Tag Questions
You speak English, don't you?
A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement
followed by a mini-question. The whole sentence is a "tag question",
and the mini-question at the end is called a "question tag".
A "tag" is something small that we add to something larger. For
example, the little piece of cloth added to a shirt showing size or
washing instructions is a tag.
We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation.
They mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They
are very common in English.
The basic structure is:
statement question tag
+ -
Positive statement, negative tag?
Snow is white, isn't it?
- +
Negative statement, positive tag?
You don't like me, do you?
Notice that the question tag repeats the auxiliary verb (or main
verb when be) from the statement and changes it to negative or
positive.
A question tag is the "mini-question" at the end. A tag question is the
whole sentence.
Positive Statement Tag Questions
Look at these examples with positive statements. You will see that most of
the time, the auxiliary verb from the positive statement is repeated in the tag and changed to
negative.
positive statement [+] negative tag [-] notes:
personal
main pronoun
subject auxiliary auxiliary not
verb (same as
subject)
You are coming, are n't you?
We have finished, have n't we?
You do like coffee, do n't you?
You (do)
You like coffee, do n't you?
like...*
won't =
They will help, wo n't they?
will not
I can come, can 't I?
We must go, must n't we?
He should try harder, should n't he?
You are English, are n't you? no
auxiliary
for main
John was there, was n't he? verb be
present
& past
*Note that in this example the auxiliary verb do in the statement -
"You like coffee," - is understood and not expressed because the tense
is normal present simple. But the question tag uses the do auxiliary to
make "don't you?" It is also possible to say: "You do like coffee, don't
you?"
Negative Statement Tag Questions
Look at these examples with negative statements. Notice that the negative
verb in the original statement is changed to positive in the tag.
negative statement [-] positive tag [+]
personal
main pronoun
subject auxiliary not auxiliary
verb (same as
subject)
It is n't raining, is it?
We have never seen that, have we?
You do n't like coffee, do you?
They will not help, will they?
They wo n't report us, will they?
I can never do it right, can I?
We must n't tell her, must we?
He should n't drive so fast, should he?
You wo n't be late, will you?
You are n't English, are you?
John was not there, was he?
Notice that in the tag, we repeat the auxiliary verb, not the main verb.
Except, of course, for the verb be in present simple and past simple.
Tag Question Special Cases
Negative Adverbs
The adverbs never, rarely, seldom, hardly, barely and scarcely have a
negative sense. Even though they may be in a positive statement, the feeling of the statement
is negative. We treat statements with these words like negative statements, so the question tag
is normally positive. Look at these examples:
positive statement treated as negative statement positive tag
He never came again, did he?
She can rarely come these days, can she?
You hardly ever came late, did you?
I barely know you, do I?
You would scarcely expect her to know that, would you?
Intonation
We can change the meaning of a tag question with the musical pitch of
our voice. With rising intonation, it sounds like a real question. But if
our intonation falls, it sounds more like a statement that doesn't
require a real answer:
intonation
You don't know where do real question/ask for
/ rising
my wallet is, you? information
isn't \ not a real question/expect
It's a beautiful view,
it? falling confirmation
Imperatives
Sometimes we use question tags with imperatives (invitations, orders),
but the sentence remains an imperative and does not require a direct
answer. We use won't for invitations. We use can, can't, will, would for
orders.
imperative + question
notes:
tag
Take a seat, won't
invitation polite
you?
Help me, can you? quite friendly
Help me, can't you? quite friendly (some irritation?)
Close the door, would
quite polite
order you?
Do it now, will you. less polite
with negative imperatives only will
Don't forget, will you.
is possible
Same-Way Tag Questions
Although the basic structure of tag questions is positive-negative or
negative-positive, it is sometimes possible to use a positive-positive or
negative-negative structure. We use same-way tag questions to express
interest, surprise, anger etc, and not to make real questions.
Look at these positive-positive tag questions:
So you're having a baby, are you? That's wonderful!
She wants to marry him, does she? Some chance!
So you think that's amusing, do you? Think again.
Negative-negative tag questions usually sound rather hostile:
So you don't like my looks, don't you? (British English)
Asking For Information Or Help
Notice that we often use tag questions to ask for information or help,
starting with a negative statement. This is quite a friendly/polite way
of making a request. For example, instead of saying "Where is the
police station?" (not very polite), or "Do you know where the police
station is?" (slightly more polite), we could say: "You wouldn't know
where the police station is, would you?" Here are some more
examples:
You don't know of any good jobs, do you?
You couldn't help me with my homework, could you?
You haven't got $10 to lend me, have you?
Some More Special Cases
I am right, aren't I? aren't I (not amn't I)
You have to go, don't
you (do) have to go...
you?
I have been answering,
use first auxiliary
haven't I?
Nothing came in the treat statements with nothing, nobody etc
post, did it? like negative statements
Let's go, shall we? let's = let us
He'd better do it, hadn't
he had better (no auxiliary)
he?
