A question tag or a tag question is a phrase that is added at the end of a statement to turn into a question.
When a speaker uses a question tag at the end of a statement, he/she is seeking approval, confirmation, or correction.
Examples:
APPROVAL QUESTION TAGS:
I look smart today, don’t I? Yes you do.
CONFIRMATION QUESTION TAGS:
These are the new students, aren’t they? Yes, they are.
CORRECTION QUESTION TAGS:
I paid your money yesterday, didn’t I? No, you didn’t.
Rules while forming Question tags
Many learners face the problem of supplying the correct question tags to sentences. This is because they fail to observe the following rules of question tags:
1. A comma must be put to separate the statement with the question tag.
A question mark must be placed at the end of the question tag.
Examples:
He has released a new album, hasn’t he?
He is pushing for a decision by tomorrow, isn’t he?
2. The auxiliary verb in the statement must be repeated in the question tag
Examples:
He was in prison for 27 years, wasn’t he?
They have lost a great hero, haven’t they?
3. When there is no auxiliary verb in the statement, the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb Do must be used in the question tag
Examples:
Mark Francis wakes up very early, doesn’t he?
Peter Bryan bought an I-pad phone, didn’t he?
4. The subject in the statement must be repeated in the question tag.
If it is a noun in the statement, it changes to the appropriate pronoun. If it is a pronoun in the statement, it remains a pronoun in the question tag.
Examples:
Fatou Bensouda is a prosecutor in ICC, isn’t she?
She does her work meticulously, doesn’t she?
5. When the statement is positive (i.e. It does not have the word not in it), the question tag must be negative (i.e. must use the negative word not) and vice versa.
Examples:
He has broken another record, hasn’t he?
She hasn’t been very active, has she?
He does not run anymore, does he?
He entertains the audience after winning, doesn’t he?
You will note from the above examples that the auxiliary verb is usually contracted (joined) with the negative indicator not when using question tags. However, this does not apply when using the primary auxiliary verb am and the modal auxiliary verbs will and shall. Am does not allow contraction with not, will, and shall usually change their forms to allow contraction.
Examples:
WRONG: I am the next speaker, amn’t I?
CORRECT: I am the next speaker, am I not?
WRONG: They will be late for church, willn’t they?
CORRECT: They will be late for church, won’t they?
WRONG: We shall attend the Memorial service, willn’t we?
CORRECT: We shall attend the memorial service, shan’t we?
6. Whereas there is no inversion in the statement, inversion must occur in the question tag i.e. the auxiliary verb comes before the subject
Examples:
The President has won the election, hasn’t he?
He can now relax and attend to his duties, can’t he?
7. For sentences that are in form of requests and commands, the question tags will commonly take the auxiliary verb will or shall followed by the appropriate pronoun.
Examples:
Please help me with your pen, will you?
Let us go for a swim, shall we?
Bring me that chair, will you?
Stop that noise, will you?
Kneel down right away, will you?