1 of 18

TAG-QUESTIONS OR

QUESTION TAGS

2 of 18

CH. ARUNA

LECTURER IN ENGLISH

HINDU COLLEGE

GUNTUR

3 of 18

WHAT ARE QUESTION TAGS?

QUESTION TAGS ARE SHORT QUESTIONS AT THE END OF STATEMENTS.

4 of 18

They are mainly used in speech when we want to:

​

  1. confirm that something is true or not, or

​

​

  • to encourage a reply from the person we are speaking to.

5 of 18

STRUCTURE

6 of 18

FORM :

  • POSITIVE STATEMENT → NEGATIVE QUESTION TAG

​

  • NEGATIVE STATEMENT → POSITIVE QUESTION TAG

7 of 18

THEY AREN'T FUNNY THEY?

EXAMPLES

,

ARE

,

ISN'T

JACK IS FROM SPAIN HE?

8 of 18

  • OTHER VERBS USE DON’T/ DOESN’T / DIDN’T ON THE TAGS.

FOR EXAMPLE :

    • YOU PLAY THE GUITAR, DON'T YOU?
    • THEY WENT TO THE CINEMA, DIDN'T

THEY?

9 of 18

SOME VERBS / EXPRESSIONS HAVE DIFFERENT

QUESTION TAGS.

FOR EXAMPLE:

  • I AM - I AM ATTRACTIVE, AREN'T I?
  • POSITIVE IMPERATIVE - STOP DAYDREAMING, WILL / WON'T YOU?
  • NEGATIVE IMPERATIVE - DON'T STOP SINGING, WILL YOU?
  • LET'S - LET'S GO TO THE BEACH, SHALL WE?
  • HAVE GOT (POSSESSION) - HE HAS GOT A CAR, HASN'T HE?
  • THERE IS / ARE - THERE AREN'T ANY SPIDERS IN THE BEDROOM, ARE

THERE?

  • THIS / THAT IS - THIS IS PAUL'S PEN, ISN'T IT?

10 of 18

TAG-QUESTIONS

EXAMPLE:

  • THERE ARE FIVE SIMPLE POINTS WE SHOULD FOLLOW WHEN WE USE A TAG-QUESTION:
  • POINT 1
  • A COMMA IS USED BETWEEN THE MAIN SENTENCE AND THE ‘TAG’ PART,

THIS IS YOUR BOOK, ISN’T IT?

11 of 18

  • POINT 2:

​

  • EVEN IF THE SUBJECT OF THE MAIN SENTENCE IS A NOUN – PROPER NOUN OR COMMON NOUN –

THE SUBJECT OF THE ‘TAG’ PART IS ALWAYS A CORRESPONDING PERSONAL PRONOUN.

MARY ISN’T YOUR SISTER, IS SHE?

JOHN HAS GONE HOME, HASN’T

?

12 of 18

  • POINT 3
  • THE VERB IN THE ‘TAG’ PART DEPENDS ON THE VERB IN THE MAIN SENTENCE:

​

  • IF THE VERB IN THE MAIN SENTENCE IS IN PRESENT TENSE, THE VERB IN THE ‘TAG’ PART WILL BE IN PRESENT TENSE, AND SO ON.

​

  • IF THE VERB IN THE MAIN SENTENCE IS IN POSITIVE FORM, THE VERB IN THE ‘TAG’ PART WILL BE IN NEGATIVE FORM.

13 of 18

  • POINT 4 -- WORD ORDER

​

  • IN THE MAIN SENTENCE THE SUBJECT COMES FIRST AND THE VERB COMES NEXT; BUT IN THE ‘TAG’ PART, THE VERB COMES FIRST AND THE SUBJECT COMES NEXT, JUST AS IN THE INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE.

14 of 18

FOR EXAMPLE:

,

A WOMAN FAINTED MAIN SENTENCE

DIDN’T SHE?

‘TAG’ PART

SUBJECT FIRST; VERB NEXT

VERB FIRST; SUBJECT NEXT

15 of 18

TIME 2 PRACTICE

16 of 18

Excellent!!! Excellent!!! Excellent!!!

17 of 18

QUESTIONS?

18 of 18

�������THANK YOU