Look at these examples to see how question tags are used.
You haven't seen this film, have you?
Your sister lives in Spain, doesn't she?
He can't drive, can he?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We can add question tags like isn't it?, can you? or didn't they? to a statement to make it into a question. Question tags are more common in speaking than writing.
We often use question tags when we expect the listener to agree with our statement. In this case, when the statement is positive, we use a negative question tag.
She's a doctor, isn't she?
Yesterday was so much fun, wasn't it?
If the statement is negative, we use a positive question tag.
He isn't here, is he?
The trains are never on time, are they?
Nobody has called for me, have they?
If we are sure or almost sure that the listener will confirm that our statement is correct, we say the question tag with a falling intonation. If we are a bit less sure, we say the question tag with a rising intonation.
Formation
If there is an auxiliary verb in the statement, we use it to form the question tag.
I don't need to finish this today, do I?
James is working on that, isn't he?
Your parents have retired, haven't they?
The phone didn't ring, did it?
It was raining that day, wasn't it?
Your mum hadn't met him before, had she?
Sometimes there is no auxiliary verb already in the statement. For example, when:
... the verb in the statement is present simple or past simple and is positive. Here we use don't, doesn't or didn't:
Jenni eats cheese, doesn't she?
I said that already, didn't I?
... the verb in the statement is to be in the present simple or past simple. In this case we use to be to make the question tag:
The bus stop's over there, isn't it?
None of those customers were happy, were they?
... the verb in the statement is a modal verb. Here we use the modal verb to make the question tag:
They could hear me, couldn't they?
You won't tell anyone, will you?
If the main verb or auxiliary verb in the statement is am, the positive question tag is am I? but the negative question tag is usually aren't I?:
I'm never on time, am I?
I'm going to get an email with the details, aren't I?
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hi, I want to know about question tags for the verb"need".. For example, is there a different in question tags for 'need "'& ' needn't'. You need to stay there longer, don't you _ You needn't take the test, did you? Are those correct?
Hello meomeomeo,
The tag for the first example are as follows:
In the second example, needn't is a present form, so did is not correct. Also, in this example need and needn't are modal verbs. When we form a question tag with a modal verb we use the modal for the tag:
The past form is modal + have + verb3:
However, the equivalents with need are not used in modern English and sound very unnatural. We would switch to the non-modal form to make a tag question, or else use a different item such as ...right? or ...correct?
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Excuse me , What is the difference between "talk to " and "talk with"?
Hello Mr. Mansour Abdellah,
In many contexts you can use either with no difference in meaning. In fact, I can't think of a context in which only one would be possible, so the difference is really one of nuance and/or style rather than meaning. Some people see talk with as suggesting more of a two-way conversation while talk to is often used for giving or receiving information. However, I don't think this is a very useful rule and it's much more a question of personal preference and possibly dialect. Talk to is more common in British English, I believe, while talk with is more common in US English.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Please, could you help me with these questions?
4- Little water was left for me, .........?
11- He must be ill; he didn't attend the lesson today, .........?
12- He must study hard otherwise, he will fail, .........?
13- He must have bought a new car, .........?
16- The baby is fast asleep, .........?
Hello Iceed,
There are basically two steps to choosing the correct form: 1) identify the auxiliary verb that the question tag is related to, and 2) form the question tag.
In sentence 11, for example, the verb before the question tag is 'didn't attend'. To form the question tag, you use the same tense and person and use affirmative form (since 'didn't' is negative) of the auxiliary verb: 'did he?'. In 12 and 16, it's similar: 'won't he' and 'isn't it'. 13 looks a little trickier, but you do the same: take the auxiliary verb 'must' and then negate it: 'mustn't he'.
I can't think of a way that 4 could sound natural to me, but assuming this is from some textbook, I suppose the answer it suggests is 'wasn't it'. But this is very awkward sounding. I wouldn't include this sentence in an exercise on question tags.
By the way, please let us know what you think the answers are. It will help us explain our answers better.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
in my opinion,
11. 'must' is used as speculation in the present: isn't he?
12. 'must' is used as necessity: needn't he?
13. like question 11 but used in the past: didn't he? or hasn't he?
4. was it? (little is a negative adv)
16. isn't he/ she?
Hello Huong Lai,
For 4, I think 'was it' is intelligible, but it still sounds awkward to me. Perhaps in some varieties of English it would be normal, but for me it is not.
For 11, the question tag refers to 'didn't attend the lesson', not to 'must be ill'. So 'did he' is the best choice.
For 12, the question tag refers to 'he will fail', not 'must'. 'won't he' is the best choice.
For 13, I'd repeat what I said above.
For 16, I agree with your proposal, though we also sometimes say 'it' when we don't know the gender of the baby.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Thanks for your reply.
4. Because "Little" is a negative adv (which is different from "A little") so I think "was it?" may be more grammatically correct?
11 and 12: Thanks for your explanation
13. speculation in the past - so "did he?" or has he?"
Looking forward for your reply soon
Hello Huong Lai,
4. 'was it' is correct grammatically, but I can't think of a situation when it would be used, at least among native speakers.
13. Again, I don't think I'd ever use a question tag with this statement, but if I had to, I'd say 'mustn't he?'
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team