Question Tags

You’ve heard of question tags before, haven’t you?

Those little add-ons at the end of sentences (just like the one above) can be easy to mix up. Whether you’re asking for confirmation, making small talk, or just trying to sound friendly, question tags are everywhere important to be able to use. Let’s dig into how to use them properly, shall we?

What Are Question Tags?

Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement. We use them when we want to confirm if the information is true or not.
They’re commonly used in spoken English. Here are some examples:

• Francis is a psychologist, isn’t she?
• Stephanie doesn’t have a baby, does she?
• James will come home for Christmas, won’t he?
• The baby is so beautiful, isn’t it?

How to Use Question Tags

There are a few things we need to keep in mind when using question tags. First, a comma is needed to separate the statement from the question tag. Second, if the statement is affirmative, the question tag is negative. The opposite applies when the statement is negative: the question tag is affirmative.

Question tags are made up of an auxiliary verb and a subject pronoun. If the statement already has an auxiliary verb, we simply use that auxiliary verb to form the question tag. For example, the following statement has the auxiliary verb is, so the question tag will also use is.

Because the statement is positive, the question tag will be negative. This means that instead of is, it will use isn’t.

If there is no auxiliary verb in an affirmative sentence, we use do, does, or did, depending on the subject and the tense.

Finally, if a modal verb is used in the statement, we must use it in the question tag. Take the following examples where the modal verbs can, will and must are used:

A couple of important notes:

• Negative question tags are usually contracted. (e.g., He’s coming, isn’t he?)
• Question tags are used to check that what we think to be true/correct, is true/correct. (e.g., You’re coming to the party, aren’t you?)
• If the subject is ‘I’, the correct question tag is ‘aren’t’. (e.g., I’m late, aren’t I?)

Video: Using Question Tags

Want to learn more about question tags?
This article introduces the key ideas, but our full English course provides clear lessons, guided practice, and step-by-step explanations to help you master topics like question tags and many others.

More Question Tags Practice

• Worksheet #1 Printable pdf | Editable pdf
• Worksheet #2 Printable pdf | Editable pdf

Question Tags Quiz

Are you ready to put what you’ve learned about question tags into practice? Take the quiz!

As well as completing the question tags activities, worksheets and quiz, make sure to jump in and have a go at using them in your everyday life. The more you do, the faster they’ll feel like second nature!

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