Understanding Question Tags in English Grammar: A Beginner's Guide

What are Question Tags?

Question tags are short questions added at the end of a statement. They are used to confirm information, seek clarification, express surprise, or show interest in what someone has said. Question tags typically consist of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun that matches the subject of the statement.

Forming Question Tags:

1. Positive Statement + Negative Question Tag:

   • Example: "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"
   • Here, the positive statement "It's a beautiful day" is followed by the negative question tag "isn't it?"

2. Negative Statement + Positive Question Tag:

   • Example: "You're not coming, are you?"
   • In this case, the negative statement "You're not coming" is followed by the positive question tag "are you?"

Usage Examples:

1. Confirming Information:

   • Statement: "She is your sister, isn't she?"
   • Statement: "You've finished your homework, haven't you?"

2. Seeking Clarification:

   • Statement: "We need to leave soon, don't we?"
   • Statement: "He doesn't like chocolate, does he?"

3. Expressing Surprise or Interest:

   • Statement: "You're going on vacation, are you?"
   • Statement: "It's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it?"

Additional Points to Remember:

• Matching Pronouns: Ensure that the pronoun in the question tag matches the subject of the statement.
• Using Auxiliary Verbs: Use appropriate auxiliary verbs such as "is," "are," "do," "does," "did," "have," etc., depending on the tense and form of the statement.
• Intonation: Pay attention to the intonation when using question tags. Rising intonation indicates a question while falling intonation indicates a statement.

Practice Exercises:

Now, let's practice forming question tags with the following statements:

1. Statement: "She likes coffee, ___?"
2. Statement: "They haven't seen the movie, ___?"
3. Statement: "He can swim, ___?"
4. Statement: "It's raining outside, ___?"
5. Statement: "You didn't finish your homework, ___?"

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

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