Question Tags in English
Question tags are short questions at the end of a statement to turn it into a question.
In this lesson, you’ll learn the rules and practise using them.
How to use question tags?
Question tags are short questions at the end of a statement to turn it into a question.
There are some rules with these question tags;
- Use an auxiliary verb + pronoun. Use the same auxiliary verb in the statement.
- If there’s no auxiliary verb, use ‘do/does/did’.
- Use the same verb tense in the statement and question tag.
- Reverse positive and negative. If the statement is positive, use negative question tag. If the statement is negative, use positive question tag.
- Use the same pronoun that matches the statement.
- If the statement starts with ‘let’s’, use ‘shall’ in the question tag.
- For indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone), use ‘they’ in question tag.
- For imperative statements, use ‘will you/would you’.
- For ‘I am’, use ‘aren’t I’ in the question tag.
Examples
She is hungry, isn't she?
Everyone is coming, aren't they?
Let's go to the cinema, shall we?
Practise
Fill the gaps with the correct question tags.
Common mistakes learners make
- Using the wrong auxiliary verb in the question tag
- Forgetting to match the verb tense
- Not changing the positive to negative and negative to positive.
Common mistakes learners make
- Using the wrong auxiliary verb in the question tag
- Forgetting to match the verb tense
- Not changing the positive to negative and negative to positive.