Question Tags (isn't it?)

A Use

Melanie: It's a lovely day, isn't it?

Harriet: Beautiful. We're having a glorious summer, aren't we?

Melanie: You haven't heard a forecast for the weekend, have you?

Harriet: No, I haven't, but I think it's going to stay sunny.

A question tag is a short question added on to a statement. When a tag is spoken, the voice can go down or up.

FALLING

It's a lovely day, isn't it?

With a falling intonation, the speaker thinks the statement is true. Melanie knows that it's a lovely day, and she is inviting Harriet to continue the conversation. The tag is not really a question.

RISING

You haven't heard a forecast, have you?

With rising intonation, the speaker is less sure, Melanie doesn't know if Harriet has heard a forecast or not. The tag is more like a real question.

B Form

POSITIVE STATEMENT + NEGATIVE TAG

It is very warm, isn't it?

A negative tag is an auxiliary verb + n't + pronoun.

You've played before, haven't you?

The children can swim, can't they?

It'll be dark soon, won't it?

There was a mistake, wasn't there?

NEGATIVE STATEMENT + POSITIVE TAG

It isn't very warm, is it?

A positive tag is an auxiliary verb + pronoun.

David hasn't got a car, has he?

I shouldn't laugh, should I?

You aren't ill, are you?

The answer wasn't right, was it?

The pronoun (you, he, etc) refers to the subject of the sentence, e.g. you, David.

In the present simple and past simple we use a form of do.

You live near here, don't you?

We don't have to pay, do we?

This coat looks nice, doesn't it?

The shower doesn't work, does it?

I turned right, didn't I?

Your horse didn't win, did it?

The answer yes means that the positive is true, and no means that the negative is true.

Mark works for Zedco, doesn't he? ~ Yes, he does. (He works for Zedco.)

Melanie doesn't eat meat, does she? ~ Yes, I think she does. (She eats meat.)

Claire is married, isn't she? ~ No, of course she isn't. (She isn't married.)

Andrew hasn't got many friends, has he? ~ No. (He hasn't got many friends.)

C Requests and suggestions

After a request with an imperative (e.g. Wait ...), we can use can you? or could you?

Wait here a moment, can you?

Give me an example, could you?

We can also use You couldn't..., could you? or You haven't..., have you? for a request.

You couldn't help me, could you?

You haven't got a pound, have you?

After Don't... the tag is will you?: Don't make any noise, will you?

After Let's ... we use shall we?: Let's sit in the garden, shall we?