Tag question

Question tags are the short questions that we put on the end of sentences – particularly in spoken English. There are lots of different question tags but the rules are not difficult to learn.

There are some rules of making tag question.

প্রদত্ত sentence এর পরে (,) কমা বসে।

প্রদত্ত sentence এর auxiliary verb বসে।

Auxiliary verb না থাকলে tense অনুযায়ী do/ does/ did বসে।

প্রদত্ত sentence affirmative হলে Auxiliary verb এর পরে not/n’t হয়।

প্রদত্ত sentence negative হলে Auxiliary verb এর পরে not/n’t হয় না।

প্রদত্ত sunject এর pronoun বসে।

Question mark (?) বসে।

Exercise

Positive/negative

If the main part of the sentence is positive, the question tag is negative ….

• He’s a doctor, isn’t he?
• You work in a bank, don’t you?

And if the main part of the sentence is negative, the question tag is positive.

• You haven’t met him, have you?
• She isn’t coming, is she?

With auxiliary verbs.

The question tag uses the same verb as the main part of the sentence. If this is an auxiliary verb (‘have’, ‘be’) then the question tag is made with the auxiliary verb.

• They’ve gone away for a few days, haven’t they?
• They weren’t here, were they?
• He had met him before, hadn’t he?
• This isn’t working, is it?

Without auxiliary verbs.

If the main part of the sentence doesn’t have an auxiliary verb, the question tag uses an appropriate form of ‘do’.

• I said that, didn’t I?
• You don’t recognise me, do you?
• She eats meat, doesn’t she?

With modal verbs.

If there is a modal verb in the main part of the sentence the question tag uses the same modal verb.

• They couldn’t hear me, could they?
• You won’t tell anyone, will you?

With ‘I am’

Be careful with question tags with sentences that start ‘I am’. The question tag for ‘I am’ is ‘aren’t I?’

• I’m the fastest, aren’t I?