Question tags
Catherine’s chocolate has gone missing! She thinks Finn ate it, so she asks him this: ‘Finn, you didn’t eat all the chocolate, did you?’
The phrase ‘did you?’ is an example of a question tag. Find out all about them in this episode of 6 Minute Grammar.
Catherine
Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Catherine.
Finn
And me, Finn. Hello.
Catherine
Today’s programme is about question tags, isn’t it Finn?
Finn
Yes, it is Catherine. And, a question tag – also known as a tag question – is a short yes/no question that we put at the end of a statement. Here’s an example. Catherine, you live near the station, don’t you?
Catherine
I live very near the station, Finn. It’s about five minutes from my house. The question tag Finn used was don’t you? Finn thinks he knows where I live, but he wants to check. He checks by saying a statement, then adding a short question at the end. Here’s Neil with some more examples.
Neil
Mike’s working from home today, isn’t he?
The kids haven’t forgotten to do their homework, have they?
Finn
Now, forming question tags can be a little tricky, so here are some useful tips:
Catherine
Tip number one: when the statement is positive, the question tag is negative. The statement You live near the station is positive…
Finn
So we add a negative question tag: don’t you.
Catherine
Tip two: When the statement is negative, the question tag is positive. Here’s a negative statement: You didn’t eat all the chocolate…
Finn
… with a positive question tag: did you?
Catherine
Actually Finn, talking about chocolate… I left some chocolate her, before. You haven’t seen it, have you?
Finn
Chocolate, no.
Catherine
Are you sure?
Finn
No – I think you had it with your coffee, didn’t you?
Catherine
Hmm. I’m not sure I did, actually. Anyway, moving on. Tip three. Question tags aren’t complete questions: a question tag has just an auxiliary verb and a subject. There isn’t a main verb in a question tag. For example, question tags are: are you… did they…
Finn
… don’t you… isn’t he…
Catherine
And so on. Now for tip four: the auxiliary verb can be positive or negative. Here’s Neil.
Neil
You’re lying, aren’t you?…
Catherine
We have a positive auxiliary verb – are – in the statement…
Finn
… so we make it negative – aren’t – in the question tag.
Catherine
A negative auxiliary verb in the statement becomes positive in the tag. Neil.
Neil
You aren’t lying, are you?
Catherine
Thank you. Tip five. If there isn’t an auxiliary verb in the statement, use the auxiliary verb do in the question tag. Here are some examples:
Neil
They always go by bus, don’t they?
You ate my chocolate, didn’t you?
Catherine
Don’t remind me of chocolate.
Finn
I’m not guilty!
Catherine
So that’s auxiliary verbs in question tags. Our next question tags tip is that the subject and tense of the question tag and statement are always the same. So when I say: Finn, you didn’t eat my chocolate, did you? The subject is you in the statement and question tag.
Finn
And the tense is past simple in both.
IDENT
You’re listening to BBC Learning English.
Finn
We’re talking about question tags…
Catherine
… and the mystery of my missing chocolate, Finn!
Finn
Ooh, well! Before that, a word about speaking. Question tags are used mostly in spoken English. We don’t use them much in writing. And there are two main reasons to use them in speaking.
Catherine
First, use question tags to get someone to confirm something that we think we already know. For example, Finn… I definitely saw you eating something earlier… You were eating my chocolate, weren’t you!?
Finn
Well…
Catherine
Weren’t you?!
Finn
Well, yes I was! Catherine, I’ll get you some more, I’m sorry. I promise. It’s not easy to resist chocolate, is it?
Catherine
Clearly. Clearly not!
Finn
And if you were listening carefully, you probably noticed that Catherine’s voice went down, from high to low, when she said the question tag.
Catherine
You were eating my chocolate, weren’t you!?…weren’t you!?
Finn
And that falling intonation means that Catherine thinks that what she is saying is correct. She wants me to confirm it. Or just make conversation. But when someone uses rising intonation in a question tag – when the voice goes up – they are asking a real question – they want to find out if the statement is really true. For example, you could say:
Neil
There isn’t any meat in the soup, is there?
You do serve vegetarian food, don’t you?
I can order a plain omelette, can’t I?
Catherine
And now it’s quiz time. I’m going to say three statements and you have to add the question tags. Number one: It’s your birthday tomorrow…
Finn
…isn’t it?
Catherine
Good, number two: Kumar won’t be late…
Finn
…will he?
Catherine
Question three: You’re going to get that chocolate now…?
Finn
…aren’t you? Ok Catherine, I get the hint.
Catherine
Well done if you got all those right.
Finn
There’s more about this on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar.
Both
Bye.
Grammar Reference
Question tags
What do question tags mean and what do we use them for?
Basically, question tags work by turning a statement into a question by adding a tag at the end. The tag is a short yes or no question, and we use different tags depending on the statement. Here are a couple of examples:
You’re here for the interview today, aren’t you? (Compare with: Are you here for the interview?)
You haven’t filled all the vacancies yet, have you? (Compare with: Have you filled all the vacancies yet?)
The tag asks if the statement is true and makes it into a question. We use question tags more often when we are speaking than when we are writing.
How do we make question tags?
We can see that question tags are either positive or negative. If the statement part is positive, the tag is negative. If the statement is negative, then the question tag part is postitive. The subject of the statement always appears as a pronoun in the tag.
You can fill out the application form without any problems, can’t you? (Positive statement, negative question tag.)
You haven’t finished interviewing all the candidates, have you? (Negative statement, positive question tag.)
If the main statement has an auxiliary verb, then the question tag is made with the same auxiliary verb.
Positive statements with question tags
We are meeting this afternoon, aren’t we?
You have prepared the spreadsheet, haven’t you?
You will be on time for the workshop, won’t you?
You can join us for the business lunch, can’t you?
This is going to change our products forever, isn’t it?
For positive statements without auxiliary verbs, we use do to make the question tag:
The new bosses like the idea, don’t they?
He always gives a good presentation, doesn’t he?
All the interviewees arrived on time, didn’t they?
Negative statements with question tags
The job situation isn’t getting any better, is it?
We haven’t had so many candidates interested before, have we?
Our new boss doesn’t like to have fun, does she?
I just can’t get this presentation right, can I?
When a form of be is the main verb in the statement, we use the matching form in the tag.
She is qualified, isn’t she?
They were impressed by the sales figures, weren’t they?
It isn’t that difficult to understand, is it?
We weren’t ready for the tax increase, were we?
There is a special case if the pronoun is I and we use be in the statement. The tag is made with am when the statement is negative – but when the statement is positive, the tag is made with aren’t.
I’m not the right person for the job, am I?
I’m in the right building for the interview, aren’t I?
Spoken English
In some ways, question tags are not real questions; that is, the speaker is not asking for new information. Instead, the speaker may be asking for agreement, or trying to start a conversation or keep one going.
The intonation of a tag in a question is important. When someone uses falling intonation in a tag, they think that the statement is true. They use the question tag to invite conversation.
When someone uses rising intonation in a question tag, he is less certain that the statement before the question tag is correct. The question tag here is a real question – the speaker wants to find out if the statement is really true.