Tag Questions

A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a mini-question. The whole sentence is a "tag question", and the mini-question at the end is called a "question tag".

We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in English.

The basic structure is:

+ Positive statement,	- negative tag?
Snow is white,	isn't it?
- Negative statement,	+ positive tag?
You don't like me,	do you?

Look at these examples with positive statements:

You are coming, aren't you?  

We have finished, haven't we?          

You do like coffee, don't you?            

They will help, won't they?     won't = will not

I can come, can't I?    

We must go, mustn't we?       

He should try harder, shouldn't he?

Look at these examples with negative statements:

It isn't raining, is it?

We have never seen that, have we?

You don't like coffee, do you?

They will not help, will they?

They won't report us, will they?

I can never do it right, can I?

We mustn't tell her, must we?

He shouldn't drive so fast, should he?

Some special cases:

I am right, aren't I?                             aren't I (not amn't I)

You have to go, don't you?               you (do) have to go...

I have been answering, haven't I?    use first auxiliary

Nothing came in the post, did it?     treat statements with nothing, nobody etc like negative statements

Let's go, shall we?                             let's = let us

He'd better do it, hadn't he?              he had better (no auxiliary)

Here are some mixed examples:

But you don't really love her, do you?

This will work, won't it?

Well, I couldn't help it, could I?

But you'll tell me if she calls, won't you?

We'd never have known, would we?

The weather's bad, isn't it?

You won't be late, will you?

Nobody knows, do they?

                                                      

Video about tags question