English Grammar Secrets

Question tags

We use tags in spoken English but not in formal written English.

They are not really questions but are a way of asking the other person to make a comment and so keep the conversation open.

Making a tag is very mechanical. To make a tag, use the first auxiliary. If there is no auxiliary, use do, does or did. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag and with a negative sentence, make a positive tag.

·         It's beautiful, isn't it?

·         He has been, hasn't he?

·         You can, can't you?

·         It must be, mustn't it?

·         You know him, don’t you?

·         He finished it, didn't he?

·         He will come, won't he?

·         It isn't very good, is it?

·         It hasn't rained, has it?

·         It can't be, can it?

·         Jenny doesn't know James, does she?

·         They didn't leave, did they?

·         He won’t do it, will he?

Notice these:

·         There isn't an ATM here, is there?

·         Let's have a cup of coffee, shall we?

To reply, use the same auxiliary:

·         It's beautiful, isn't it? ~ Yes, it is. I think it's fabulous.

·         It isn't very good, is it? ~ No, it isn't. In fact, it's terrible.

Although, the rules are very simple and mechanical, in order to use them easily in conversation, they have to be automatic. So you need to hear and practice them very often.