Question Tags: Formation and Usage
Question tags are short questions added to the end of a sentence, usually in spoken English. They are used to check information or ask for agreement.
Formation Rules
- Positive statement → Negative tag: “You are a student, aren’t you?”
- Negative statement → Positive tag: “You aren’t tired, are you?”
- The tag uses the same auxiliary verb as the main sentence.
- If there is no auxiliary, use “do/does/did”.
Examples
| Statement | Question Tag |
|---|---|
| She is a doctor, | isn’t she? |
| They have finished, | haven’t they? |
| You like football, | don’t you? |
| He went to school, | didn’t he? |
| It won’t rain, | will it? |
Special Cases
- I am: “I am late, aren’t I?” (not “amn’t I”)
- Let’s: “Let’s go, shall we?”
- Imperative (positive): “Open the door, will you?”
- Imperative (negative): “Don’t be late, will you?”
- There is/are: “There is a problem, isn’t there?”
Intonation
- Rising intonation: Shows uncertainty, asking for information.
- Falling intonation: Shows certainty, expecting agreement.
Exercises
- Add question tags: “You are Ahmed, ______?” “She doesn’t like coffee, ______?”
- Write 5 statements with question tags about yourself and your friends.
- Practice the dialogue: add appropriate question tags.
For more grammar, see Past Simple and Present Continuous.
مدونة التربية و التعليم في الجزائر – دروس، فروض، نتائج امتحانات مدونة التربية والتعليم في الجزائر | تحضير الدروس، فروض واختبارات، نتائج البكالوريا وBEM، مسابقات التوظيف، والتوجيه المدرسي للطلاب وأولياء الأمور.