Sentence Structure

Question Tags: Rules, Exceptions and Exercises

Updated 10 September 2026

A question tag is a short question attached to a statement: "Your flight leaves tonight, doesn’t it?" Use it to check information or invite agreement. For ordinary confirmation tags, a positive statement takes a negative tag and a negative statement takes a positive tag.

Build a question tag in three steps

Find the auxiliary or modal verb, choose a pronoun for the subject, then switch between positive and negative. If a positive present-simple or past-simple statement has no auxiliary, supply do, does or did. The main verb be uses its own form.

Build a question tag in three steps
Statement	Tag	Reason
Nora is waiting,	isn’t she?	Repeat is; Nora becomes she.
The guests have arrived,	haven’t they?	Have is the auxiliary of have arrived.
You can hear the alarm,	can’t you?	Repeat the modal can.
The lift works,	doesn’t it?	Present simple; singular lift becomes it.
Leo called earlier,	didn’t he?	Past simple needs did.
The lights aren’t on,	are they?	The negative statement takes a positive tag.

Put a comma before the tag and a question mark at the end.
Use the auxiliary, not the final participle: "She has been studying, hasn’t she?"
Do not repeat the whole noun phrase in an ordinary tag: "The delivery is late, isn’t it?"

Choose the right pronoun

The tag usually replaces a noun subject with a pronoun. A thing becomes it; plural people or things become they. Someone, everyone and nobody commonly take they in the tag, even when the main verb is singular.

Choose the right pronoun
Subject pattern	Example
There + be	There is another exit, isn’t there?
Someone / everyone	Someone has moved the chairs, haven’t they?
Nobody / no one	Nobody remembered the code, did they?
Nothing / everything	Nothing is missing, is it?
This / that	That was your idea, wasn’t it?
These / those	These are the spare keys, aren’t they?

There remains there in an existential sentence; it is not replaced by it.
Choose pronouns from the meaning and the person’s known pronouns, rather than guessing from a name.

Special cases: aren’t I, shall we and negative words

With a positive I am statement, the ordinary contracted tag is aren’t I? With I am not, use am I? Suggestions beginning let’s normally take shall we? These patterns are better learned as complete expressions.

Never, hardly, scarcely, nobody and nothing make the statement negative in meaning, so a positive confirmation tag follows. But unhappy is an adjective with a negative prefix, not a grammatical negation: "She is unhappy, isn’t she?"

Special cases: aren’t I, shall we and negative words
Pattern	Example
I am ...	I’m on the right list, aren’t I?
I am not ...	I’m not too early, am I?
Let’s ...	Let’s check the address, shall we?
Never / hardly	You never miss a deadline, do you?
Negative imperative	Don’t move that box, will you?
Positive imperative	Pass me the tape, will you?

Tags after commands do not follow the usual positive/negative reversal rule. Will you is common; can you, could you and won’t you can express different tones.
Need to behaves like a main verb here: "You need to sign, don’t you?"
Had better uses had: "We’d better leave, hadn’t we?" Distinguish this from would: "You’d prefer tea, wouldn’t you?"

Intonation and answers in conversation

A falling tag often signals that you expect agreement. A rising tag more clearly asks for confirmation. Context, relationship and tone matter: a grammatically correct tag can still sound impatient if delivered sharply.

Answer according to the facts, not according to whether the tag contains not. If a colleague asks "You haven’t sent it, have you?", say "Yes, I have" if you sent it, or "No, I haven’t" if you did not. Adding a full short answer prevents confusion.

Intonation and answers in conversation
Situation	Dialogue
Checking a booking	A: We’re booked for Thursday, aren’t we? B: Yes, we are. At three.
Confirming a restriction	A: Visitors can’t park here, can they? B: No, they can’t. Use the next street.
Checking an uncertain detail	A: The new branch opens tomorrow, doesn’t it? B: No, it opens next week.

Practise each model aloud with rising and falling pitch. Decide whether you are asking for new information or inviting agreement.
You may hear positive-positive tags such as "So you got the job, did you?" They can express interest or surprise and are outside the ordinary reversal pattern practised here.

Common question-tag mistakes

With possession, usage varies: "You have a spare charger, don’t you?" is widely used, while "haven’t you?" also occurs, especially in British English. With have got, use have: "You’ve got a spare charger, haven’t you?"

Common question-tag mistakes
Avoid	Use	Explanation
She bought it, doesn’t she?	She bought it, didn’t she?	Match the past tense.
They are ready, don’t they?	They are ready, aren’t they?	Use be when be is the main verb.
Nobody replied, didn’t they?	Nobody replied, did they?	Nobody already gives negative meaning.
Let’s start, will we?	Let’s start, shall we?	This is the conventional suggestion tag.
He has finished, doesn’t he?	He has finished, hasn’t he?	Has is an auxiliary here.

15 practice exercises with explained answers

Complete each sentence with the ordinary confirmation tag. The imperative and let’s examples use the common forms taught above. Write your answer before opening the explanation.

The shop closes at six, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 1
Answer: doesn’t it
Closes is present simple and shop is singular.
They didn’t book a room, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 2
Answer: did they
Repeat did and make the negative statement’s tag positive.
Maya is presenting today, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 3
Answer: isn’t she
Is is the auxiliary and Maya is referred to as she here.
We have met before, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 4
Answer: haven’t we
Have is the present-perfect auxiliary.
You can wait outside, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 5
Answer: can’t you
Repeat the modal can with negative polarity.
I’m next in the queue, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 6
Answer: aren’t I
A positive I am statement conventionally takes aren’t I.
I’m not interrupting, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 7
Answer: am I
The negative I am not statement takes positive am I.
Let’s read the instructions, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 8
Answer: shall we
Let’s suggestions normally take shall we.
Nothing was damaged, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 9
Answer: was it
Nothing has negative meaning and takes it.
Nobody has complained, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 10
Answer: have they
Nobody is negative and is commonly represented by they in the tag.
There are enough chairs, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 11
Answer: aren’t there
Keep existential there in the tag.
You never lock this drawer, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 12
Answer: do you
Never makes the statement negative in meaning.
The players left early, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 13
Answer: didn’t they
Left is past simple, so use did plus not.
Don’t share the password, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 14
Answer: will you
Will you is the common tag after a negative imperative.
Ravi should have called, ___?
Show answer and explanation for question 15
Answer: shouldn’t he
The first auxiliary is the modal should; use it in the tag.

Common questions

Why do we say aren’t I instead of amn’t I?

Aren’t I is the usual contracted negative tag for I am in standard English. Amn’t I occurs in some varieties but is not the usual form taught for general international use.

Does never take a positive question tag?

Yes, for an ordinary confirmation tag: "She never drives, does she?" Never already makes the statement negative in meaning.

How do I answer a negative question tag?

State what is true with a full short answer. To "You didn’t order it, did you?", say "Yes, I did" if you ordered it and "No, I didn’t" if you did not.