Tag Questions

Presentation

Tag questions

Laura Padilla

Study this example

John: Hey, Sarah, you're going to the party tonight, aren't you? Sarah: Yeah, I am. Are you coming too, John? John: Yeah, I'm planning on it. You think it'll be fun, won't it? Sarah: Definitely! Do you know who else is going, John? John: I heard a lot of people from our class are going, aren't they? Sarah: Yeah, I think so. You're bringing your famous homemade cookies, aren't you? John: Of course! They're always a hit at parties, aren't they? Sarah: Absolutely! Well, I'll see you there, won't I? John: Yeah, see you later, Sarah!

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Analyze The Structure

You like coffee, don't you? He's cooking dinner, isn't he? They enjoyed the movie, didn't they? She won't bring the dessert, will she? I am the teacher, aren't I? Can you identify the structure?

Answering Tag Questions

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. Extra tip: Answer a tag question according to the truth of the situation. Your answer reflects the real facts, not (necessarily) the question.

How to answer

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.

IIf the first part of the sentence is affirmative, the tag question is negative, but if the first part of the sentence is negative then the tag question is affirmative.

Rule

Tag questions are small questions using "to be", aux, or a modal verbs.