Question TagsBeginner

Question Tags

How to form question tags like "isn’t it?" and "did you?" — the positive/negative rule, the auxiliary rule, and special cases such as "I am", "let’s" and imperatives.

A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement to check information or ask for agreement.

Rule 1: Positive statement → negative tag; negative statement → positive tag

Rule 2: Repeat the helping verb

Use the same auxiliary (be, have, will, can, should…) that is in the statement.

Rule 3: No helping verb → use do / does / did

Rule 4: The tag uses a pronoun

Special cases

I am → aren't I: I am right, aren't I?
Let's → shall we: Let's go, shall we?
Imperatives → will you / won't you: Close the door, will you?
There is/are → isn't there / aren't there: There is a problem, isn't there?
Nothing, everything → it: Nothing happened, did it?
Everyone, nobody, someone → they: Everyone was there, weren't they?
Negative words make the statement negative, so the tag is positive: never, hardly, seldom, scarcely, nobody, nothing, few, little.