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STUDY NOTES FOR SSC AND STATE LEVEL EXAMS
ENGLISH GRAMMAR RULES
FOR QUESTION TAG
What is a tag question?
A tag question is a statement followed by
a small-question. We use tag questions to
ask for confirmation. In a tag question a
statement is made and a question is asked
after that.
OR Question tags are short questions at the
end of statements.
For example.
1. a) You are busy, Aren’t you?
2. b) Pinnacle is the best institute for preparing
for government jobs, isn’t it?
They are mainly used in speech when we
want to:
I. Confirm that something is true or not, or
II. To encourage a reply from the person we
are speaking to.
Question tags are formed with the auxiliary
or modal verb from the statement and the
appropriate subject.
The core pragmatic uses of tag questions
can be categorized as:
1 informational: (to check whether something
is true; to ask for agreement) ‘You’re
getting paid for this, are you?’
2 2 confirmatory: (the speaker is not sure
of what s/he says, wants confirmation) ‘I
don’t need a jacket, do I?’
3 3 attitudinal: (emphasizes what the speaker
says, does not expect involvement or reply)
‘Yeah, she’ll be in trouble, won’t she?’.
4 In spoken language, we have the option of
using intonation to clarify which of these
two meanings is intended. For example
a sentence such as ‘You’re coming to my
party, aren’t you?’
A positive statement is followed by a
negative question tag.
Jack is from Spain, isn’t he?
Mary can speak English, can’t she?
A negative statement is followed by a
positive question tag.
They aren’t funny, are they?
He shouldn’t say things like that, should he?
When the verb in the main sentence is in
the present simple we form the question tag
with do / does.
You play the guitar, don’t you?
Alison likes tennis, doesn’t she?
If the verb is in the past simple we use did.
They went to the cinema, didn’t they?
She studied in New Zealand, didn’t she?
When the statement contains a word with a
negative meaning, the question tag needs to
be positive
He hardly ever speaks, does he?
They rarely eat in restaurants, do they?
Four basic rules have to be kept in mind
while making question tags1 The sentence and the question tag will be in
the same tense.
2 If the sentence is an affirmative sentence,
the question tag will be negative.
If the sentence is a negative sentence the
question tag will be positive.
3 The pronoun is always used in the question
tag.
4 In negative question tags we use the
contracted form of the helping verb and not
Eg- Hasn’t , couldn’t etc.
Rules & Explanations along with
Application / Examples.
RULE 1 In affirmative sentence the Tag
question will be negative.
Examples –
A teacher goes to school daily, doesn’t he?
Madhu plucks flowers, doesn’t she?
You appeared at the SSC examination,
didn’t you?
Helmet makes driving safe, doesn’t it?
RULE 2
In Negative Sentence the Tag question will
be Positive.
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STUDY NOTES FOR SSC AND STATE LEVEL EXAMS
Examples – All the children were not
present, were they?
Dogs cannot fly, can they?
Everybody cannot be clever, can they?
RULE 3
For sentences having modal Auxiliary (can,
could, will, would, may, might, must, shall,
should, ought to, need, would rather, had
better, dare) Tags will be shall n’t , will
not, won’t , can’t etc depending on whether
positive or negative is needed.
Examples:
A healthy body can achieve the impossible,
can’t it?
A student should be regular in studies,
shouldn’t he?
Everybody cannot drive, can they?
Everbody should wear a seat belt while
driving , shouldn’t they?
Water animals can breathe under water,
can’t they?
RULE 4
Everybody, everyone , no one, no body
are singular. So we use a singular verb
and singular pronoun with them. But in
the question tag a plural verb and a plural
pronoun will be used.
Examples –
Everybody has to pay his own bill, Haven’t
they?
None of your friends has arrived yet, Have
they?
RULE 5
For Affirmative Imperative sentence we use
will you or won’t you in the question tag.
Examples –
Be assured of all co-operation, will you?
Switch on the cooler, will you?
Please give me the documents ,wont you?
Kindly take a seat, will you?
RULE 6
For Negative Imperative sentence we use
will you as the question tag.
Examples –
Don’t touch the wire, will you?
Don’t litter here, will you?
Don’t make a noise in the class, will you?
RULE 7
For Imperative sentences beginning with let
us , when a suggestion or proposal is being
made the question tag will be shall we.
Examples –
Let us go for a movie ,shall we?
Let us help her to complete the work , shall
we?
Let us go to meet her, shall we?
RULE 8
For Imperative sentences beginning with let
but not followed by us , the question tag will
be will you.
Examples –
Let Madhu go, will you?
Let them do their homework, will you?
Let the labourer go, will you?
RULE 9
For imperative sentences having nothing,
anything, everything, something as the
subject the question tag will have it as the
pronoun.
Examples –
Everything has gone bad today, hasn’t it?
Everything is clear, isn’t it?
Nothing can revive this worse situation, can
it?
RULE 10
If any sentence has used to in it then the
question tag will be usedn’t/didn’t.
Examples –
He used to come here, usedn’t he?
He used to play the guitar very well, didn’t
he?
RULE 11
Never, no, nobody, hardly, seldom, scarcely,
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STUDY NOTES FOR SSC AND STATE LEVEL EXAMS
few, little, not ,none ,rarely etc. are negative
words. So the question tag will not be
negative.
Examples –
A barking dog seldom bites, does it?
My son never stands still, does it?
He hardly does his duties, does he?
RULE 12
In exclamatory sentences the question tag
will contain the auxiliary verbs.
Examples –
How beautiful the garden is, isn’t it?
How big the slide is, isn’t it?
How nicely the bird sings, isn’t it?
RULE 13
Moon, earth, river, motherland, country,
ship, train are treated as feminine gender. In
the tag question the Pronoun used will be
“she”. Instead of she ‘ it’ can also be used.
Examples –
The Titanic was thought to be unsinkable,
wasn’t she?
India has never attacked any country, has
she?
RULE 14
There is no contracted form of am not. So in
question tags aren’t is used.
Examples –
I am a little late today, aren’t I?
I am confident, aren’t I?
Note :
But if the question tag to be used is not in
contracted form then ‘Am I’ can be used.
Examples –
I am not late today, Am I?
I am not busy, Am I?
RULE 15
If the subject of a sentence is there/one/this/
that/these/those then the question tag will
contain there/one/this etc as the pronoun.
Examples – There is a book on the table,
Isn’t there?
One cannot find a solution to this problem,
Can one?
RULE 16
Collective nouns are used in singular forms
so the question tag will have a singular verb
and a singular pronoun.
Examples –
The class has selected its monitor, hasn’t it?
The team has played very well, hasn’t it?
But if the collective noun is not treated as
one unit, we use the plural verb and the
plural pronoun.
Example –
The team have to arrange for their own
shoes , haven’t they?
Exceptions
Some verbs / expressions have different
question tags. For example:
I am – I am attractive, aren’t I?
Positive imperative – Stop daydreaming,
will / won’t you?
Negative imperative – Don’t stop singing,
will you?
Let’s – Let’s go to the beach, shall we?
Have got (possession) – He has got a car,
hasn’t he?
There is / are – There aren’t any spiders in
the bedroom, are there?
This / that is – This is Paul’s pen, isn’t it?
Intonation
When we are sure of the answer and we
are simply encouraging a response, the
intonation in the question tag goes down:
This is your car, isn’t it?
(Your voice goes down when you say isn’t
it.)
When we are not sure and want to check
information, the intonation in the question
tag goes up:
He is from France, isn’t he?
(Your voice goes up when you say isn’t he.)
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STUDY NOTES FOR SSC AND STATE LEVEL EXAMS
GIVE THE CORRECT
QUESTION TAG FOR THE
FOLLOWING
1. Cricket is more popular today, __________?
2. Every action has an opposite
reaction,______?
3. I am a student of Pinnacle, _______?
4. I had a bad headache yesterday, __________?
5. It is an important matter, __________?
6. I am happy, _______?
7. The jury gave different opinions, _______?
8. The kid is crying, _______?
9. It was a terrible accident, __________?
10. We must eat vegetables, _______?
11. Love the poor, _______?
12. I am taking coffee, _______?
13. We should love country, _______?
14. Everything was alright, __________?
15. We were warned of the danger, _______?
16. I am innocent, _______?
17. Neither of them were responsible,
__________?
18. Man is mortal, _______?
19. I am tired, _______?
20. Either you or your brother came here,
__________?
21. Frankel cast his magic spell in the laboratory,
_____?
22. Nobody cheated on the exam, ________?
23. Ice touches cold, _______?
24. Nobody dared to do it ________?
25. It is an important matter, _______?
26. Nobody believes you, ________?
27. Somebody will say so, ________?
28. It hardly rains during the dry ________?
29. There are many mistakes in his
composition,________?
30. It is easy to say, _______?
31. There are some problems here, ________?
32. There is a little water in the pot, ________?
33. It is quite a big garden, _______?
34. There are six seasons in Bangladesh,
________?
35. There has been an accident, ________?
36. Gauri needs to buy a pen, _______?
37. Nobody believes a liar, ________?
38. One of the legs of the table has been broken,
___?
39. She has been fasting, __________?
40. The poor are born to suffer, __________?
41. Someone went there, _______?
42. Sultan thanked the Quazi, _______?
43. Nobody called me, ________?
44. Nobody came, ________?
45. Hamid earned very little money,
__________?
46. The baby is innocent, _______?
47. To err is human __________?
48. We had better discuss something else,
__________?
49. The baby is playing, _______?
50. It was a good tiffin, _______?
51. Grandmother can tell good stories,
__________?
52. Nothing is impossible in this world,
__________?
53. The book is rare now, _______?
54. The fishermen catch fishes, _______?
55. She is happy, _______?
56. Priya does not like bad films, __________?
57. She has never visited the Taj-Mahal,
__________?
58. You are not my friend, __________?
59. Ansh sat by me, __________?
60. Kindly do me a favour, __________?
61. Let a sleeping dog sleep, __________?
62. Let her come in, __________?
63. Shreya is pretty, _______?
64. Anwar came from Gazipur, _______?
65. Nothing can satisfy him, __________?
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STUDY NOTES FOR SSC AND STATE LEVEL EXAMS
1 You won’t leave me a didn’t she?
2 He doesn’t do any exercise b won’t you?
3 You will finish it c has she?
4 She had a great holiday d does he?
5 He didn’t enjoy it e will you?
6 She hasn’t been well f did he?
Answer key:
1e, 2d, 3b, 4a, 5f, 6c
7 MAKE TAGS FOR THE
FOLLOWING:
1. It’s a beautiful day, …………………………………
………………………………………………………….
2. We need some milk, ……………………………….
…………………………………………………………
3. You haven’t been to London, …………………..
………………………………………………………….
4. She drives to work, ………………………………..
………………………………………………………….
5. David won’t like it, ………………………………..
……………………………………………………………
6. It won’t be a problem, …………………………….
………………………………………………………….
7. They played well, ………………………………….
…………………………………………………………..
8. Your mother doesn’t speak English, …………
………………………………………………………….
9. He always plays tennis on Sundays, …………
…………………………………………………………
10. She hadn’t told him, ……………………………….
………………………………………………………….
11. I’m so stupid, ………………………………………..
………………………………………………………….
12. Question tags aren’t easy, ……………………….
…………………………………………………………
1. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?
2. We need some milk, don’t we?
3. You haven’t been to London, have you?
4. She drives to work, doesn’t she?
5. David won’t like it, will he?
6. It won’t be a problem, will it?
7. They played well, didn’t they?
8. Your mother doesn’t speak English, does
she?
9. He always plays tennis on Sundays, doesn’t
he?
10. She hadn’t told him, had she?
11. I’m so stupid, aren’t I? (Unusual form – to
make pronunciation possible)
12. Question tags aren’t easy, are they?
when delivered with a rising intonation is a
‘real’ question: the speaker wants to know
if the person is coming, whereas the same
sentence delivered with a falling intonation
would mean that the speaker is—or
wishes to seem—confident that the person
addressed is coming, and is simply seeking
confirmation or agreement. Few areas
of language, other than modality, are so
dependent on intonation for disambiguating
meaning, which again can make this a
challenging topic to teach and learn.
Some learned persons define question tags’
to describe the whole sentence, referring to
forms such as ‘You’re tired, aren’t you?’ and
‘You aren’t tired, are you?’.
However, academic discussion tends to
focus more on the tags themselves: that is,
on the ‘end-parts’ of each sentence. It is
helpful to think in terms of two categories
of tag.
First, there are canonical tags where,
typically, either a positive statement is
followed by a negative tag (‘It’s ready, isn’t
it?’) or a negative statement is followed by
a positive tag (‘It isn’t ready, is it?’). There
are also instances of positive–positive tag
forms (for example ‘This is your own work,
is it?’) and even negative–negative ones, but
these are very much exceptions.
Second, there are also invariant tags where
the same tag word is used irrespective of
the syntax of the main clause (for example
‘You told him, right?’, ‘You’re coming now,
okay?’).
But there are many other aspects of tag
questions that have been the subject of
research.Tag questions, along with other
question forms, are more characteristic
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STUDY NOTES FOR SSC AND STATE LEVEL EXAMS
of speech than writing (Leech, Hundt,
Mair, and Smith 2012: 242): this is closely
tied in with the key role of intonation in
disambiguating and clarifying intended
meaning referred to above. This speech
focus means that academic research into
them has been constrained by the difficulty
of accessing sufficient quantities of spoken
data. However, in recent years, more
substantial corpora of spoken English have
become accessible to researchers. In an
important large-scale corpus study (Tottie
and Hoffman 2006), several thousand
instances of canonical tag questions were
extracted from the British National Corpus
and the Longman Spoken American Corpus2
and analysed in various ways.Among the
most interesting findings of the Tottie and
Hoffman (ibid.) survey were:1 the data
yielded nine times as many canonical tag
questions in British English as in American
English:2 younger people (both British and
American) used far fewer canonical tag
questions than older people, with a cut-off
somewhere in the 20-year age bracket.
So, there are several factors that would seem
to point to a future where the use of traditional
canonical tag questions will be in decline:
the obvious effect of demographic change,
the strong (but not universal) tendency
for American English to influence British
usage, and the tendency of local variants to
challenge their native-speaker (NS) models
(especially in spoken English). However, as
Tottie and Hoffman (op.cit.) stress, this does
not mean that young people’s overall use of
tag questions will decline; rather it is likely
that the invariant forms will increasingly
take centre stage, especially in informal
speech. These findings are in line with
conclusions drawn by other researchers. It
is interesting to speculate why this might be
the case.
First, the use of these invariant forms
reflects the speaker’s deliberate choice of an
informal register. Second, there is the fact
that certain categories of speaker have a rich
selection of invariant tag forms available to
them. Examples of these categories include:
American English speakers: Leech etal.
(op.cit.: 243) refer to ‘American speakers’
penchant for the single-syllable invariant
tags, huh? and right?’
young British English speakers under 20:
Tottie and Hoffman (op.cit.) cite research
(Stenström, Andersen, and Hasund 2002)
into the use of invariant tags in the London
area, which has identified several typical
examples of invariant tags (‘yeah?’, ‘eh?’,
‘okay?’, ‘right?’, ‘innit?’).
The research goes on to describe how some
of these (especially ‘yeah?’, ‘right?’, and
‘innit?’) are extensively used by teenagers,
peaking in late adolescence and young
adulthood and then going down sharply
among adults over 30years of age; and
speakers from countries where English is
used widely but where L1 forms have been
assimilated into English: an example of this
is the Singaporean/Malaysian ‘Singlish’ use
of leh, lah, lor, and meh to convey a range
of pragmatic meanings, including those
covered by tag questions.
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STUDY NOTES FOR SSC AND STATE LEVEL EXAMS
