QUESTION TAGS

What are question tags?Question tags are short questions that you put at the end of statements. There are lots of different question tags but the rules are simple.They are mainly used in speech when we want to:• confirm that something is true or not• to encourage a reply from the person we

are speaking to.

When do you use question tags?Question tags are formed with the auxiliary or modal verb and the subject pronoun of the statement. Contraction is obligatory in negative question tags.

A positive statement is followed by a negative question tag.• Jack is from Spain, isn't he?• Mary can speak English, can't she?

A negative statement is followed by a positive question tag.• They aren't funny, are they?• He isn't your friend, is he?

When there's no modal or no auxiliary verb in the statement and the verb is in the present simple you use do/ does.

• You play the guitar, don't you?• Allison likes tennis, doesn't she?

If the verb is in the past simple you use did.• They went to the cinema, didn't they?• She studied in New Zealand, didn't she?

When the statement contains a word with a negative meaning, the question tag needs to be positive.• He hardly ever speaks, does he?• They rarely eat in restaurants, do they?• Nothing is wrong, is it?

⚠ Irregular question tags• I'm attractive, aren't I?• Let's go to the cinema, shall we?• Don't stop kissing me, will you?• There aren't any monsters in my closet, are

there?• That/this isn't your car, is it?• Those/these aren't your parents, are they?