Question tags, also known as tag questions, are short questions that follow a simple statement. They are used to draw out a response or to simply get additional information about something or someone. In grammar, they are considered short clauses at the end of a statement. Tag questions are also used when polite suggestions are posed as
Types of Question Tags
There are two types of tag questions:
Positive Question Tags
A positive question tag is a short positive question following a negative statement.
- Example: We aren’t going to watch a horror movie, are we?
Negative Question Tags
A negative question tag is a short negative question following a positive statement.
- Example: You are going to visit your mom next week, aren’t you?
Question Tags and Verb Tenses
It is important to pay attention to verb tenses while forming a question tag. While the structure of the question tag remains the same, knowing the tense of the verb in a statement, will help understand which verb tense should be used in the question. Using a grammar checker can assist in ensuring that the correct verb tenses are applied in both statements and question tags
Question tags and simple present tense:
| Simple Present Tense | |||
| Positive Statement + Negative Question Tag | Negative Statement + Positive Question Tag | ||
| Is → Isn’t (Singular) | Are → Aren’t (Plural) | Isn’t → Is (Singular) | Aren’t → Are (Plural) |
| She is here, isn’t she? | They are neighbors, aren’t they? | She isn’t your daughter, is she? | They aren’t here, are they? |
| He is a famous movie star, isn’t he? | They are brothers, aren’t they? | He isn’t here to register a complaint, is he? | They aren’t going to be here on time, are they? |
Question tags and simple past tense:
| Simple Past Tense | |||
| Positive Statement + Negative Question Tag | Negative Statement + Positive Question Tag | ||
| Was → Wasn’t (Singular) | Were → Weren’t (Plural) | Wasn’t → Was (Singular) | Weren’t → Were (Plural) |
| It was a great concert, wasn’t it? | They were there when he fell, weren’t they? | It wasn’t my fault, was it? | They weren’t going to come, were they? |
| It was a lovely gesture, wasn’t it? | They were supposed to meet the doctor last week, weren’t they? | She wasn’t there when he was shot, was she? | They weren’t aware of his whereabouts, were they? |
Question tags and simple future tense:
| Simple Future Tense | |||
| Positive Statement + Negative Question Tag | Negative Statement + Positive Question Tag | ||
| Will → Won’t (Singular) | Will → Won’t (Plural) | Will not → Will (Singular) | Will not → Will (Plural) |
| The doctor will see her next week, won’t he? | They will take her to the doctor, won’t they? | She will not lie to the police, will she? | They will not ask for my passport, will they? |
| The driver will call us once the vehicle is ready, won’t he? | The pilots will be here soon, won’t they? | He will not be picking up the parcel, will he? | They will not be coming next week, will they? |
Question tags and present perfect tense:
| Present Perfect Tense | |||
| Positive Statement + Negative Question Tag | Negative Statement + Positive Question Tag | ||
| Has → Hasn’t (Singular) | Have → Haven’t (Plural) | Hasn’t → Has (Singular) | Haven’t → Have (Plural) |
| She has watched that movie, hasn’t she? | They have bought a house, haven’t they? | It hasn’t been that long, has it? | They haven’t seen the child yet, have they? |
| The doctor has read the report, hasn’t he? | They have booked the car, haven’t they? | She hasn’t returned your bag, has she? | They haven’t returned my call, have they? |
Question tags and past perfect tense:
| Past Perfect Tense | |||
| Positive Statement + Negative Question Tag | Negative Statement + Positive Question Tag | ||
| Had → Hadn’t (Singular) | Had → Hadn’t (Plural) | Hadn’t → Had (Singular) | Hadn’t → Had (Plural) |
| She had answered it, hadn’t she? | They had been to London before, hadn’t they? | She hadn’t seen the house, had she? | They hadn’t blocked the entire stretch, had they? |
| He had seen it, hadn’t he? | The bankers had approved the loan, hadn’t they? | He hadn’t asked for extra chips, had he? | They hadn’t picked up their child, had they? |
Question tags and future perfect tense:
| Future Perfect Tense | |||
| Positive Statement + Negative Question Tag | Negative Statement + Positive Question Tag | ||
| Will have → Won’t (Singular) | Will have → Won’t (Plural) | Will not have → Will (Singular) | Will not have → Will (Plural) |
| She will have access to her belongings, won’t she? | They will have eggs for breakfast, won’t they? | She will not have the buffet breakfast, will she? | They will not have any doubts, will they? |
| He will have a cup of coffee, won’t he? | They will have desserts, won’t they? | You will not have dinner, will you? | They will not ask us to stay, will they? |
Exceptions
While a positive statement has a negative question tag and vice versa, there are some exceptions, which are listed below, that don’t follow this rule.
- Imperatives: An imperative sentence expresses order, request, invitation, instruction, or command. When a question tag is added to an imperative statement, then the resulting question doesn’t require an answer. It’s not mandatory for a positive imperative to end with a negative question tag and vice versa. For example:
- Close the door, would you?
- Take a seat, won’t you?
- I am or I’m: When “I am” is used in a sentence with a short question, the question tag begins with “aren’t” and is never “am I not.” For example:
- I am right, am I not? (Incorrect)
- I am right, aren’t I? (Correct)
- Let’s: Another exception is “let’s,” which is a contraction of “let us.” When “let’s” is used in the statement that precedes the short question, then “shall” is used in the question tag. Below are some examples:
- Let’s go, shall we?
- Let’s eat, shall we?
- Let’s see, shall we?
Forming a question tag isn’t a difficult task. Keeping in mind the basic structure of the question tag and using proper verb tenses is important to form grammatically correct ones.
