Blog about English
Using tag questions to confirm or check information.
A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement to seek confirmation, agreement, or a reaction.
For example, You are coming, aren't you?
A positive statement normally takes a negative question tag.
For example, She is here, isn't she? and You like coffee, don't you?
A negative statement normally takes a positive question tag.
For example, She isn't here, is she? and You don't like coffee, do you?
The question tag normally uses the same auxiliary or modal as the main statement.
For example, She has finished, hasn't she? and He can swim, can't he?
The subject of the main statement is normally represented by an appropriate pronoun in the tag.
For example, John is here, isn't he? and The children are ready, aren't they?
Indefinite subjects such as someone, nobody, everyone, and something require appropriate pronoun choices in question tags.
For example, Everyone is ready, aren't they? and Nobody called, did they?
Words with negative meaning normally take a positive tag even though the main verb is grammatically affirmative.
For example, Nobody called, did they? and Nothing happened, did it?
The conventional question tag after I am is aren't I in standard contemporary English.
For example, I'm late, aren't I?
Lets used for a suggestion normally takes shall we? as the tag.
For example, Let's go now, shall we?
Let me can be followed by tags such as will you? when making a request or proposal.
For example, Let me help you, will you?
The polarity pattern of a tag can signal whether the speaker expects agreement, seeks information, or expresses uncertainty.
For example, You're coming, aren't you? often expects agreement, while You're not coming, are you? checks a negative proposition.
A rising intonation on the tag commonly signals a genuine request for confirmation.
For example, You're coming tomorrow, aren't you? can use rising intonation when the speaker is genuinely unsure.
A falling intonation on the tag commonly signals that the speaker expects agreement rather than genuinely asking for new information.
For example, Nice weather today, isn't it? often functions as a conversational statement seeking agreement.
Informal speech allows a range of conversational tag forms and uses them for confirmation, solidarity, persuasion, or reaction.
For example, So you're coming, are you? can express an interested or surprised reaction rather than neutral confirmation.
Form question tags by matching the auxiliary, subject pronoun, and polarity of the main statement unless a special tag construction applies.
Common mistakes include using the wrong auxiliary, repeating the noun instead of using a pronoun, getting the positive-negative polarity wrong, using amn't I, and forgetting special tags such as shall we after lets.