English Grammar Drills - Mark Lester 2009
Question tags
13 Questions and Negatives
Part 3 Sentences
A tag is a word or phrase added onto an otherwise already complete sentence. Most languages have what is called a question tag. Question tags are not genuine requests for information where the speaker is seeking new information. Question tags are short phrases added to the ends of sentences by speakers to get confirmation that their audience is following and/or agreeing with what the speakers are saying. A simple question tag is right. For example:
You know how to fill out these forms, right?
Often a question tag is a single fixed phrase like right in English or nicht wahr in German. The most common and important question tag in English is unusually complex because the form of the question tag is not fixed. It depends entirely on the grammar of the main sentence. Here is a pair of examples:
You are coming tonight, aren’t you?
You are not coming tonight, are you?
The form of the question tag is determined by the grammar of the main sentence in four different ways:
1. Most obviously, there is a positive-negative reversal between the main sentence and the question tag. If the main sentence is positive, then the question tag must be negative. If the main sentence is negative, then the question tag must be positive.
2. The verb in the question tag is determined by the verb in the main sentence. If the verb in the main sentence is a modal auxiliary or helping verb, then the tag must be that same modal auxiliary or helping verb. For example:
Modal
They should go, shouldn’t they?
We will be ready, won’t we?
Alice can play the oboe, can’t she?
Be
We are going soon, aren’t we?
The boss wasn’t upset, was he?
Have
Joan has finished the job, hasn’t she?
The office hadn’t closed early, had it?
If the verb in the main sentence is be used as a main verb, then be is repeated in the question tag. For example:
They were happy with our work, weren’t they?
It isn’t a good time to meet, is it?
(As you have doubtless noticed, these same verbs—modals, helping verb, and be used as a main verb—also figure prominently in forming questions and negatives without using do.)
If the main sentence does not use a modal auxiliary, helping verb, or be as a main verb, then the question tag must use do. For example:
Roger missed the bus again, didn’t he?
I predicted the outcome of the game, didn’t I?
Senator Blather speaks after dinner, doesn’t he?
If do (usually in the negative) is used in the main sentence, then do must be repeated in the question tag. For example:
He didn’t mean it, did he?
I don’t know, do I?
3. The tense of the tag question must be the same as the tense in the main sentence. If the tense in the main sentence is past, then the tag must also be past. If the tense in the main is present, then the tag must also be present. For example, consider the following sentence:
John and Mary are sailing to the island tomorrow, aren’t they?
The question tag is in the present tense because the verb in the main sentence is in the present tense. If the tag were in a different tense, the sentence would be ungrammatical:
X John and Mary are sailing to the island tomorrow, weren’t they?
4. The noun phrase in the question tag is based on the subject noun phrase in the main sentence. If the subject noun phrase is a pronoun, then that pronoun must be repeated in the question tag. For example:
They are going to rewrite the letter, aren’t they?
However, if the subject noun phrase in the main sentence is not a pronoun, the noun phrase in the question tag must be a pronoun that replaces the subject noun phrase in the main sentence. Here are some examples with various kinds of noun phrases in the main sentence:
Proper noun: Barbara called again, didn’t she?
Compound nouns: Tom and Barbara will be there, won’t they?
Abstract noun: The confl icts in the Middle East are not a simple matter, are they?
Gerund: Going to school takes a lot of money, doesn’t it?
Infinitive: To graduate this fall has always been his goal, hasn’t it?
Noun clause: Where they should live has been an issue with them, hasn’t it?
Exercise 13.16
Add a question tag to each of the following sentences.
You need a pillow.
You need a pillow, don’t you?
1. We won’t get over this easily.
2. The group can count on us.
3. What he said really made an impact on everyone.
4. The CEO and the Board issued a press release.
5. The new staff members are sadly lacking in experience.
6. The gate agent can’t change our seat assignments.
7. Working all the time really wears you down.
8. The fire department couldn’t get there in time.
9. To run such a large operation requires a big support staff.
10. The article in the Times wasn’t very accurate.
11. The doctors might have to operate.
12. This year’s graduates were all looking for jobs in finance.
13. The consultants don’t know what to suggest.
14. Who reports to Mrs. Johnston won’t be decided till later.
15. Trying your best is the important thing.