Question Tag (Basic to Advanced Level) 

A tag question is a short question that comes after a statement. We often use question tags when we expect the listener to agree with our statement. It is a kind of short question that we use at the end of sentence or statement–particularly in spoken English. We use question tags to make confirmation. If the speaker is sure that the statement is true, he/she uses falling intonation, and if the speaker is less sure about what he/she said, rising intonation is used. For instances: 

• Alex is reading a book, isn't he? 

• You will visit new place next year, won't you?

• I shall meet you soon, shan't I?

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Thus, if a statement has an auxiliary verb, it gets repeated in the Question Tag. But if the statement or sentence doesn't have an auxiliary verb, we have to use the question tags in the following ways: 

• I go to school, don't I?  

• They worked hard, didn't they?

• She writes a poem, doesn't she? 

With everybody, everyone, someone, somebody, nobody, none, etc. use plural auxiliary verb and they in the tag. But with something, anything and nothing, use singular verb forms and it in the tag.

• Everyone is present, aren’t they?

• Someone has stolen my bike, haven't they?

• Somebody called me, didn’t they? Something is wrong, isn’t it?

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If two subjects and two verbs are used in the statement, use tag with respect to the second pair.

• I don’t think she will come here, won’t she?

• I suppose that they aren’t coming, are they?

Use of auxiliary verbs, such as da​re and need as a main verb or an action verb.

• You need to cut your hair, don’t you?

• She dared to talk with me, didn’t she? ​

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When double subjects are connected with “and” connective, we have to use,

• Hari and I go to school, aren’t we?

• You and Sumitra go to school, don’t you?

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Use of ‘Had better’ and ‘would better.’

• You'd better do it now, hadn’t you?

• She'd rather go there, wouldn’t she?

There as a subject is always repeated in the tag.

• There is a car, isn’t there?

• There was somebody, wasn’t there?

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Do not get confused with “S+present participle (V4) and ‘S+past participle (V3).

• Hari’s coming now, isn’t he?

• Alex’s visited Pokhara, hasn’t he?

If “Have” denotes causative verb in the statement, use “do” except in future tense in the question tag.

• I always have him bring the newspaper, don’t I?

• We had them bring the radio, didn’t we?

• She will have me take SEE pretest, won’t she?

‘It’ is used for this or that and ‘They’ is used for these or that in the tag.

• This/That is my house, isn’t it?

• These/Those are our school, aren’t they?

“One” gets repeated in the tag question.

• One can help me, can’t one?

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Some Exceptional Cases in Question Tag

If ‘have’ is used as an action verb, i.e. have means take, swim, eat, drink, etc., use do verb’ forms in the tag. 

• She has tea, doesn’t she? (drinks tea)

• He had a test, didn’t he? (took a test)

• I have food, don’t I? (eat)

But if ‘have’ means possession or ownership.

• I have some books, don’t I or haven’t I?

Use of ‘have to’, ‘has to’, ‘had to’ and ‘used to’ in the tag…

• You have to work hard, don’t you?

• She has to take a test, doesn’t she?

• They had to follow the school’s rules, didn’t they?

• There used to be garden, didn’t there?

• He did not use to drink, did he?

• But, I’m used to playing video games, aren’t I?

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Negative Markers, such as none, no one, nobody, neither, never and no, etc. always make the statement negative. So, after them, use positive tag(s).     

• Nobody is here, are they?     

• Neither she nor he were absent, were they?

• None of them went there, did they?

• I have no books, do I?

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With the subject ‘all’, we can use the pronoun ‘it’ or ‘they’ depending on the situation.

• All is well, isn’t it? (Here, all is singular and its pronoun is ‘it’)

• All are well, aren’t they? (Here, all is plural and its pronoun is ‘they’)

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Some adverbs (e.g. hardly, little, never, only, scarcely and seldom) have a negative meaning. Negative clauses with any, anybody, anyone, anything, anywhere Words such as never, nobody, no one, none, nothing, nowhere, etc. already have a negative meaning, so we don’t need another negative with the verb.

Neither, neither … nor and not … either, So am I, so do I, Neither do I Never or not … ever?, No one, nobody, nothing, nowhere, No, none and none of, Not any and no, Little, a little, few, a few Hardly, Hardly ever, rarely, scarcely, seldom, Scarcely

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Use of Imperatives in Tag Question(s)

Use ‘will you’ in all imperative sentences (Negative or Affirmative) except in the statement that starts with ‘Let’s……’     

• Please, help me, will you?     

• Do not waste your time, will you?     

• Let them/us go now, will you?

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• Let’s go now, shall we?

• Let’s not talk, shall we?

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Exercise 

Complete the following sentences with correct question tags:

1.    Ram is going to market,…………………….?

2.    I shall visit Pokhara, …………………….?

3.    They will come back, …………………….?

4.    The students play football,……………..?

5.    Rita and Shyam had their lunch,……………….?

6.    Rohit does not go to temple,……………..?

7.    Somebody is coming here,……………..?

8.    Nobody helped me,…………………?

9.    Everything is in well condition,……………?

10.    None of them are bad,……………..?

11.    You and she did it, …………..?

12.    I am too tired, ……………..?

13.    She'd do it in time, ……………..?

14.     They'd written homework,……………..?

15.    I'd rather go for a walk, ……………..?

16.    You'd better do it,……………..?

17.    There was nothing at all,……………..?

18.    This is a book,……………..?

19.    Let us play football,……………..?

20.    Let's play football, ……………..?

21.    All was sold, .. ,……………..?

22.    She's running now, ……………..?

23.    All are well,……………..?

24.    You and I'll go there, ,…………..?

25.    She's writing some poems all the day yesterday, ……………..?

26.    You must keep quiet, ……………..?

27.    Students have to study hard, …………?

28.    Give me a glass of water,……………..?

29.    He hardly talks in English,……………..?

30.    Let's set the table for dinner, ……………..?

31.    Don't make a noise,…………….?

32.    You want to borrow money from me again,……………..?

33.    Let's sing a song, ……………..?

34.    Nobody speaks the truth,……………..?

35.    She has to take a test,…………………?

36.    Linda, along with Tom and Shally, has joined the swimming class,……………..?

37.    Sarala has never been to Pokhara, …………?

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Grammar References