Tag questions are short phrases added to the end of a statement to seek confirmation or emphasis, commonly used in spoken English and formed by reversing the subject and verb from the main statement.
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Ellii
What are tag questions?
Tag questions include a short phrase, called the “tag,” at the end of a positive or negative sentence stem.
For example, in the question “That was a good movie, wasn’t it?”
“that was a good movie” is the sentence stem, and “wasn’t it?” is the tag.
Why do we use tag questions in English?
We use tag questions for emphasis or confirmation.
Tag questions are very common in spoken English.
When we are sure that someone will agree with what we are saying, we can use a tag question.
For example, if my friend and I are looking at a small kitten and I think it is cute,
I would assume that my friend also thinks it is cute.
I can ask, "That kitten is cute, isn’t it?" and my friend will probably answer, “Yes, it is!”
How do we form tag questions in English?
Look at the position of the subject and verb in the sentence stem.
Then form the tag by reversing the order.
In other words, put the verb before the subject in the tag.
For example, in the question “She is tired, isn’t she?" the subject “she” comes before the verb “is” in the stem.
In the tag, the verb “isn’t” comes before the subject “she.”
The tag always takes a subject pronoun.
If the subject in the sentence stem of the question is a pronoun, it remains the same in the tag.
If the subject in the stem is a noun, it becomes a pronoun in the tag.
For example, in the question “They are hungry, aren’t they?”
the subject of the stem is “they,” so the subject of the tag doesn’t change.
But in the question “The children are hungry, aren’t they?”
the subject of the stem is “children,” so the subject of the tag changes to “they.”
The tag verb is always opposite of the verb in the sentence stem.
If the verb in the stem is positive, the tag is negative.
If the verb in the stem is negative, the tag is positive.
For example, in the question “He speaks French fluently, doesn’t he?”
the verb in the stem is positive, so the verb in the tag is negative.
But in the question “He doesn’t speak Spanish fluently, does he?”
the verb in the stem is negative, so the verb in the tag is positive.
If the sentence stem uses the Be verb, the tag uses the Be verb too.
For example:
This pasta is delicious, isn't it?
The baseball game wasn’t canceled, was it?
If the sentence stem uses a simple present verb other than Be, the tag uses “don’t,” “do,” “doesn’t,” or “does.”
For example:
You like ice cream, don’t you?
They don’t like broccoli, do they?
He likes pasta, doesn’t he?
If the sentence stem uses a simple past verb other than Be, the tag uses “didn’t” or “did.”
For example:
We ran for hours in gym class, didn’t we?
You didn’t finish your homework, did you?
For all other tenses and modals, the tag uses the auxiliary verb or modal that was used in the sentence stem.
For example:
Your neighbors have sold their house, haven’t they?
She will call me back, won’t she?
You can’t play the guitar, can you?
What is intonation?
“Intonation” refers to the rising or falling sound of someone’s voice.
For tag questions, we use rising intonation in the tag when we are about 80–90% sure that someone will agree with us.
We use falling intonation in the tag when we are about 95% sure that someone will agree with us.
For example, if my friend and I watched a really good action movie, but I know my friend prefers comedies,
then I’m only about 80–90% sure that my friend will agree with me.
In this case, I would use rising intonation.
I would say, "That was a great movie, wasn’t it?"
But if I know my friend loves action movies as much as I do,
then I’m about 95% sure that my friend will agree with me, so I would use falling intonation.
I would say, "That was a great movie, wasn’t it?"
How do we respond to tag questions in English?
Make sure you respond to the sentence stem, not the tag.
If you agree with the sentence stem, use the same type of verb in your response as the stem.
Respond with “yes” for a positive sentence and “no” for a negative sentence.
For example:
You like hot weather, don’t you?
Yes, I do. I like hot weather.
You don’t like cold weather, do you?
No, I don’t. I don’t like cold weather.
If you disagree with the sentence stem, use the opposite type of verb in your response as the stem.
Respond with “no” for a positive sentence and “yes” for a negative sentence.
For example:
You like hot weather, don’t you?
No, I don’t. I don’t like hot weather.
You don’t like cold weather, do you?
Yes, I do. I like cold weather.
Look at the picture and the sentence stem.
Say or write the correct tag.
Try saying each question twice.
First, imagine you are 80–90% sure that someone will agree with you and use rising intonation.
Then imagine you are 95% sure that someone will agree with you and use falling intonation.
For example:
You don’t feel well today, do you?
Now you try!
They speak Spanish fluently, don’t they?
Your brother didn’t like that spicy dish, did he?
The dogs haven’t gone outside today, have they?
She is playing baseball right now, isn’t she?
This quiz is going to be easy, isn't it?
Thanks for watching!
Ellii
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