Question tags

Usage:

They are small questions at the and of affirmative sentences (statements) used in speech (a lot in BrE) and sometimes informal writing (emails, chat rooms, etc.)

Question tags are NOT used in formal writing.

We use question tags to check whether the information we have is correct, ask for an agreement or show interest in what the other person is saying.

Form:

Negative tags after positive statements and vice versa

Present tenses:

I’m late, aren’t I ?

You like ice cream, don’t you ?

He prefers tea over coffee, doesn’t he ?

She doesn’t smoke, does she ?

We don’t eat meat, do we my dear?

They never drive to work, do they ?

You’re my new assistant, aren’t you ?

We are not leaving now, are we ?

She’s very upset about that insult, isn’t she?

You haven’t got a spare pen, have you ?

She has got a new car, hasn’t she ?

They have got some fresh fish, haven’t they ?

He isn’t working late today, is he ?

They are not going to move abroad, are they ?

Past tense:

I wasn’t late for the screening, was I ?

You were there with your wife, weren’t you ?

He wasn’t at home when you called in, was he ?

She moved to Plymouth, didn’t she ?

It was quite cold last weekend, wasn’t it ?

They bought a new pet, didn’t they ?

He didn’t come to the party, did he ?

Future tense:

You will go there with me, won’t you ?

He won’t be fired, will he ?

She’ll call her dad when she wants a lift back home, won’t she ?

It won’t be a very nice Christmas without our parents around, will it ?

We will spend our holiday in Greece this summer, won’t we ?

They won’t send their kids to a public school, will they ?

Can

You can’t get up without help, can you ?

He can drive a lorry, can’t he ?

She can’t play football, can she ?

They can’t catch us, can they ?

Would

You would like to join the club, wouldn’t you ?

He wouldn’t go there on his own free will, would he ?

She would do it if she could, wouldn’t she ?

They wouldn’t like us to play a loud music, would they ?

Could

You could lend me a pound, couldn’t you ?

He couldn’t find the shopping centre his girl was in, could he ?

She could come next weekend, couldn’t she ?

They couldn’t book a flight to Jamaica over Xmas, could they ?

Intonation:

When tag is a real question, the voice goes up (the same as in ‚Yes/No questions‘)

When tag is not a real question, the voice goes down (as in Wh-… questions)

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