UNIT I -- TAG QUESTION

 

TAG QUESTION

What are question tags and when should I use them?

 

The question tags are grammatical elements that are placed at the end of a sentence in the form of a short question and whose structure is opposed to the previous sentence.

The question tags are used so that the interlocutor agrees with the idea raised or expresses her opinion regarding the topic. One of its main characteristics is that they are more common in oral language than in written language.

How to form the question tags?

 

The two main rules for forming question tags are that when a sentence is affirmative, the question is negative. Whereas when a sentence is negative, the question is positive. The structures of the question tags are as follows:

Case 1: Affirmative sentence + negative question tag.

Examples:

-She is an artist, isn't she? (She's an artist, right?)

-They are your school mates, aren't they? (They are your schoolmates, right?)

-You are the new employee, aren't you? (You are the new employee, right?)

 

Case 2: Negative sentence + affirmative question tag.

Examples:

-My wallet isn't here, is it? 

-He doesn't work here, does he? 

-We don't drink wine, do we?