মোঃ আবু আব্দুর রহমান সিদ্দিকী
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০৪ নভেম্বর, ২০২২ ০৮:৪৫ পূর্বাহ্ণ
Tag Questions
Tag Questions
You speak English, don't you?
A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a
statement followed by a mini-question. We use tag questions to ask for confirmation.
They mean something like: "Is that right?" or "Do you
agree?" They are very common in English.
The basic structure of
a tag question is:
|
positive statement |
negative tag |
|
Snow is white, |
isn't it? |
|
negative statement |
positive tag |
|
You don't like me, |
do you? |
Notice that the tag
repeats the auxiliary verb (or main verb when be) from the
statement and changes it to negative or positive.
Positive Statement Tag Questions
Look at these examples with positive statements. You
will see that most of the time, the auxiliary verb from the positive statement
is repeated in the tag and changed to negative.
|
(+)
positive statement |
(-)
negative tag |
|||||
|
subject |
auxiliary |
main
verb |
|
auxiliary |
not |
personal
pronoun same as subject |
|
You |
are |
coming, |
|
are |
n't |
you? |
|
We |
have |
finished, |
|
have |
n't |
we? |
|
You |
do |
like |
coffee, |
do |
n't |
you? |
|
You |
|
like |
coffee, |
do |
n't |
you? |
|
They |
will |
help, |
|
wo |
n't |
they? |
|
I |
can |
come, |
|
can |
't |
I? |
|
We |
must |
go, |
|
must |
n't |
we? |
|
He |
should |
try |
harder, |
should |
n't |
he? |
|
You |
|
are |
English, |
are |
n't |
you? |
|
John |
|
was |
there, |
was |
n't |
he? |
Notice:
- the use of do in
the two coffee questions. Remember that in Present Simple, do is
optional in positive statements (You like coffee/You do like coffee).
But the do must appear in the tag. The same applies to
Past Simple did.
- in last two questions, no
auxiliary for main verb be in Present Simple and Past
Simple. The tag repeats the main verb.
Negative Statement Tag Questions
Look at these examples
with negative statements. Notice that the negative verb in the
original statement is changed to positive in the tag.
|
(-)
negative statement |
(+)
positive tag |
||||||
|
subject |
auxiliary |
|
main
verb |
|
|
auxiliary |
personal
pronoun same as subject |
|
It |
is |
n't |
raining, |
|
|
is |
it? |
|
We |
have |
never |
seen |
|
that, |
have |
we? |
|
You |
do |
n't |
like |
|
coffee, |
do |
you? |
|
They |
will |
not |
help, |
|
|
will |
they? |
|
They |
wo |
n't |
report |
|
us, |
will |
they? |
|
I |
can |
never |
do |
|
it
right, |
can |
I? |
|
We |
must |
n't |
tell |
|
her, |
must |
we? |
|
He |
should |
n't |
drive |
|
so
fast, |
should |
he? |
|
You |
wo |
n't |
be |
|
late, |
will |
you? |
|
You |
|
|
are |
n't |
English, |
are |
you? |
|
John |
|
|
was |
not |
there, |
was |
he? |
Notice:
- won't is
the contracted form of will not
- the tag repeats the auxiliary verb, not the main verb.
Except, of course, for the verb be in Present Simple and
Past Simple.
Answering Tag Questions
How do we answer a tag question? Often, we just say Yes or No.
Sometimes we may repeat the tag and reverse it (They don't live here, do
they? Yes, they do). Be very careful about answering tag
questions. In some languages, an opposite system of answering is used, and
non-native English speakers sometimes answer in the wrong way. This can lead to
a lot of confusion!
Answer a tag question according to the truth of
the situation. Your answer reflects the real facts, not (necessarily) the
question.
For example, everyone
knows that snow is white. Look at these questions, and the correct answers:
|
tag question |
correct
answer |
notes |
|
|
Snow
is white, isn't it? |
Yes
(it is). |
Answer
is same in both cases - because snow is white! |
But
notice change of stress when answerer does not agree with
questioner. |
|
Snow
isn't white, is it? |
Yes it is! |
||
|
Snow
is black, isn't it? |
No it isn't! |
Answer
is same in both cases - because snow is not black! |
|
|
Snow
isn't black, is it? |
No
(it isn't). |
||
In some languages,
people answer a question like "Snow isn't black, is it?" with
"Yes" (meaning "Yes, I agree with you"). This is the wrong
answer in English!
Here are some more
examples, with correct answers:
- The moon goes round the earth, doesn't it? Yes, it
does.
- The earth is bigger than the moon, isn't it? Yes.
- The earth is bigger than the sun, isn't it? No,
it isn't!
- Asian people don't like rice, do they? Yes,
they do!
- Elephants live in Europe, don't they? No,
they don't!
- Men don't have babies, do they? No.
- The English alphabet doesn't have 40 letters, does it?
No, it doesn't.
Tag Question Special Cases
Negative adverbs
The adverbs never, rarely, seldom, hardly, barely and scarcely have
a negative sense. Even though they may be in a positive statement, the feeling
of the statement is negative. We treat statements with these words like
negative statements, so the question tag is normally positive. Look at these
examples:
|
positive statement |
positive tag |
|
He never came again, |
did he? |
|
She can rarely come these days, |
can she? |
|
You hardly ever came late, |
did you? |
|
I barely know you, |
do I? |
|
You would scarcely expect her to know that, |
would you? |
Intonation
We can change
the meaning of a tag question with the musical pitch of our
voice. With rising intonation, it sounds like a real question. But if our
intonation falls, it sounds more like a statement that doesn't require a real
answer:
|
|
intonation |
|
|
|
You don't know where my wallet is, |
do you? |
/ rising |
real question |
|
It's a beautiful view, |
isn't it? |
\ falling |
not a real question |
Imperatives
Sometimes we use
question tags with imperatives (invitations, orders), but the sentence remains
an imperative and does not require a direct answer. We use won't for
invitations. We use can, can't,
will, would for orders.
|
imperative + question tag |
notes |
|
Take a seat, won't you? |
polite invitation |
|
Help me, can you? |
quite friendly |
|
Help me, can't you? |
quite friendly (some irritation?) |
|
Close the door, would you? |
quite polite |
|
Do it now, will you? |
less polite |
|
Don't forget, will you? |
with negative imperatives only will is
possible |
Same-way tag questions
Although the basic structure of tag questions is
positive-negative or negative-positive, it is sometimes possible to use a
positive-positive or negative-negative structure. We use same-way tag questions
to express interest, surprise, anger etc, and not to make real questions.
Look at these
positive-positive tag questions:
- So you're having a baby, are you? That's wonderful!
- She wants to marry him, does she? Some chance!
- So you think that's funny, do you? Think again.
Negative-negative tag
questions usually sound rather hostile:
- So you don't like my looks, don't you? (British
English)
Asking for information or help
Notice that we often use tag questions to ask for information or
help, starting with a negative statement. This is quite a friendly/polite way
of making a request. For example, instead of saying "Where is the police
station?" (not very polite), or "Do you know where the police station
is?" (slightly more polite), we could say: "You wouldn't know where
the police station is, would you?" Here are some more examples:
- You don't know of any good
jobs, do you?
- You couldn't help me with my
homework, could you?
- You haven't got $10 to lend me,
have you?
Some more special cases
|
example |
notes |
|
I am right, aren't I? |
aren't I (not amn't I) |
|
You have to go, don't you? |
you (do) have to go... |
|
I have been answering, haven't I? |
use first auxiliary |
|
Nothing came in the post, did it? |
treat statements with nothing, nobody etc like
negative statements |
|
Let's go, shall we? |
let's = let us |
|
He'd better do it, hadn't he? |
he had better (no auxiliary) |
Mixed Examples of Tag Questions
Here is a list of
examples of tag questions in different contexts. Notice that some are
"normal" and others seem to break all the rules:
- But you don't really love her, do you?
- This'll work, won't it?
- Oh you think so, do you?
- Well, I couldn't help it, could I?
- But you'll tell me if she calls, won't you?
- We'd never have known, would we?
- Oh you do, do you?
- The weather's bad, isn't it?
- You won't be late, will you?
- Nobody knows, do they?
- You never come on time, do you?
- You couldn't help me, could you?
- You think you're clever, do you?
- So you don't think I can do it, don't you? (British
English)
- Shut up, will you!
- She can hardly love him after all that, can she?
- Nothing will happen, will it?
Examples of Questions Tags
- The
weather is getting very hot, isn’t it?
- Paul
can’t drive at night, can he?
- Maya
would be able to bring the snacks for the party, won’t she?
- You
have already completed your task, haven’t you?
- They
have not been at the marriage yet, have they?
- He
can swim in the river, can’t he?
- You
would be needing an extra bag for the trip, won’t you?
- I
guess her parents are too old to travel, aren’t they?
- You
need to remember all the facts about the monument, won’t you?
- Luna
basically belongs to Korea, doesn’t she?
- The
Food is really tasty today, isn’t it?
- I
think this music is heavy metal music, don’t you?
- John
just topped in the entire university, didn’t he?
- I
have heard that your brother paints really well, doesn’t he?
- You
will be coming with us to the airport, aren’t you?
- You
are residing in the west zone of the city, don’t you?
- Maya
can’t speak Spanish, can she?
- You
haven’t met Megha’s brother, have you?
Prepared By:
Md. Abu Abdur Rahman Siddiquee
Senior Teacher (English)
Jagoroni M. L Girls’ Biddyabithi
Newashi, Nageswari, Kurigram.
Email: [email protected]