Question tags – aren’t you? don’t you?

Question tags - Exercises

These exercises focus on Question tags.

🎯 TLDR

✔️ Positive sentences → Negative tags (You like tea, don’t you?)
✔️ Negative sentences → Positive tags (She isn’t here, is she?)
✔️ Special cases: "I am" → "Aren’t I?", "Let’s" → "Shall we?"
✔️ Great for conversation – use them to sound natural and engaging!

📌 What Are Question Tags?

A question tag is a mini-question at the end of a statement. It is used to:

✔️ Confirm information → "You’re a student, aren’t you?"
✔️ Check for agreement → "It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?"
✔️ Encourage conversation → "You love music, don’t you?"

📌 Fun Fact: In British English, question tags are very common in speech!

🔹 How to Form Question Tags

1️⃣ Positive Statement → Negative Tag

If the main sentence is positive, use a negative question tag.

✔️ Examples:

• You like pizza, don’t you?

• He is your friend, isn’t he?

• They have finished, haven’t they?

2️⃣ Negative Statement → Positive Tag

If the main sentence is negative, use a positive question tag.

✔️ Examples:

• You don’t like pizza, do you?

• She isn’t here, is she?

• They haven’t finished, have they?

📌 Tip: "Not" contractions (isn’t, don’t, haven’t) are used in negative question tags.

🔄 Common Question Tags – Examples by Verb Type

📌 Note: If the sentence has "never," "nobody," "nothing," or "hardly", treat it as negative:
✔️ Example: "Nobody called you, did they?"

⚡ Special Rules for Question Tags

1️⃣ "I am" → "Aren’t I?"

✔️ Correct: "I am your friend, aren’t I?"
❌ Incorrect: "I am your friend, amn't I?"

📌 Tip: "Amn’t I" is NOT correct English!

2️⃣ Imperatives → "Will you?" or "Won’t you?"

For commands or requests, use "will you?" or "won’t you?"

✔️ Examples:

• Open the door, will you? (Polite request)

• Pass me the salt, won’t you? (Friendly)

3️⃣ Let’s… → "Shall we?"

When using "Let's", the correct tag is "shall we?"

✔️ Examples:

• Let’s go to the beach, shall we?

• Let’s not be late, shall we?

📌 Note: "Let us" (formal) follows the same rule:
✔️ Example: Let us pray, shall we?

❌ Common Mistakes with Question Tags

📌 Tip: The verb in the question tag should match the main verb in the sentence!

🗣 How to Use Question Tags in Conversation

✔️ Checking information:

• "You work here, don’t you?"

• "She’s from Canada, isn’t she?"

✔️ Expressing surprise:

• "You won the lottery, didn’t you? 😲"

✔️ Being friendly:

• "Lovely weather, isn’t it? 😊"

✔️ Asking for agreement:

• "This movie is amazing, isn’t it?"

❓ FAQ: Common Questions About Question Tags

Do all questions need question tags?

➡️ No. Question tags are used to confirm, check, or engage in conversation.

What is the most common question tag?

➡️ "Isn’t it?" is widely used for general comments.

✔️ Example: "It’s a great day, isn’t it?"

Can you use question tags in formal writing?

➡️ Not usually. Question tags are more common in spoken English and informal writing.

What if the sentence has a modal verb (can, should, must)?

➡️ Use the same modal verb in the question tag.

✔️ Examples:

• "You can swim, can’t you?"

• "She must leave early, mustn’t she?"

How can I practice questions?

➡️ Have a look at exercises with Question Words and Question Forms.