1. What is a Question Tag?
A question tag is a short question added at the end of a sentence to:
Confirm information
Ask for agreement
Politely ask for something
Example:
You are coming to class, aren’t you?
She doesn’t eat meat, does she?
2. Basic Rule (Beginner Level)
Examples:
He is tall, isn’t he?
She doesn’t like ice cream, does she?
Step 1: Identify if sentence is positive or negative
Step 2: Use opposite polarity in tag
3. Identify the Helping Verb
Find the auxiliary (helping) verb in the sentence.
| Sentence | Helping Verb | Question Tag |
|---|---|---|
| She is happy | is | isn’t she? |
| They have left | have | haven’t they? |
| He can swim | can | can’t he? |
No auxiliary verb → Use do/does/did
I like chocolate, don’t I?
They went to school, didn’t they?
4. Replace Subject with Pronoun
Always replace the subject in the tag with a pronoun:
| Subject | Pronoun |
|---|---|
| Ram | he |
| Sita | she |
| People | they |
| The school | it |
| There | there |
Example:
The students are late, aren’t they?
There is a cat on the roof, isn’t there?
5. Special Cases (Intermediate Level)
a. Negative words (never, hardly, barely, scarcely)
These make a sentence negative, so the tag is positive:
She never lies, does she?
He barely passed, did he?
b. Imperatives (Commands)
Positive command → will you?
Sit down, will you?
Negative command → will you?
Don’t shout, will you?
c. Let’s / Let us
d. I am
I’m late, aren’t I? (never “am I?”)
e. Used to
He used to live in London, didn’t he?
f. You’d better
You’d better rest, hadn’t you? / had you?
g. Statements with “There”
There is a problem, isn’t there?
There aren’t any books, are there?
6. Situation-Based Tags (Advanced Level)
Think about certainty, doubt, and politeness:
Guessing: It will rain tomorrow, won’t it?
Confirmation: You’ve met him, haven’t you?
Polite request: Open the door, will you?
7. Step-by-Step Method for Exams
Check if the sentence is positive or negative
Identify the helping verb (is, are, have, can, do, etc.)
Use opposite polarity for the tag
Replace the subject with a pronoun
Add a question mark (?)
8. Quick Revision Chart
| Sentence Type | Example | Question Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Positive sentence | She is happy | isn’t she? |
| Negative sentence | He doesn’t smoke | does he? |
| I am | I am late | aren’t I? |
| Imperative (command) | Sit down | will you? |
| Imperative (Let’s) | Let’s go | shall we? |
| Negative command | Don’t shout | will you? |
| Never/Barely/Hardly | She never lies | does she? |
| Used to | He used to live here | didn’t he? |
| There + be | There is a problem | isn’t there? |
9. Common Mistakes
Using same polarity as the sentence:
Wrong: She is happy, is she? ✅ Correct: isn’t she?
Forgetting pronouns in the tag:
Wrong: He is tall, is ✅ Correct: isn’t he?
I am → not “am I?” but aren’t I?
Imperatives → often use will you? or shall we?
10. Practice Tips
Always ask: “Is my sentence positive or negative?”
Identify the helping verb first
Replace the subject with a pronoun
Remember special cases like I’m, Let’s, never, hardly
Question Tags Cheat Sheet – Beginner to Advanced
1. Basic Rule
| Sentence Type | Question Tag |
|---|---|
| Positive → Negative | She is happy, isn’t she? |
| Negative → Positive | He doesn’t eat meat, does he? |
2. Helping Verbs (Auxiliaries)
Be: is/are/was/were → isn’t he? / aren’t they?
Have: has/have → hasn’t she?
Modal verbs: can/could/may/will → can’t he? / won’t she?
No helper verb: use do/does/did → I like tea, don’t I?
3. Subject → Pronoun
| Subject | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ram | he | Ram is tall, isn’t he? |
| Sita | she | Sita plays football, doesn’t she? |
| People | they | People are kind, aren’t they? |
| There | there | There is a cat, isn’t there? |
4. Special Cases
| Case | Example | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| I am | I am late | aren’t I? |
| Never/Barely/Hardly | She never lies | does she? |
| Imperatives (Command) | Sit down | will you? |
| Imperatives (Let’s) | Let’s go | shall we? |
| Used to | He used to live here | didn’t he? |
| You’d better | You’d better rest | hadn’t you? |
5. Situation-Based Tags
Guessing: It will rain, won’t it?
Confirmation: You’ve met him, haven’t you?
Polite request: Open the door, will you?
6. Step-by-Step Method
Is sentence positive or negative?
Find helping verb
Use opposite polarity in the tag
Replace subject with pronoun
Add ? at the end
7. Quick Examples
| Sentence | Tag |
|---|---|
| She is happy | isn’t she? |
| He doesn’t smoke | does he? |
| I’m late | aren’t I? |
| Sit down | will you? |
| Let’s play | shall we? |
| There are books | aren’t there? |
8. Common Mistakes
❌ She is happy, is she? → ✅ isn’t she?
❌ I am late → ✅ aren’t I?
❌ Forgetting pronouns → Always replace subject with he/she/they/it