Rules of Tag Questions

 Grammar

Question Tag

Rules of Question Tag in English Grammar 

Rule-1: Positive statements take negative question tags and negative statements take positive question tags. Some words are negative in meaning. E.g. hardly, seldom, scarcely, rarely, barely, etc. Hence they take positive question tags after them.

E.g.-

They are going home, aren't they?

They are not going home, are they?

He hardly walks, does he?

He barely gets people to spend quality time, does he?

He is seldom absent, is he?

Format: 1. If helping verb/auxiliary verb is available in the declarative sentence(subject+verb+object / s+v): helping verb(n't)+pronoun is used in question tag.

E.g.- I have got a book, haven't I?

(Note: Even when helping verbs come as main verbs they can be used as helping verb in question tag except has/have/had. E.g.- We are humans, aren't we? They have books, don't they?) List of helping verbs are here.

2. If base verb(v1) or singular verb(v5) or past form verb(v2) is available in the declarative sentence: don't/doesn't/didn't+pronoun is used in the question tag.

E.g.- They lost the game, didn't they?

He looks handsome, doesn't he?

They look like brothers, don't they?

Rule-2: If a sentence starts with "There", the question tag will have "there" in the place of pronoun.

E.g.- There is no food, is there?

There were snakes in the park, weren’t there?

Rule-3: The question tag is always made in accordance with the main part of the sentence.

E.g.- I think, he is right, isn't he? (Here 'I think' is not important and hence it is not the main part of the sentence".

Rule- 4: There is no contracted form of 'am not' but 'aren't' is used in the question tag.

E.g.- I am handsome, aren't I?

Rule-5: Each, every, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, none are singular and hence will take singular verb/ singular pronoun/ singular adjective with them but their question tag will take plural verb and plural pronoun.

E.g.- Everyone has come, hasn't he ( Incorrect)

Everyone has come, haven't they (correct)

None of your friends like her, do they

Everyone can speak English, can't they?

Rule-6: If the sentence starts with "let's ", " shall we" is used in the question and if the sentence starts with “let us”, “will you” is used in the question.

E.g.- Let us go to a party tonight, will you?

        Let’s talk for a while, shall we?

Rule-7: In Imperative sentences, the question tag “will you” or 'won't you' is used.

E.g.- close the door, will you? More rules about it:

Rule-8: Collective noun takes a singular verb and singular pronoun in the question tag.

E.g.- The group has taken its decision, hasn't it?

Rule-9: If we talk about the individual members of the collective noun or if there is a difference in opinion among the members of the collective noun, plural verb and plural pronouns are used.

E.g.- The people are divided in their opinion, aren't they?

The audience has taken their seats, haven't they?

Rule-10: If in an imperative sentence, somebody is being offered anything, or if someone is being asked to do something, "will you/ would you" is used in the question tag.

E.g.- Close the door, would you?

Have some more tea, would you?

Rule 11: If sub’d + rather+v1 is used in the sentence “wouldn’t” is used in the question tags and if sub’d + better+v1 is used in the sentence “hadn’t” is used in the question tags.

sub’d + rather – wouldn’t – He’d rather prefer tea, wouldn’t he?

sub’d + better- hadn’t – You’d better go there, hadn’t you?