PPT on QUE
TAG
Submitted by
Mrs Poonam Dua
A.P in English
Tag-Questions
• A ‘tag-question’ or ‘question tag’ is not a
true
question.
A tag question is used at the end of a
Statement Sentence to get the
confirmation from the listener, or just to
express one’s doubt.
A question sentence, on the contrary, is
used to get the answer.
Tag-Questions
You are my student. Statement Sentence positive
You are not my student. Statement negative
Are you my student? Question (interrogative)
You are my student, aren’t you? Tag-question
Tag-Questions
Whose books are these? – a true question
These are your books, aren’t they?
-Tag-question – Positive
These are not your books, are they?
- Tag-question -- Negative
Tag-Questions
• Making a tag-question sentence:
• She is your friend
,
isn’t she
?
A positive tag-question sentence!
Tag-Questions
There are five simple points we should
follow when we use a Tag-question:
Point 1
A comma is used between the main
sentence and the ‘tag’ part, e.g.
This is your book isn’t it?
,
Tag-Questions
► Point 2:
► Even if the subject of the main sentence is a
noun – proper noun or common noun – the
subject of the ‘tag’ part is always a
corresponding PERSONAL PRONOUN. e.g.
Mary isn’t your sister, is she?
Tag-Questions
Point 2 (continued)
John has gone home, hasn’t ?
‘John’ – proper noun – male – singular
he
pronoun – male – singular – subjective case
Tag-Question
Point 2 (continued)
Ted and Jerry got their books, didn’t ?
‘Ted and Jerry’ – Proper nouns – male – plural
they
Personal Pronoun – male -- plural
Tag-Questions
Point 3
The verb in the ‘tag’ part depends on the verb in
the main sentence:
If the verb in the main sentence is in Present
Tense, the verb in the ‘tag’ part will be in Present
Tense; and the verb in the main sentence is in
Past Tense, the verb in the ‘tag’ part will be in
Past, and so on.
If the verb in the main sentence is in Positive
form, the verb in the ‘tag’ part will be in Negative
form.
Tag-Questions
• Point 3 (continued)
• She is your sister, she?
“is” – main verb – Simple Present Tense –POSITIVE
isn’t
– Simple present tense – NEGATIVE
Tag-Questions
Point 3 (continued)
Brad hasn’t done his work, he?
‘hasn’t’ – Present perfect – NEGATIVE
has
Present perfect -- POSITIVE
Tag-Questions
Point 3 (continued)
Kate goes to school, she?
‘goes’ – Simple present – POSITIVE
‘does not go’ – Simple present – NEGATIVE
doesn’t
Point 4
The negative form of the verb in the ‘tag’ part is
always contracted:
does not = doesn’t; has not = hasn’t; will not = won’t
Tag-questions
Point 3 (continued)
James did not go to school, he?
‘did not go’ – Simple past – NEGATIVE
‘go’ – Simple past – Positive; however, in
‘tag’ part, the auxiliary (helping) verb
alone is used:
did
Tag-questions
• Point 5 -- Word order
• In the statement sentence (in the main
sentence) the subject comes first and the
verb comes next; but in the ‘tag’ part, the
verb comes first and the subject comes
next, just as in the interrogative sentence.
Tag-Question
Point 5 – word order (continued)
For example:
A woman fainted, didn’t she?
Main sentence
‘tag’ part
Subject first; verb next
Verb first; subject next
Tag-Questions
There are some exceptions to some of the rules
(points) we have discussed so far. To understand
those rules (points), first we have to master these
points.
Therefore, let’s master these rules (points) now, and
then we can go for those exceptions later!
