Practice
Question tags: form and natural use
Sign in to saveThe café is still open, isn't it? The short question after the comma is a question tag. It lets the speaker check a detail without changing the first part into a full question.
Form a usual English question tag by matching its verb and pronoun to the statement, then choosing the positive or negative pattern that fits the speaker's purpose.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The café is still open, isn't it? /ðə ˈkæf.eɪ ɪz stɪl ˈəʊ.pən, ˈɪz.ənt ɪt/
The short answer
Use the statement's auxiliary verb and a matching pronoun in the tag. Usually reverse positive and negative form: ‘The café is open, isn't it?’ and ‘The café isn't open, is it?’
Your appointment starts at two, doesn't it?
Why it works: Starts is an ordinary present-tense verb, so the tag needs does. Appointment becomes it, and the positive statement takes a negative tag.
6 more examples
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The keys are in the drawer, aren't they?
The statement uses are with a plural subject. The tag keeps are, changes keys to they, and makes the positive form negative.
Not this:The key is in the drawer,
isn't it? What changes: One key is singular, so the tag needs is and it rather than are and they. -
The buses left early, didn't they?
Left is a simple past verb with no auxiliary in the statement. Did supplies the past auxiliary in the tag.
Not this:The buses did not leave early,
did they? What changes: The statement is negative, so the usual checking tag is positive. -
Mina has sent the receipt, hasn't she?
Has is already the present-perfect auxiliary, so it appears again in the negative tag. Mina becomes she in this example.
Not this:Mina has not sent the receipt,
has she? What changes: Not makes the statement negative, so has she is the regular positive tag. -
This route can take an hour, can't it?
Can is a modal verb. Keep it in the tag and use it for the singular noun route.
Not this:This route cannot take an hour,
can it? What changes: A negative can statement normally takes the positive tag can it. -
I'm next on the list, aren't I?
After a positive I am statement, aren't I is the usual tag in everyday English.
Not this:I'm not next on the list,
am I? What changes: After a negative I am statement, the positive tag is am I. -
Let's meet outside the library, shall we?
Let's makes a suggestion for both speakers. Shall we invites the other person to accept the plan.
Not this:Wait outside the library,
will you? What changes: This is a request to one listener, so will you is a familiar tag after the imperative.
Read the full guide
Begin with the working verb in the statement. Keep be, have, a modal, or another auxiliary when it is already there. If a simple present or past statement has only an ordinary verb, supply do, does, or did in the tag. Then replace the subject with a pronoun and check whether the statement is positive or negative.
Find the verb that controls the tag
The tag follows the statement's working verb. Repeat be, have, can, should, will, or another auxiliary already in the statement. Do not choose a different verb simply because the sentence is in the past or future.
The doors will close soon, won't they?
Will is already in the statement, so won't appears in the tag. A did tag would not match the future meaning.
Which verb belongs in the tag after ‘Your documents have arrived’ ?
Use have: ‘Your documents have arrived, haven't they?’
Add do, does, or did when there is no auxiliary
Simple present and simple past statements often contain only an ordinary verb. In a tag, add do, does, or did. Use does for a singular present-tense subject, do for other present-tense subjects, and did for past-time statements.
The museum closes at five, doesn't it?
Closes is a simple present verb with a singular subject. Does supplies the auxiliary that the statement does not show.
How do you finish ‘The visitors arrived early’ with a usual tag?
Write: ‘The visitors arrived early, didn't they?’
Switch positive and negative form for a regular check
For a usual confirmation tag, switch the polarity. A positive statement normally has a negative tag, and a negative statement normally has a positive tag. Read the whole statement before you decide, because words such as never or nobody make the meaning negative.
Nobody mentioned a change, did they?
Nobody has a negative meaning, so the tag is the positive form did they.
How do you end ‘The room isn't reserved’ with a regular tag?
Write: ‘The room isn't reserved, is it?’
Replace the subject with a pronoun
The tag normally uses a pronoun instead of repeating a full name or noun. Use it for a thing, place, or idea, and they for plural people or things. For a named person, use a pronoun that fits the person's known reference. This makes the tag brief and connects it clearly to the statement.
The new instructions are clear, aren't they?
Instructions is plural, so they is the matching pronoun. It would not match several instructions.
What pronoun replaces ‘the printer’ in a tag?
Use it: ‘The printer is ready, isn't it?’
Use the special forms for I am, requests, and suggestions
Some common tags need to be learned as patterns. After positive I am, English usually uses aren't I. After a request in the imperative, will you is common. After Let's, use shall we when the speaker suggests an action for both people.
I'm on the right platform, aren't I?
Aren't I is the ordinary tag after a positive I am statement, even though the form is unusual.
Send me the address, will you?
The speaker is asking one listener to act. Will you can make the request sound more cooperative.
Let your voice show whether you need an answer
The grammar of a tag may stay the same while the voice changes its purpose. A rising voice often asks for real confirmation. A falling voice often signals that the speaker expects agreement. In writing, the context needs to make that purpose clear because the reader cannot hear the voice.
This is the correct entrance, isn't it?
With a rising voice, the speaker may be unsure which entrance to use. With a falling voice, the speaker may be checking that the listener agrees.
What can a falling tag question invite from the listener?
It can invite agreement or a brief confirming response.
Before you go
Remember this
Find the working verb, use the matching pronoun, and usually reverse the positive or negative form. Use do, does, or did only when the statement has an ordinary simple-tense verb. Then consider the purpose: a tag may check information, invite agreement, make a request, or include another person in a suggestion.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Question tags: form and natural use"
What is a question tag?
A question tag is a short question added after a statement. It often checks information or invites agreement. In ‘The bus stops here, doesn't it?’, the first part gives information and the tag asks the listener to confirm it.
The keys are in the drawer, aren't they?
How do I choose the verb in a question tag?
Repeat be, have, a modal, or another auxiliary already in the statement. If a simple present or past statement has only an ordinary verb, use do, does, or did. The verb in the tag must match the tense and subject of the statement.
The key is in the drawer, isn't it?
Why do question tags use pronouns?
A tag normally replaces the statement's subject with a pronoun so that it stays short. The report becomes it, the guests become they, and a named person can become he, she, or they when that reference is known.
The buses left early, didn't they?
Do question tags always change from positive to negative?
Opposite polarity is the usual pattern for a neutral confirmation question: a positive statement normally has a negative tag, and a negative statement normally has a positive tag. Same-polarity tags can show surprise or challenge, so they need more context and are best learned later.
The buses did not leave early, did they?
Why do people say aren't I?
Aren't I? is the usual tag after a positive I am statement: ‘I'm late, aren't I?’ It is a common fixed pattern in everyday English. After a negative I am statement, use the positive form: ‘I'm not late, am I?’
Mina has sent the receipt, hasn't she?