Revision on Structure: Question Tags - JSS3 English language Lesson Note

What are Question Tags?

Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement to check if someone agrees with the statement or to ask for confirmation.

Basic Rules

1. Positive Statement, Negative Tag:

   - If the statement is positive, the question tag is negative.

   - Example: "She is going to school, isn't she?"

Positive Statement, Negative Tag, Positive Answer:

Example: “We are good friends, aren’t we?”

Answer: “Yes, we are.”

 

2. Negative Statement, Positive Tag:

   - If the statement is negative, the question tag is positive.

   - Example: "He isn't coming to the party, is he?"

Negative Statement, Positive Tag, Negative Answer:

Example: “She didn’t send it, did she?”

Answer: “No, she didn’t.”

3. Use of Auxiliary Verbs:

   - The auxiliary verb in the statement is repeated in the question tag.

   - Example: "You have finished your homework, haven't you?"

1. Auxiliary Verb Repeats Itself in the Tag:

• Example: “You will do the work, won’t you?”

Answer: “Yes, I will.

 

4. No Auxiliary Verb:

   - If there is no auxiliary verb in the statement, use the appropriate form of "do" in the question tag.

   - Example: "She likes apples, doesn't she?"

 

Forming Question Tags

1. Present Simple:

   - Positive: "You play football, don't you?"

   - Negative: "You don't play football, do you?"

2. Past Simple:

   - Positive: "He went to the market, didn't he?"

   - Negative: "He didn't go to the market, did he?"

3. **Present Continuous:**

   - Positive: "She is studying, isn't she?"

   - Negative: "She isn't studying, is she?"

4. Past Continuous:

   - Positive: "They were playing, weren't they?"

   - Negative: "They weren't playing, were they?"

5. Present Perfect:

   - Positive: "We have met before, haven't we?"

   - Negative: "We haven't met before, have we?"

6. Past Perfect:

   - Positive: "She had left, hadn't she?"

   - Negative: "She hadn't left, had she?"

7. Future Simple:

   - Positive: "He will come, won't he?"

   - Negative: "He won't come, will he?"

8. Modals:

   - Positive: "She can swim, can't she?"

   - Negative: "She can't swim, can she?"

   - Positive: "They should go, shouldn't they?"

   - Negative: "They shouldn't go, should they?"

Special Cases

1. Imperatives:

   - "Open the door, will you?"

  - "Let's go, shall we?"

2. With "I am":

  - Positive: "I am right, aren't I?" (Note: "am not I" is incorrect)

3. With "nobody", "somebody", "everyone", etc.:

   - "Nobody was at the party, were they?"

   - "Everyone is here, aren't they?"