Question Tags
Ravi can not swim like his elder brother, can he?
Ravi can swim like his elder brother, can’t he?
Some rules for forming Question Tags:
1. There should be same tense in a statement and the ‘question tag’ that follows.
I cannot swim, could I?
I cannot swim, can I?
2. If statement is an affirmative sentence then ‘question tag’ will be negative and
vice versa.
I cannot swim, can’t I?
I cannot swim, can I?
She does not understand a word of Hindi, doesn’t she?
She talks only when prompted, does she?
3. Only pronouns are used in ‘question tag’. ( I /we/ you/ they/ he/ she/ it)
4. In negative question tags, only helping verb and ‘not’ in a “contracted form” is
used.
5. There is NO Contracted form for “I am”. ‘aren’t I’ is used in its place.
Statement: I am fine.
I am fine, aren’t I?
6. Everyone / everybody / no one / none / each / every,etc. are used for singular
nouns. Singular verb / pronoun is used with them but in ‘question tag’ these are
treated as plural third person.
Eg. Everyone has come, hasn’t he?
Everyone has come, haven’t they?
None of your friends likes her, do they?
Everybody likes ice-cream, don’t they?
7. With words like something/ nothing/ anything / everything, etc. where
uncountable nouns or non-living things are being discussed then, in question tag
only singular verb and singular pronoun (it) are used.
Eg. Nothing seems missing, is it?
Everything is at its proper place, isn’t it?
8. Collective nouns are followed by singular form of verb. In their question tag,
singular pronoun is used.
A platoon has started marching towards the East, hasn’t it?
A choir has not performed well today, has it?
A bunch of keys is missing since morning, isn’t it?
9. If sentence starts with ‘ Let us’ or ‘ Let’s’, then question tag wil be “ shall we”
Let us watch a movie, shall we?
Let’s’ go out on a long drive, shall we?
10. For imperative sentences ( request/ command), question tag ‘won’t you’ / ‘will
you’ / ‘would you’ is used.
Sit down, won’t you?
Please do not tell lies, will you?
Don’t worry, will you?
11. With word like ‘hardly’, ‘barely’, ‘scarcely’, ‘seldom’, little, ‘few’, affirmative
question tag is used.
He hardly presents himself before teacher, does he?
I barely speak in front of that man, do I?
Little water is left in a pot, is it?
Few people turned up for his funeral, did they?
12. If sentence starts with ‘there’, then Question tag will start with ‘helping verb’
and ‘there’ only
There are many flowers blooming in my garden, aren’t they?
There are many flowers blooming in my garden, aren’t there?
There is not much hope left after the war, is it?
There is not much hope left after the war, is there?
Practice Sentences:
1. I am happy.
2. Let’s have dinner.
3. You look ill.
4. We walked two miles today.
5. We saw many artists in the gallery last week.
6. I am tired.
7. We fought till the end.
8. Neither of the two turned up for a meeting.
9. Go to the nearest doctor now.
10. Fire!
11. Sit down!
12. She hardly comes out during night.
13. Wait for me.
14. Nobody entered this place.
15. There are many white lotus in this area.
16. A flock of birds was sitting on that tree a moment ago.