Question Tags and Questions

Unit 21 · Grammar · 17 min read

Question Tags and Questions

What the syllabus asks for 5
  • Building a regular tag
  • The complete paradigm, irregulars included
  • Yes/no questions and wh-questions
  • Indirect (embedded) questions
  • The mistakes Nepali speakers make most

A question tag is the short question fixed to the end of a statement — You are from Palpa, aren't you?** It is the single most predictable item in NEB Q7, because a tag is not written from feeling: it is calculated from the statement in front of it. Questions proper — yes/no questions, wh-questions and indirect questions — are equally mechanical once the word order is fixed in your mind. This unit gives you the complete paradigm, including every irregular tag the board has ever set.

Three decisions make every tag

(1) Which operator? Repeat the auxiliary or modal from the statement; if there is none, supply do / does / did. (2) Which polarity? Positive statement → negative tag; negative statement → positive tag. (3) Which pronoun? Replace the subject with the matching personal pronoun. Operator + polarity + pronoun, in that order, and the tag is finished.

21.1 Building a regular tag

The tag has exactly two words (three if you spell out the negative): an operator and a pronoun. The operator must be the same tense and person as the verb in the statement.

Statement Operator found Polarity needed Tag
She is waiting outside. is negative isn't she?
They were not invited. were (negative) positive were they?
Hari has passed the test. has negative hasn't he?
We can meet on Friday. can negative can't we?
You will help me. will negative won't you?
He should apologise. should negative shouldn't he?
The bus left early. none → did negative didn't it?
Sita teaches at Amar Campus. none → does negative doesn't she?
The boys play football. none → do negative don't they?
She didn't come. did (negative) positive did she?

figure
Figure 1. A tag is built in three moves, always in the same order. The statement supplies the operator and the subject; the polarity is simply flipped.

Contraction is compulsory in a negative tag. Write isn't he?, not is not he? The only exception is the formal first person: I am right, am I not? is correct but old-fashioned; the ordinary form is aren't I?

21.2 The complete paradigm, irregulars included

Learn this table. Everything the examiner can set is in it.

Type of statement Example Tag Why
I am + complement I am your monitor, aren't I? amn't does not exist in standard English
I am not I'm not late, am I? ordinary flip
Let's (suggestion) Let's plant a tree, shall we? let's = a proposal, so shall we
Let us / Let me (asking permission) Let me explain, will you? you are addressing a second person
Affirmative imperative Open the window, will you? (also won't you? / can you? / would you?) a command turned into a request
Negative imperative Don't be late, will you? negative imperatives keep will you
There is / are / was There is a mistake here, isn't there? there is the grammatical subject
There aren't There aren't any seats, are there? ordinary flip
Nobody / no one / none Nobody phoned, did they? the word is negative; the pronoun is they
Everybody / somebody / anyone Everyone has left, haven't they? plural pronoun they for a singular verb
Nothing Nothing is impossible, is it? nothing takes it, and is already negative
Everything / something Something is wrong, isn't it? it for a thing
This / That This is your seat, isn't it? this / that → it
These / Those Those are his books, aren't they? these / those → they
have to / has to We have to pay today, don't we? have to behaves like a full verb
had better You'd better rest, hadn't you? 'd = had
would rather You'd rather walk, wouldn't you? 'd = would
used to He used to smoke, didn't he? past habit, so did
ought to We ought to help, oughtn't we? / shouldn't we? both accepted
need (modal) You needn't worry, need you? modal need repeats itself
must (obligation) You must attend, mustn't you? repeat the modal
must (deduction) He must be ill, isn't he? the real verb is be
Negative adverbs She hardly ever complains, does she? hardly makes it negative
I think / suppose + clause I think he is honest, isn't he? the tag follows the inside clause
I don't think + clause I don't think she will come, will she? the negative is transferred forward
one as subject One should keep one's word, shouldn't one? (shouldn't we?) formal one
Exclamatory statement What a lovely morning it is, isn't it? tag follows the hidden statement
The negative words that flip a tag

never, hardly, hardly ever, scarcely, barely, seldom, rarely, few, little, no, none, nobody, no one, nothing, neither, nowhere — a statement containing any of these is negative, so it takes a positive tag. But a few and a little are positive: He has a little money, hasn't he / doesn't he?**

The traps that cost the mark

Never use isn't it? as an all-purpose tag. This is the commonest Nepali English habit and it is marked wrong every time. ✗ He is coming tomorrow, isn't it? → ✓ He is coming tomorrow, isn't he? ✗ You have finished, isn't it? → ✓ You have finished, haven't you? Watch the apostrophe-d and apostrophe-s. 's is is or has; 'd is had or would. He's gone, **hasn't he? but He's a pilot, isn't he? Mind the polarity. Two negatives is wrong: ✗ She can't swim, can't she? → ✓ She can't swim, **can she? Tag the subject, not the nearest noun. Sita's brother works in Qatar, doesn't he? — the subject is brother, not Sita.

Intonation carries meaning the printed page cannot. Said with a falling tone, a tag asks for agreement (It's hot today, isn't it?); said with a rising tone, it is a genuine question (You locked the gate, didn't you?).

photograph
Figure 2. An imperative in the wild. Attach a tag to it and it becomes a request: Keep off the grass, will you? An imperative never takes isn't it? — and, as the photograph shows, not every reader obeys. Source: GK tramrunner RU / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

21.3 Yes/no questions and wh-questions

Yes/no questions put the operator in front of the subject. If the statement has no auxiliary, do / does / did is supplied — and the main verb returns to the base form.

  • She is in Grade 12. → Is she in Grade 12?
  • They have submitted the form. → Have they submitted the form?
  • He works in Doha. → Does* he work* in Doha? (not ~~does he works~~)
  • The train left at six. → Did* the train leave* at six?

Wh-questions put the question word first and then invert exactly as above:

wh-word + operator + subject + main verb + rest?

Question word Asks about Example
who a person (subject or object) Who called you?
whom a person (object, formal) Whom did you meet?
whose possession Whose bag is this?
what a thing, an action What do you want?
which a choice from a known set Which route is shorter?
when time When did the class start?
where place Where are you going?
why reason Why didn't you inform me?
how manner How did you reach Jumla?
how many / how much number / quantity How many students passed?
how long / how often / how far / how old duration / frequency / distance / age How long have you waited?
Subject questions take no *do*

When the question word is itself the subject, there is no inversion and no do / does / did: the verb simply follows the wh-word. Someone broke the window. → Who broke the window? (not ~~who did break~~) Something happened. → What happened? The red team won.* → Which team won? Compare the *object question, which does invert: You met someone. → Whom did you meet? / Who did you meet?

Two more patterns worth knowing:

  • Preposition at the end is normal in ordinary English: Who are you waiting for? The formal alternative moves it forward: For whom are you waiting? Never write ~~For whom are you waiting for?~~
  • What … like? asks about character or quality; How …? asks about health or progress. What is your new teacher like? — She is strict but kind. / How is your mother? — She is better, thank you.

21.4 Indirect (embedded) questions

When a question is put inside another sentence — after Could you tell me…, Do you know…, I wonder…, Please tell me… — the inversion is undone. The embedded part goes back to statement order, and do / does / did disappears.

Direct question Embedded in a longer sentence
Where is the bus park? Could you tell me where the bus park is?
What time does the bank open? Do you know what time the bank opens?
Why did she resign? I wonder why she resigned.
Has the result been published? Do you know whether/if the result has been published?
Is this seat free? May I ask if this seat is free?

A yes/no question needs if or whether as the link; a wh-question keeps its own wh-word and needs no that.

figure
Figure 3. Direct questions invert the subject and the operator; questions embedded inside another sentence do not. The commonest Q7 error is carrying the inversion into the embedded clause.

21.5 The mistakes Nepali speakers make most

✗ Wrong ✓ Right The rule broken
He is a teacher, isn't it? He is a teacher, isn't he? the tag pronoun must match the subject
You are coming, no? You are coming, aren't you? no? is not an English tag
Let's go, will we? Let's go, shall we? let's takes shall we
Sit down, shall you? Sit down, will you? imperatives take will you
I am your friend, isn't it? I am your friend, aren't I? the I am irregular
Nobody helped him, didn't they? Nobody helped him, did they? nobody is already negative
There is no water, isn't there? There is no water, is there? no makes the statement negative
What you are doing here? What are you doing here? a direct question must invert
Why you did not come? Why didn't you come? did + base form, inverted
Who did write this poem? Who wrote this poem? subject questions take no did
Tell me where is the library. Tell me where the library is. no inversion when embedded
Do you know what is the time? Do you know what the time is? same rule
Does he plays cricket? Does he play cricket? after does, the base form
She didn't came, did she? She didn't come, did she? after didn't, the base form
Worked item 21.1 — a tag with a hidden negative

Problem. Add a question tag: Your brother seldom writes to you, ____ ?

Solution — step by step.

  1. Look for the operator. writes is a simple present verb with no auxiliary, so the operator must be supplied: the subject your brother is third person singular, so does.
  2. Decide the polarity. There is no not, but seldom means "almost never". A statement containing seldom, rarely, hardly, scarcely, barely or never counts as negative, so the tag must be positive.
  3. Choose the pronoun. Your brother is a male person → he.

Answer. Your brother seldom writes to you, does he?**

A student who ignores seldom writes doesn't he? and loses the mark.

Worked item 21.2 — the transferred negative

Problem. Add a question tag: I don't think the shop is open on Saturday, ____ ?

Solution — step by step.

  1. Find the clause the tag really belongs to. With I think / I suppose / I believe / I expect, the tag is taken from the inside clause, not from I think. The inside clause is the shop is open on Saturday.
  2. Check where the negative sits. English moves the negative forward to the reporting verb: I don't think it is open means I think it is not open. So the inside clause is being treated as negative.
  3. Build the tag from the inside clause with the polarity already used up. Operator is, subject the shop → it, and because the negative has been counted once, the tag stays positive.

Answer. I don't think the shop is open on Saturday, is it?**

Worked item 21.3 — turning a statement into three questions

Problem. Bishnu bought a second-hand laptop in Bhotahity last week. (a) Ask about the person who bought it. (b) Ask about the thing he bought. (c) Rewrite (b) beginning Could you tell me …

Solution.

(a) The question word replaces the subject, so there is no inversion and no did, and the verb keeps its past form. Answer: Who bought a second-hand laptop in Bhotahity last week?

(b) Here the question word replaces the object, so the sentence must invert: what + did + subject + base form. Answer: What did Bishnu buy in Bhotahity last week?

(c) Embedding removes the inversion and the did, and the verb takes back the tense that did was carrying. Answer: Could you tell me what Bishnu bought in Bhotahity last week?

Chapter summary

  • A tag = operator + pronoun, opposite in polarity to the statement, same tense and person as its verb.
  • No auxiliary in the statement → supply do / does / did.
  • Negative tags are always contracted: isn't he, doesn't she, won't they.
  • Irregulars to memorise: I am → aren't I; I'm not → am I; Let's → shall we; Let me/us (permission) → will you; imperative → will you; There is → isn't there; Nobody/Everybody → they; Nothing/This/That → it; used to → didn't; had better → hadn't; have to → don't; ought to → oughtn't/shouldn't.
  • Never, seldom, rarely, hardly, scarcely, barely, few, little, no, none make a statement negative, so the tag turns positive.
  • With I think / I suppose, the tag comes from the inside clause; with I don't think, the tag is positive.
  • Direct questions invert: (wh-) + operator + subject + base verb.
  • A wh-word that is the subject takes no do/does/did: Who wrote it?
  • Embedded questions drop the inversion and the do, and yes/no questions inside them need if / whether.

Practice questions

Add suitable question tags (1 mark each)

  1. Your sister works at Bir Hospital, ____ ? [1]
  2. I am the shortest in the class, ____ ? [1]
  3. Let's leave for Pokhara at five, ____ ? [1]
  4. Switch off the fan before you go, ____ ? [1]
  5. There is no electricity in the hostel, ____ ? [1]
  6. Nobody informed the principal, ____ ? [1]
  7. Everybody has paid the examination fee, ____ ? [1]
  8. He used to live in Ilam, ____ ? [1]
  9. We had better book the tickets today, ____ ? [1]
  10. She hardly ever misses her morning walk, ____ ? [1]
  11. Don't tell anyone about this, ____ ? [1]
  12. I don't think he has read the notice, ____ ? [1]
Answers

1. doesn't she? — no auxiliary, third person singular, so does; flip to negative.

2. aren't I? — the fixed irregular for I am in a positive statement.

3. shall we? — let's proposes something, so the tag is shall we.

4. will you? — an imperative takes will you (also won't you?).

5. is there? — no electricity makes it negative, so the tag is positive, with there as subject.

6. did they? — nobody is negative and is replaced by they.

7. haven't they? — everybody takes a singular verb but the pronoun they.

8. didn't he? — used to is a past form, so the operator is did.

9. hadn't we? — the 'd in had better is had.

10. does she? — hardly ever makes the statement negative.

11. will you? — negative imperatives also take will you.

12. has he? — the tag follows the inside clause, and the negative has already been used by don't think.

Correct the errors in the following sentences (1 mark each)

  1. The programme starts at ten, isn't it? [1]
  2. She can't drive a car, can't she? [1]
  3. Let's take the night bus, will we? [1]
  4. Please close the gate, shall you? [1]
  5. Nothing was stolen, wasn't it? [1]
  6. Where he has gone since morning? [1]
  7. Who did break this window? [1]
  8. Can you tell me when does the library open? [1]
  9. Does your father works in a bank? [1]
  10. Why you did not attend the meeting? [1]
Answers

13. The programme starts at ten, doesn't it? — the subject is a thing, so it, not isn't it.

14. She can't drive a car, can she? — a negative statement takes a positive tag.

15. Let's take the night bus, shall we? — let's always takes shall we.

16. Please close the gate, will you? — imperatives take will you.

17. Nothing was stolen, was it? — nothing is negative, so the tag is positive.

18. Where has he gone since morning? — a direct question inverts the operator and the subject.

19. Who broke this window? — who is the subject here, so no did.

20. Can you tell me when the library opens? — an embedded question keeps statement order.

21. Does your father work in a bank? — after does, the base form.

22. Why didn't you attend the meeting? — the operator must come before the subject.

Rewrite as instructed (1 mark each)

  1. Sarita completed the project in three weeks. — Ask a question about the person who completed it. [1]
  2. Sarita completed the project in three weeks. — Ask a question about the time taken, beginning How long … [1]
  3. Where is the ticket counter? — Rewrite beginning Could you tell me … [1]
  4. Has the result been published? — Rewrite beginning Do you know … [1]
  5. You met someone at the airport. — Ask about the person, using whom. [1]
  6. I wonder why she resigned. — Rewrite as a direct question. [1]
Answers

23. Who completed the project in three weeks? — a subject question: no did, and the verb keeps the past form.

24. How long did Sarita take to complete the project? — did + base form after the wh-phrase.

25. Could you tell me where the ticket counter is? — the embedded clause returns to statement order.

26. Do you know if (whether) the result has been published? — a yes/no question needs if or whether when embedded.

27. Whom did you meet at the airport? — an object question inverts and uses did + base form.

28. Why did she resign? — un-embedding restores the inversion and moves the tense onto did.

Practise more: English question bank