BASIC GRAMMAR QUESTION TAGS

HARYANI HAQI (191040400045)

B 02 FARE 02

Bahasa Inggris 1
Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Kharisma Persada
Program D3 Farmasi 2020

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 LIST OF CONTENTS

COVER
LIST OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................1
CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION .....................................................................2
CHAPTER 2 : CONTENTS
A. What is Question Tags? ……………...…..............................................3
B. Question Tag Formula ………..…....................................…........…4
C. Figuration Of Question Tag …………................................................9
D. Intonation Of Question Tags .................................................…...........10
E. Example ……………….....….....................................……..................10
F. More Example Of Question Tags……………………………..............11
G. Pay attention to the essential matters in Question Tags ……................11
CHAPTER III : CLOSING
CONCLUSION …………………..…..........…………………………………13
BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………..……..........………………………........14

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 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Question Tags is a very common used in English daily conversation.

The sentence pattern of Question Tags is used to ask for confirmation from the
listeners about something uncertain for the speaker. For example in Bahasa
Indonesia we say :

Johan adalah seorang mahasiswa bukan ?

(Johan is a student, isn’t he ?)

The word ‘not’ in this sentence that we recognize in English as Question

Tags. Question Tags are format using auxiliary verb (is, are, do, does, did,
have, has, can, may, must, shall will, etc) which are combine with pronoun (I,
you, she, he, it, we, they) with the formula as following :

- For the positive statements, Negative Question Tags.

- For the negative statements, Positive Question Tags.

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 CHAPTER 2
CONTENT

A. What is Question Tags?

Question Tags are special sentence patterns in English that are used to request
confirmation, approval or confirmation.Question tags take the form of
statements followed by mini-questions.
Question tags are short questions added at the end of a statement (declarative
sentence) to ask for information or ask for approval.

The purpose of using question tags is to ask for information or ask for approval.
When using it to ask for information, the speaker position does not know
whether the information is true or false. In this condition, the question tag is
emphasized by rising intonation.

When the question tag is used to request approval, the speaker believes that the
information is known to be true, but expects answers that support his belief. In
that situation the question tag is pronounced without emphasis by falling
intonation.

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B. Question Tag Formula

Example :
She is going to come here, isn’t she?
He cannot go now, can he?
You will be here with me, won’t you?

Example :
She loves me, doesn’t she?
He visited you, didn’t he?
They don’t watch TV, do they?

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  POSITIF STATEMENT-NEGATIVE TAG

Pernyataan positif (positive statement) diikuti oleh tag negatif

(negative tag). We will see this example :

NO POSITIVE STATEMENT (+) NEGATIVE TAG (-)

1 You are writing aren't you?

2 We have learned haven't we?

3 They will go to school won't they?

4 I can do it can't I?

5 You should study shouldn't you?

6 She must go mustn't she?

7 He plays guitar doesn't he?

8 You study English don't you?

9 You played football didn't you?

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  NEGATIVE STATEMENT-POSITIVE TAG

Pernyataan negatif (negative statement) diikut ioleh tag positif (positive tag).
Kita liha tpenjelasan berikut:

NO NEGATIVE STATEMENT (-) POSITIVE TAG (+)

1 You aren't coming are you?

2 We haven't read it have we?

3 They won't go to school will they?

4 I can't drive can I?

5 You shouldn't go should you?

6 She mustn't sleep must she?

7 She doesn't write a letter does she?

8 You don't speak Japanese do you?

9 You didn't arrive yesterday did you?

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Special Cases in Question Tag.
1. Negative words (kata negatif)
Beberapa kata berikutterlihatsepertipernyataanpositif.Tetapisesungguhnya kata-
kata berikutmemilikiarti/maknanegatif.Kata-kata
tersebutmemilikiartitidakpernah, jarang, hampirtidak, takseorangpun.Beberapa
kata tersebut, diantaranya:
– Never
– Seldom
– Hardly
– Rarely
– Barely
– Scarcely
– Nothing
– Nobody/No one

Apabila suatu pernyataan menggunakan salah satu dari kata tersebut, maka
pernyataan tersebut merupakan pernyataan negatif (negative statement).Oleh
sebab itu, kita menggunakan tag positif (positive tag).Lihat contoh berikut:
NEGATIVE STATEMENT (-) POSITIVE TAG (+)
ARTI
You never come to this place do you?
Kamu tidak pernah dating ketempat ini, kan?
We seldom washed the shoes did we?
Kita jarang mencuci sepatu, iyakan?
You barely ever meet me do you?
Kamu hamper tidak pernah bertemu aku, kan?
Nobody calls me do they?
*Tak seorang pun menghubungi saya, kan?
Nothing came to this inbox did it?
**Takadasatupun yang masuk ke inbox, yakan?

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2. Imperative (kalimatperintah) menggunakan tag “will you?”
– Close the door, will you?
– Turn off the lamp, will you?
– Sit down, will you?
– Don’t come late, will you?
– Open the window, will you?

3. “I am” menggunakan tag “aren’t I?”

1. I am wrong, aren’t I?
2. I am sad, aren’t I?
3. I am clever, aren’t I?

4. “Have” menggunakan tag:

– “Have” bisadigunakan sebagai auxiliary, contohnya:
• We have visited Bandung Zoo, haven’t we? (Kita telah mengunjungi
Bandung Zoo, kan?)
• You have finished, haven’t you? (Kamu sudahs elesai, kan?)
– “Have” bias digunakan sebagai verb (kata kerja), contohnya:
• She has a doll, doesn’t she? (Dia mempunyai boneka, yakan?)
• Thet have new car, don’t they? (Mereka mempunyai mobil baru, yakan?)

5. • Thet have new car, don’t they? (Mereka mempunyai mobil baru, yakan?)
1. Let’s go, shall we?
2. Let’s read, shall we?
3. Let’s write, shall we?

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C. Figuration Of Question Tag

Based on the general rule (aturanumum) positive question tags can follow a
negative sentence (kalimatnegatif). Likewise, negative tag question sentence
can follow positive (kalimatpositif).

Question tags consist of the main verb (if it is a linking verb "be"), the
dummy auxiliary verb "do / does / did" (if the main verb is not a linking verb)
or auxiliary verb of the first (if it consists of the main verb and one or more
auxiliary) +/- not + subject (pronoun) adjusted to the main sentence.

negative sentence, positive question negative sentence, positive question

tag tag
Ahmad came late, didn’t he?
(Ahmad datang terlambat kan?)
Ahmad didn’t come late, did he?
(Ahmad tidak datang terlambat kan?)
The man isn’t stingy, is he? The man is stingy, isn’t he?
(Pria tsb tidak pelit kan?) (Pria tsb pelit kan?)
You haven’t finished your homework, You have finished your homework,
have you? haven’t you?
(Kamu belum menyelesaikan PR-mu (Kamu telah menyelesaikan PR-mu
kan?) kan?)
They won’t attend the seminar, will They will attend the seminar, won’t
they? they?
(Mereka tidak akan menghadiri (Mereka akan menghadiri seminar
seminar kan?) kan?)

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D. Intonation of Question Tag
Back to the aim of the usage of question tags, that is to ask for
information or confirmation. When the question tag is used to ask for
information, speaker position is “He/She doesn’t know whether the information
is right or wrong”. In this condition, question tags is given a pressure with
rising intonation. Otherwise, when the Tag is used to ask for confirmation the
speaker convinces that the known- information is true. At that time the speaker
just expect the answer to support his convincing, question tag is expressed with
falling intonation.

E. Example :
You didn’t drink alcohol, did you? (Kamu tidak minum alkohol kan?)
 Speaker didn’t know whether the respondent drank the alcohol and he is
willing to know the answer, question tag is expressed with rising intonation.
 Speaker only want to know that the respondent did not drink alcohol and
just expect for confirmation, question tag with falling intonation.

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F. More Example Of Question Tag
Example Question Explanation
Tag
I’m right, aren’t I? spoken English
I’m right, am I not? formal English
Everybody likes him, digunakan they sebagai gender neuter pronoun.
don’t they?
Nothing is Nothing= no thing, sehingga kalimat menjadi negatif,
impossible, is it? maka question tag-nya positif.
Nobody came late, Nobody= no body, sehingga kalimat menjadi negatif,
did they? maka question tag-nya positif.
Digunakan they sebagai gender neuter pronoun.
You will never regret Never= not ever, sehingga kalimat menjadi negatif,
it, will you? maka question tag-nya positif.

G. Pay attention to the essential matters in Question Tags

1. Subject in an interrogative sentences is re-expressed in personal

pronoun form.
Example :
Henri will be here, won’t he?
The players have a good skill, don’t they?

2. Sentences with the subjects like

everyone, everybody, everything, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody,
must be re-expressed in the tag as “They”.
Example :
Everybody watched movie, didn’t they?

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 3. Sentences in imperative form, the tag is “Will You”.
Example :
Close the door, will you?
Don’t take my book, will you?
4. Sentences begin with “Let’s/ Let Us” is re-expressed in the tag to be
“Shall We”.
Example :
let’s play the game, shall we?
Let us pay attention to the teacher’s speaking, shall we?
5. Sentences with the subject “I am/I” in positive sentences tag must use
“Aren’t I”
Example :
I am clever, aren’t I?
I will get the prize in this contest, aren’t I?

But, when the negative sentences we use subject “I am not” the-tag is going
back to be “Am I”
Example :
I am not a student, am I ?
I am not lazy to study English, Am I?

6. When there is a sentence which contained the word Never, seldom,

rarely, barely, hardly, few, little, are considered in the same degree with
the negative sentences
Example :
She seldom comes late, does she?
They never spoke English, did they?

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 CHAPTER 3
CLOSING

 Conclusion

By learning Question Tag, people can understand how to express

confirmation or asking for information in English. Not just to understand, but
to be a good speaker with using a good sentence. We hope that our paper can
explain to the reader relate to question tag how to express it in a sentence.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grace Widjaja, Dra. 2016. Complete English Grammar and the

excercises. Jakarta : PT Buana Ilmu Populer.

www.KelasBahasaInggris.com 23 November 2015, PembahasanLengkap

Question Tag.

https://www.wordsmile.com/pengertian-rumus-contoh-kalimat-question-tags

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