Question tags (do you? isn’t it? etc.)

Do you know how to use question tags like is he and didn’t you? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how question tags are used.

Examples:

Have you? and wasn’t it? are question tags (= mini-questions that we often put on the end of a sentence in spoken English). In question tags, we use an auxiliary verb (have/was/will etc.).

We use do/does/did for the present and past simple:

• ‘Karen plays the piano, doesn’t she? ‘ ‘Well, yes, but not very well.’
• ‘You didn’t lock the door, did you?’ ‘No, I forgot.’

Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement to turn it into a question. They are often used in spoken English to confirm information or seek agreement.

Normally we use a negative question tag after a positive sentence and a positive question tag after a negative sentence:

Positive sentence + negative tag	negative sentence + positive tag
Kate will be here soon, won’t she?	Kate won’t be late, will she?
There was a lot of traffic, wasn’t there?	They don’t like us, do they?
Joe should pass the exam, shouldn’t he?	You haven’t eaten yet, have you?

Notice the meaning of yes and no in answer to a negative sentence:

• You’re not going out today, are you?
  Yes. (= Yes, I am going out)
  No. (= No, I am not going out)

The meaning of a question tag depends on how you say it. If your voice goes down, you are not really asking a question; you are only inviting the listener to agree with you:

• It’s a nice day, isn’t it? ‘Yes, beautiful.’
• Paul doesn’t look well today, does he? ‘No, he looks very tired.’
• Lisa’s very funny. She’s got a great sense of humour, hasn’t she? ‘Yes, she has.’

But if the voice goes up, it is a real question:

• You haven’t seen Lisa today, have you? ‘No, I haven’t.’
  (= Have you by chance seen Lisa today?)

You can use a negative sentence + positive tag to ask for things or information, or to ask somebody to do something. The voice goes up at the end of the tag in sentences like these:

• You haven’t got a pen, have you? ‘Yes, here you are’.
• You couldn’t do me a favour, could you? ‘It depends what it is.’
• You don’t know where Keren is, do you? ‘Sorry, I have no idea.’

After Let’s…., the question tag is shall we:

• Let’s go for a walk, shall we? (the voice goes up)

After Don’t... , the question tag is will you:

• Don’t be late, will you? (the voice goes down)

After I’m … , the negative question tag is aren’t I (= am I not):

• I’m right, aren’t I? ‘Yes, you are.’