Question tags

Rules

1. Positive statement → negative tag; negative statement → positive tag.
2. The tag uses the helping verb of the statement; use do/does/did if there is none.
3. 'I am' → 'aren't I'. 'Let's' → 'shall we'. Imperatives → 'will you'.
4. Words like never, hardly, seldom, nobody make the statement negative, so the tag is positive.

Examples

• She is a doctor, isn't she?
• You don't like tea, do you?
• Let's go, shall we?

Practice MCQs

1. He is your brother, ___?

   1. is he
   2. isn't he
   3. doesn't he
   4. wasn't he
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) isn't he. Positive statement with 'is' → 'isn't he'.

2. They play football, ___?

   1. don't they
   2. do they
   3. aren't they
   4. didn't they
   Show answer

   Answer: (a) don't they. No helping verb in simple present → 'don't'.

3. She didn't come, ___?

   1. didn't she
   2. did she
   3. does she
   4. was she
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) did she. Negative statement → positive tag.

4. I am late, ___?

   1. am I not
   2. aren't I
   3. isn't it
   4. don't I
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) aren't I. The usual tag for 'I am' is 'aren't I'.

5. Let's start the game, ___?

   1. will we
   2. shall we
   3. don't we
   4. won't we
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) shall we. 'Let's' takes 'shall we'.

6. He hardly studies, ___?

   1. doesn't he
   2. does he
   3. is he
   4. isn't he
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) does he. 'Hardly' makes the statement negative, so a positive tag.