FORMULA TAG QUESTION
EXERCISE
She is studying in her room, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with auxiliary verb on the side.
They are not coming to the party tonight, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with auxiliary verb on the side.
He was very tired yesterday, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with auxiliary verb on the side.
You haven't finished your homework, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with auxiliary verb on the side.
She likes coffee, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with main verb on the side.
They did not play football yesterday, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with main verb on the side.
He studies English every day, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with main verb on the side.
You cannot swim very well, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with modal verb on the side.
She will join us later, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with modal verb on the side.
They should not arrive late, ___?
Wrong
What a pity, your answer is wrong. Please read again the Formula with modal verb on the side.
If the main sentence already has an auxiliary verb (is, are, was, were, have, has, had, etc.), the tag repeats the same auxiliary.
Negative sentence
Auxiliary
Subject?
Positive sentence
Auxiliary
n't
Subject?
Example:
is beautiful, isn't it?
weren't lost in the memory, were we?
Subject
To Be
Tag Question
I
Am / Was
Aren't / Wasn't
I?
You
Are / Were
Aren't / Weren't
You?
They
Are / Were
Aren't / Weren't
They?
We
Are / Were
Aren't / Weren't
We?
He
Is / Was
Isn't / Wasn't
He?
She
Is / Was
Isn't / Wasn't
She?
It
Is / Was
Isn't / Wasn't
It?
If the sentence has a modal verb (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would), the tag repeats the same modal.
Negative sentence
Modal
Subject?
Positive sentence
Modal
n't
Subject?
Example:
We be friends, can we?
You agree, wouldn't you?
If the sentence only has a main verb (like, play, go, eat, etc.), we use do / does / did in the tag.
Simple Present Tense
Subject
Verb 1
don't/doesn't
Subject?
Example:
cling to papers and pens, don't you?
doesn't drive alone past your street, does he?
Simple Past Tense
Subject
Verb 2
didn't
Subject?
Example:
drove through the suburbs, didn't She?
didn't play dumb, did You?
Subject
Tag Question
I
Don't / Didn't
I?
You
Don't / Didn't
You?
They
Don't / Didn't
They?
We
Don't / Didn't
We?
He
Doesn't / Didn't
He?
She
Doesn't / Didn't
She?
It
Doesn't / Didn't
It?
If the subject is “I am (I'm)”, then the correct question tag is “aren't I?” However, if the subject is “I am not (I'm not)”, the question tag should be “am I?”
For plural nouns, and for words ending in -one (such as someone, everyone, no one) or -body (such as somebody, everybody, nobody), we use the pronoun “they” in the question tag, and the tag usually becomes “aren't they?”
For words with a negative meaning, such as nobody, no one, never, the question tag must be positive. For example: No one hates you, do they?