Guide to English grammar

34 Question tags

COAL FIRES
Gary: It's colder today, isn't it?
Brian: Yes, it's not very warm, is it? I shall have to light the fire soon.
Gary: Oh, you have coal fires, do you?
Brian: Yes. We don't have central heating. You have central heating, don't you?
Gary: Yes, we do. But coal fires are nice, aren't they? More comforting than a radiator.
Brian: Yes, but they're a lot more work than just switching on the heating. We keep talking about getting central heating put in.
Gary: I suppose coal fires aren't very convenient, are they?
Brian: They certainly aren't.

1 Form

1 A tag relates to the subject and auxiliary of the main clause. The structure of a negative tag is “auxiliary + n't+ pronoun”.
It's raining, isn't it?
You've finished, haven't you?
We can go now, can't we?

2 In simple tenses we use the auxiliary verb do.
Louise works at the hospital, doesn't she?
You came home late, didn’t you?

3 In these examples the main clause has be on its own, as an ordinary verb.
It's colder today, isn't it?
The sausages were nice, weren't they?

4 A positive tag is like a negative one, but without n't.
It isn't raining, is it?
You haven't finished, have you?

NOTE
The form of question tags

1. 
   We can use the subject there in a tag.
   

There were lots of people at the carnival, weren't there?
But we do not use this, that, these or those in the tag. We use it or they instead.
That was lucky, wasn't it?
Those are nice, aren't they?
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2. 
   After “I am...” the tag is “aren't I”.
   

I'm late, aren't I?

3. 
   After a subject such as everyone, someone etc, we use they in a tag.
   

Anyone could just walk in here, couldn't they?

4. 
   In more formal English, not can come after the pronoun.
   

Progress is being made, is it not?

5. 
   We can use “don't you think” when asking someone's opinion.
   

These pictures are good, don't you think?

6. 
   In informal English we can use “yes, no, right and OK” as tags. Right and OK are more common in the USA. • 303(4)
   

These figures are correct, yes? You like London, no?
I'll be outside the post office, right? We're going to start now, OK ?
But as a general rule learners should not use these tags. Often a tag like aren't they or don't you is better.

2 Overview: patterns with tags

There are three main patterns.

PATTERN A PATTERN B PATTERN C

Statement Positive Negative Positive

Tag Negative Positive Positive

It's your birthday, isn't it? It isn't your birthday, is it? It's your birthday, is it?

3 Pattern A: positive statement + negative tag

This kind of tag asks the hearer to agree that the statement in the main clause is true. It is sometimes obvious that the statement is true. For example, in the conversation both speakers know that it is colder today. The tag (isn't it) is not
really a request for information but an invitation to the hearer to continue the conversation.
It's difficult to find your way around this building, isn't it? -Yes, I'm always getting lost in here.
That was fun, wasn't it? -Yes, I really enjoyed it.
When the statement is clearly true, then the speaker uses a falling intonation on the tag.
It's cold,isn't it?
But when the speaker is not sure if the statement is true, then the tag is more like a real question, a request for information. The speaker's voice rises on the tag.
You have central heating, don’t you? -Yes, we do.
We're going the right way,aren't we? -I hope so.

NOTE
Sometimes a tag with a rising intonation can express surprise.

They have central heating, don’t they? Everyone has central heating nowadays.
The speaker is surprised at the idea that someone might have no central heating. The meaning is similar to a negative question: Don’t they have central heating? • 30

4 Pattern B: negative statement + positive tag

The use is mostly the same as for Pattern A. Compare It's colder, isn't it? and It's not so warm, is it? As in Pattern A, the voice falls or rises depending on how sure the speaker is that the statement is true. We can also use Pattern B in a tentative question or request.
You haven't heard the exam results, have you? -No, sorry, I haven't.
You couldn't lend me ten pounds, could you? -Yes, OK.
We can also use Pattern B to express disapproval.
You haven't broken that clock, have you? -No, of course I haven't.
You aren't staying in bed all day, are you? (= I hope you aren't staying in bed all day.)

NOTE
A negative statement can have a negative word other than not.

We've had no information yet, have we?

A practical guide to English grammar 35

5 Pattern C: positive statement + positive tag
Pattern C also asks the hearer to agree that the statement is true. It also suggests that the speaker has just learnt, realized or remembered the information. Look at this example from the conversation Coal fires.
I shall have to light the fire soon. -Oh, you have coal fires, do you?
The positive tag means that the information is new to Gary. He has just realized from Brian's words that Brian has coal fires. The meaning is the same as “So you have coal fires”. Here are some more examples.
I can't help you just at the moment. -You're busy, are you? -Very busy, I'm afraid.
Annabelle is out in her new sports car. -Oh, she's bought one, has she? -Yes, she got it yesterday.
Compare patterns A and C.
We can't move this cupboard. -It's heavy, isn't it? (I already know that it is heavy.)
We can't move this cupboard. -It's heavy, is it? (I have just learnt from your words that it is heavy.)

6 Tags with the imperative and let's

Pass me the salt, will/would/can/could you? • 19(4)
Let's have a rest now, shall we?