Question Tags (or Tag Questions)
In English, when we speak, (or when
we write informally), we often add, (or ‘tag’), a small question at the end of the sentence. We
use the question tag, because we want to check that the information is true;
or we want to ask the other person if he/she agrees with us.
In French, they ask: “N’est-ce pas?”: In Italian: “È vero?”;
in German: “Nicht wahr?”; etc.
In English, we ask the question by using Question Tags, FORMED from the original verb.
a)
The
question tag can be positive:
“It’s not very warm, is it?”
b)
Or,
the question tag can be negative:
“It’s
very warm, isn’t it?”
We put positive
question tags after negative statements.
ê We put negative question tags after positive
statements.
ê ê We don’t put tags after questions.
|
Statement Tag
|
Statement Tag
|
Question Tag
|
|
 - +
|
+ -
|
? + -
|
|
“He’s not very old, is he?”
|
“He’s very old, isn’t he?”
|
“Is
he old?” isn’t he
|
Ø The verbs we use are the THREE PRIMARY AUXILIARY VERBS ‘To BE;
‘To HAVE’, ‘To DO’.(in all of their Tenses).
Ø Other verbs we use are the NINE MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS ‘CAN’… ‘COULD’: ‘MAY’…‘MIGHT’: ‘SHALL’…‘SHOULD’: ‘WILL’…‘WOULD’: and …‘MUST’.
For example,
if the sentence has the verb ‘to be’, (am, are, is; was, were, will be: etc.)
this is used as the question tag: “I
am happy,
aren’t I?” “You aren’t sad, are you?”
“He is a teacher,
isn’t he?” “She wasn’t in France, was she?” “It was a radio, wasn’t it?” “We
weren’t lost,
were we?” “They were taxi
drivers, weren’t they?” “You will be happy, won’t you?”
All PRIMARY
AUXILIARY and MODAL
AUXILIARY VERBS are used in the same way.
6444444448
1. “I have passed
the exam, haven’t I?”
64444448
- “She does look nice, doesn’t
she?”
64444448
- “Peter can’t speak German, can
he?”
6444444448
- “Ann wouldn’t speak
to Mary, would she?”
If the
sentence has NO auxiliary verb, WE
USE THE AUXILIARY VERB, “TO DO”.
64448 6444448
- “You like apples, don’t you?” is
the same as (“You do like apples, don’t you?”)
64444448 6444444448
- “She ate a lot of food, didn’t
she?” = (“She did eat a lot of food, didn’t
she?”)
644448 &nbs
