quite tricky. Even though
the meaning of an affirmative statement is very different from a negative statement, the
answer is the same for both.

E.g: Snow is white, isn’t it? – Yes, it is

Snow is not white, is it? – Yes, it is
Snow is black, isn’t it? – No, it isn’t
Snow is not black, is it? – No, it isn’t
 *When the speaker wants to express that he has just learned, realized or remembered the
information that the other gives, or to show reaction (interest, doubt, surprise, anger) to
what someone has just said, both A and B are (+)

E.g: Brian: Anna is out in her new sports car.

Jack: Oh, she has bought one, has she?

Tom: I have been to Italy, UK, France, Ireland, U.S.A

Harry: So you have been to many countries, have you?

Compare: A1: We can’t move this cupboard.

B1: It’s heavy, isn’t it? (I already know it’s heavy)

A2: We can’t move this cupboard.

B2: It’s heavy, is it? (I’ve just learned from you)
2-

If A is then B is Examples
I am… aren’t I? I am handsome, aren’t I?
I am not… am I? I am not ugly, am I?
Let’s go to the movies
Let’s… shall we?
together, shall we?
I’ll… shall I? I’ll tell you, shall I?
an imperative can/could/will/would you? Open the door, will you?
of (-) pronouns or adverbs
It’s no good, is it?
such as no, none, no one,
You have never left this
nobody, nothing, hardly, (+)
city, have you?
barely, scarcely, never,
Nothing happens, does it?
little

3-

If the subject of A is then PRO of B is Examples

this
that That was luck, wasn’t it?
all Nothing can happen, can’t it?
it
all, nothing, anything, Everything is going to be
everything, something OK, isn’t it?

These These glasses are very

those modern, aren’t they?
anyone, no one, someone, Someone had recognized
they
everyone, everybody, him, hadn’t they?
somebody, anybody, Anyone could just walk here,
nobody,etc. couldn’t they?