Question tags (do you? isn’t it? )

Study these examples:

• You haven’t seen Lisa today, have you?          No, I haven’t.

•  It was a good film, wasn’t it?                          Yes, it was great.

Have you? and wasn’t it? are question tags.

These are mini-questions that you can put on the end of a sentence.

In question tags, we use an auxiliary verb (have/was/will etc.).

We use do/does/did for the present and past simple

• ‘Karen plays the piano, doesn’t she?’         ‘Well, yes, but not very well.’

• You didn’t lock the door, did you?’               ‘No, I forgot.’

Normally we use a negative question tag after a positive sentence: 

 We use a a positive question tag after a negative sentence:

Notice the meaning of yes and no in answer to a negative sentence:

• ‘You’re not going out this morning, are you?’               
  ‘Yes. (= Yes, I am going out ) 
   'No.’ (= No, I am not going out)

The meaning of a question tag depends on how you say it. If your voice goes down, you are not
really asking a question. You expect the listener to agree with you:

• ‘It’s a nice day, isn’t it?’                                                                       ‘Yes, beautiful.’

• ‘Paul doesn’t look well today, does he?’                                             ‘No, he looks very tired.’

• ‘Lisa’s very funny. She’s got a great sense of humour, hasn’t she?’  ‘Yes, she has.’

But if the voice goes up, it is a real question:

• ‘You haven’t seen Kate today, have you?’           
   ‘No, I haven’t.’(= Have you seen Kate today?)

You can use a negative sentence + positive tag to ask for things or information, or to ask somebody
to do something. The voice goes up at the end of the tag:

• ‘You couldn’t do me a favour, could you?’                 ‘It depends what it is.’

• ‘You don’t know where Karen is, do you?’                 ‘Sorry, I have no idea.’

After Let’s … (= Let us) the question tag is shall we:

• Let’s go for a walk, shall we? (the voice goes up)

After Don’t … , the question tag is will you:

• Don’t be late, will you? (the voice goes down)

After I’m … , the negative question tag is aren’t I? (= am I not?):

• ‘I’m right, aren’t I?’         ‘Yes, you are.’

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Language Level