Sentences: Question Tags
Question Tags ◗
Sometimes people finish what they are saying with a short question. Why do they do this? Because they want to know if the person they are speaking to agrees with them. This short question is called a question tag. Look at the following sentence.
The weather is lovely today, isn’t it?
The main part of the sentence is positive, but the question tag is negative. You expect the answer to a negative question tag to be yes. For example:
“The weather is lovely today, isn’t it?” “Yes, it is.”
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Use a helping verb and the subject of the sentence to make the question tag. Notice that the subject has been replaced by a pronoun in the example sentences. The pronoun in the question tag refers to the subject printed in color.
Tom is older than you, isn’t he? Sally has got a dog, hasn’t she? Anna and I can go by train, can’t we? Peter and David should leave now, shouldn’t they?
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If the main part of the sentence has I am in it, use aren’t I in the question tag.
I’m your best friend, aren’t I? I’m taller than Sumiko, aren’t I?
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If the main part of the sentence is negative, the question tag is positive. You expect the answer to a positive question tag to be no.
These questions aren’t very difficult, are they? You haven’t read this book, have you? Peter isn’t as tall as I am, is he? She isn’t eight yet, is she? There aren’t many clouds in the sky, are there? There isn’t much wind today, is there? There weren’t any emails for me, were there? 130