Question Tag Definition in english with examples upsc ssc ias state pcs exames important topic

Question Tag

• A question tag is a small question at the end of a statement.

• Question tags are used to ask for confirmation.

Examples:

● You are the owner of this house, aren’t you?

● It is true, isn’t it?

● It is not true, is it?

• How to form a question tags

Rule (i)

• If the statement is positive, the question tag is negative and if the statement is negative, the question tag is positive.

A positive statement + a negative question tag

A negative statement + a positive question tag

Examples:

● You are John’s brother, aren’t you?

● You are not John’s brother, are you?

Rule (ii)

• A question tag should never start with a capital letter.

• A question tag contains two words. It contains the same subject as the statement. The subject of a question tag can’t be noun, it is always a pronoun.

Examples:

· Ashok is your best friend, isn’t he?

· You can do it, can’t you?

· You should apologise to them, shouldn’t you?

· They could wait for some more time, couldn’t they?

· She can’t speak English, can she?

· We should not do this, should we?

· Nobody knows the truth, do they?

Rule (iii)

• If the statement contains ‘a be or an auxiliary verb’, the same verb is repeated in the question tag.

•  The tense remains the same.

Examples:

● He was a great thinker, wasn’t he?

● We are best friends, aren’t we?

● They were very happy, weren’t they?

● Dinesh is eligible to apply for this job, isn’t he?

● He has finished his work, hasn’t he?

● You don’t play cricket, do you?

● They are waiting for their turn, aren’t they?

● Khushboo is cooking food, isn’t she?

● Trisha is not doing her homework, is she?

● Sumit runs very fast, doesn’t he?

Rule (iv)

• If the statement contains neither ‘a be nor an auxiliary verb, the tag contains ‘do/does/ did’.

Examples:

● You speak English, don’t you?

● He doesn’t speak English, does he?

● She sings very well, doesn’t she?

● We always help her, don’t we?

● You know him very well, don’t you?

● She told you the truth, didn’t she?

● She didn’t tell you the truth, did she?

● He came here that day, didn’t he?

Rule (v)

• 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 ‘aren’t I?’.

Examples:

● I am never on time, am I?

● I am going to get an email with the details, aren’t I?

● I am late, aren’t I?

● I am not invited to the party, am I?

Rule (vi)

• If the statement contains ‘has/have/had’ as the main verb, the tag may contain either ‘has/have/had’ or ‘do/does/did’.

Examples:

● You have enough money to buy a dictionary, haven’t you or don’t you?

● She has a diamond ring, hasn’t she or doesn’t she?

● We have enough milk to make tea, haven’t we or don’t we?

● His father had a lot of money, hadn’t he or didn’t he?

● We had some time left, hadn’t we or didn’t we?

● He has a car, hasn’t he or doesn’t he?

Note (i)

• If the statement contains words, like ‘never, seldom, hardly, scarcely, barely’, the question tag is positive.

Examples:

● He never speaks the truth, does he?

● She seldom asks questions, does she?

● There is hardly anytime left, is there?

● He barely talked to me, did he?

● She scarcely remembers to feed the fish, does she?

Note (ii)

• If ‘Nobody, Somebody, Everybody’ is the subject of the statement, the question will have ‘they’ as its subject.

Examples:

● Nobody helped you there, did they?

● Nobody has objected to it, have they?

● Everybody laughed at the joke, didn’t they?

● Everybody has arrived, haven’t they?

● Everybody is happy with her decision, aren’t they?

Note (iii)

• If ‘Nothing, Something, Everything, Anything’ is the subject of the statement, the question will have ‘it’ as its subject.

Examples:

● Nothing was easy for us, was it?

● Nothing is difficult for me, is it?

● Nothing is more important than life, is it?

● Anything can happen, can’t it?

● Everything is great, isn’t it?

● Nothing is impossible, is it?

Rule (vii)

• Imperative Sentence →  Question Tag

• Positive command → will not you?/won’t you?

• Negative command → will you?

Examples :

● Don’t talk in a loud voice, won’t you? (Incorrect)

Don’t talk in a loud voice, will you? (Correct)

● Come inside, will you? (Incorrect)

Come inside, won’t you? (Correct)

● Please help us, will you? (Incorrect)

Please help us, won’t you? (Correct)

● Listen to me, will you? (Incorrect)

Listen to me, won’t you? (Correct)

• Other examples of Imperative sentences with question tag

● Don’t ask me this question again, will you?

● Don’t do it, will you?

● Don’t say such things, will you?

● Please don’t come here again, will you?

● Close the door, won’t you?

● Give me one glass of water, won’t you?

● Follow me, won’t you?

Rule (viii)

• Imperative Sentence →  Question Tag

• Let’s/Let’s us →  shall we?

Examples:

● Let’s watch a movie, shall we?

● Let us try again, shall we?

● Let’s do something to help them, shall we?

● Let’s go out, shall we?