Tag questions are short phrases that are added at the end of a sentence to turn a statement into a question. They are often used to seek agreement or confirmation. This post gives examples of tag questions in positive and negative forms, as well as looking at how to punctuate tag questions and many of their other characteristics.
Tag questions are known by a variety of names across the globe including ‘question tags’, ‘tag-end questions’, ‘disjunctive questions’ and ‘tail questions’. The tag question is not the whole sentence, but rather the tail phrase, the additional phrase that follows the comma and converts the original sentence to a question:
- They forecast rain, didn’t they?
In the above sentence, the tag question ‘didn’t they’ is marked in bold. The following example shows that the sentence preceding the tag question could also stand alone as a statement:
- They forecast rain.
Tag questions are a common feature of the English language, especially in spoken language, but they can also be found written in novels, transcripts and letters. Tag questions are often a type of question that seeks confirmation or agreement to its preceding statement, but a tag question can also be added to a sentence to convey politeness or make a passing comment. For example,
- Lovely weather, isn’t it?
How to form a tag question
As described above, the tag question is a short phrase attached to the end of a statement sentence.
Tag questions can be positive or negative depending on whether the preceding statement is positive or negative. If the statement is positive, the tag question should be negative; if the statement is negative, the tag question should be positive.
Be aware that the meaning is altered if the statement is positive or negative, and no longer the same:
- She can speak English, can’t she? = She can speak English.
- She can’t speak English, can she? = She can’t speak English.
In the following examples, there is already a negative in the preceding sentence, so there should be no negative in the tag question:
- You’re not scared, are you?
- They haven’t eaten already, have they?
- They didn’t go to school today, did they?
- Sarah doesn’t like pizza, does she?
- He has not got his passport, has he?
Here are some examples of positive sentences with negative tag questions. Again, the tag questions are marked in bold.
- You’re coming, aren’t you?
- Sarah does like pizza, doesn’t she?
- He’s not well, is he?
- They’re not here, are they?
- He has got his passport, hasn’t he?
- They must be mad, mustn’t they?
Notice that the same modal verb and the same subject are used in the question tag as in the statement part of the sentence, unless the subject is named, as in the example with ‘Sarah’.
For an explanation of modal verbs, please see the relevant post.
Similarly, the same tense (past, present or future) and the same person (I, you, they) are used in both the preceding statement and the tag question.
For more on subjects, verbs, objects and sentence structure, please see this post.
The tag question added to the end of a positive statement should have a negative not or n’t:
- You’re scared, aren’t you?
- They’ve eaten already, haven’t they?
- They went to school today, didn’t they?
However, while a contraction is not necessary for grammatical correctness, as the examples below show, there will be few occasions that a negative tag question will be encountered without a contraction. Not using a contraction in a tag question is highly outmoded and only appropriate in excessively formal situations:
- You’re scared, are you not?
- They’ve eaten, have they not?
- They went to school, did they not?
In the preceding statement, as with any English sentence, it is up to individual discretion whether or not a contraction is used:
- They have not eaten, have they?
- They haven’t eaten, have they?
For more information on forming contractions in English, please have a look at the linked post.
Exceptive tag question structures
There are two exceptions to the standard rules above for forming tag questions:
1. The silent modal verb ‘do’
We have observed above that the modal verb used in the preceding statement is also used in the tag question:
- He must be tired mustn’t he?
- She isn’t here, is she?
Observe that this is not always the case with the modal verb ‘do’:
- He remembered his passport, didn’t he?
- Tom feels happy, doesn’t he?
In the above example, the ‘do’ form does not appear as a modal verb in the statement that precedes the tag question. This is because the modal verb ‘do’ is often (not always) a silent modal. It is characteristic to the English language in the present day that ‘do’ is often silently implied without appearing.
Sometimes the ‘do’ form does appear, and this is usually to add emphasis:
- Jane does look tired, doesn’t she?
Rather than simply:
- Jane looks tired, doesn’t she?
The following standard-form questions exemplify how the modal verb ‘do’ is used in English questions in a way that would be redundant in many other world languages:
- Do you feel alright?
- Do you like my hat?
- Do you know the time?
In most European languages, these questions would begin with the main verb:
- Feel you alright?
- Like you my hat?
- Know you the time?
The use of ‘do’ as a modal verb seems redundant, but in standard English the above forms are not acceptable, though they were a few hundred years ago.
The verb ‘do’ as a modal verb works differently and with many exceptions in the English language. It has become silent. If one takes away the tag questions from the following examples:
- He remembered his passport, didn’t he? = He remembered his passport.
- Tom felt tired, didn’t he? = Tom felt tired.
…the resulting underlined sentences would have included the verb ‘do’ a few hundred years ago:
- He did remember his passport.
- Tom did feel tired.
…but the language has evolved to silence the modal verb ‘do’ in the last few centuries.
Now, the modal verb ‘do’ will only be added to the preceding statement if emphasis is required:
- You did remember your passport, didn’t you?
- She did get the groceries, didn’t she?
So, when writing a tag question for a sentence without a modal verb, it can be assumed that the missing modal verb is the modal verb ‘do’.
A tag question must be formed with a modal verb and NOT the main verb of the sentence.
- He remembered his passport, didn’t he?
- Tom felt tired, didn’t he?
- You like me, don’t you?
- She speaks English well, doesn’t she?
In addition, note that when the sentence is formed in the negative and the question tag is formed in the positive, the modal verb ‘do’ does appear in the main statement:
- He didn’t remember his passport, did he?
- Tom didn’t feel tired, did he?
- She doesn’t speak English well, does she?
This is because when a statement is negative, the modal verb ‘do’ is still required.
2. The question tag with an infinitive followed by ‘to’
- We need to go to school, don’t we?
- They had to play that game, didn’t they?
Notice in these examples that the use of the infinitive form + ‘to’ means that neither the main verb nor the modal verb are used in the tag questions, but the verb ‘do’.
3. The main verb ‘to be’ tag
- He is old, isn’t he?
- They were here, weren’t they?
Notice in these examples that there is no modal verb, but instead of using the modal verb ‘do’ in the tag questions, when the main verb is a form of the verb to ‘be’, the verb to ‘be’ is also exceptionally used in the tag questions.
4. The first person singular tag
Likewise, with the evolution of the language, the first person ‘amn’t I’ has evolved to be regarded as incorrect in the United Kingdom, in all but dialectal English.
- First person singular = I am old, aren’t I?
- Second person singular = You are old, aren’t you?
- Third person singular = (He/it) She is old, isn’t she?
- First person plural = We are old, aren’t we?
- Second person plural = You are old, aren’t you?
- Third person plural = They are old, aren’t they?
Notice that there is an exception with the first person singular, ‘I’. It uses ‘are’ rather than the first person form of the verb ‘to be’, ‘I am’:
- I’m old, aren’t I?
…but only when the negative is in the tag:
- I’m not old, am I?
This illogicality has simply evolved in this way over years of changing language use.
How to punctuate tag questions
Notice in all the examples that where the statement ends and the question tag begins, a comma is placed.
However, a frequent misconception about tag questions is that they are always questions and, therefore, should always be followed by a question mark ? .
Many tag questions are questions and require a response and therefore require a question mark:
- You brought your passport, didn’t you?
- They went to school, didn’t they?
But in fact, a large number of tag questions are rhetorical questions; that is, although they are formulated as a question, they are not intended to elicit an answer. A rhetorical question with a question tag can be a statement that expresses surprise, doubt or uncertainty, but its context shows it that it does not expect or require a response:
- I’m such an idiot, aren’t I!
- We’re going to have a great time, aren’t we!
- She’s a talented artist, isn’t she.
- You’re not going to give up, are you.
A so-called ‘question’ tag is also a very common form of answering in agreement in English, to a statement uttered by another:
- Statement of Person A: It’s always such a squeeze in this room.
- Answer by Person B: Yes, it is, isn’t it.
- Statement of Person A: It’s so hot in here.
- Answer by Person B: Yes, it is rather, isn’t it.
In such cases, it is acceptable and suitable to indicate in writing with a full stop . that this is a statement, or with an exclamation mark ! that this is an exclamation. This is the function of punctuation: punctuation is a tool for the writer to show the intention behind the sentence that a reader cannot ascertain as they would when hearing the sentence spoken by the speaker’s use of rising or falling intonation.
Conclusion
In summary, question tags are added to statement sentences to turn them into a question that seeks agreement or confirmation for the preceding statement. However, sometimes question tags are added merely to make a sentence softer and more polite, or to make a rhetorical question that emphasises a point. Question tags are frequently used in colloquial speech, but they are inappropriate in academic or formal written language.
Exercises to practise
Have a go at the following exercises to consolidate your learning.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/