Structure:
Statement (S+ V+ O), aux + (n't) + pronoun?
Or
Statement (S+ V+ O), aux.+ pronoun + not?
Example:
a. I am a graduate student, aren't I/am I not?
b. Karen plays the piano, does he not? doesn't he?
An affirmative statement has a negative tag and a negative statement has a positive tag.
However, the statement introduced by so has the same polarity tag (positive tag for positive statement & Neg. Tag for Neg. Statement)
Example:
So you're not going out today, aren't you?
⮚ The verb of the statement changes in the following ways:
⮚ The statements containing words, such as neither, nor, no, not, none, little, few, only a little, hardly, scarcely, barely, rarely, nothing, nobody has a positive tag.
Example:
She hardly manages her time, does she ?
⮚ The subjects of the statements change into the following ways:
Note: If there are two verbs and two subjects in the sentence, the second pronoun and second verb of the main clause is used in tag.
Examples:
a. I promise she won't be late, – will she?
b. There are two books on the table, aren't there/aren't they?
c. The poet and philosopher is dead, isn't he?
d. He as well as I put it there, didn't he?
e. Neither you nor she is Laborious, is she?
⮚ You and I as a subject in the statement
takes 'we' in the tag
Example:
You and I are good players, aren't we ?
⮚ You and he as a subject takes 'you' in the tag.
Example:
You and he were farmers, weren't you ?
⮚ If there are such clauses at the beginning of long sentences, we should use the tag for the second clause. Clauses: I think, I suppose, I know, I hope, etc.
Examples:
I suppose he has done it before, hasn't he ?
I think they are good at English, aren't they?
Example:
So you're not going out today, aren't you?
⮚ The verb of the statement changes in the following ways:
| Statement | Tags |
|---|---|
| is | isn't ......... ? |
| is not | is..........? |
| am | aren't I/am I not |
| am not | am I? |
| was | wasn't ..........? |
| can | can't..........? |
| well/shall | won't/shan't..........? |
| have/has/had | didn't/ don't/ doesn't..? |
| has | doesn't........? |
| have/has/had+ V3 | haven't/hasn't/hadn't....? |
| have/has\had+ to V1 | doesn't/didn't....? |
| 's + noun | isn't..........? |
| 's + ing isn't.........? | isn't.........? |
| 'S + been + V3 hasn't? | hasn't? |
| 'd + V1 | wouldn't........? |
| 'd + rather/ sooner | wouldn't........? |
| 'd + have + V3 | wouldn't.......? |
| 'd + better | hadn't........? |
| 'd + have + V3 | wouldn't.......? |
| Let us/ him | will you?/ won't you? |
| Let's | shall we? |
| needs/needed | doesn't.....?/didn't........? |
| dare/ dares | don't.......?/ doesn't........? |
| dared/ used to | didn't........? |
| would | wouldn't........? |
| ought to | shouldn't......? |
| may | mayn't.......? |
⮚ The statements containing words, such as neither, nor, no, not, none, little, few, only a little, hardly, scarcely, barely, rarely, nothing, nobody has a positive tag.
Example:
She hardly manages her time, does she ?
⮚ The subjects of the statements change into the following ways:
| Subjects of the statement | Pronouns of the tag |
|---|---|
| Somebody/ Anybody/ These/Those/ Nobody/ Everybody/ Someone/ Everyone/ All | They (plural verb) |
| Something/ Anything/ Everything/ Nothing/ this/that/All | It |
| One | One |
| There | There (She/ he/ It/ They) |
| That clause/Gerund/to–infinitive | It |
| Some of/Any of/ None of +us/you/ them | We/ you/They |
| Neither… nor/ Either…or | 2nd pronoun is followed in a tag. |
| Noun/pronoun + as well as/ with/ accompanied by + Noun/pronoun | First pronoun/noun is followed. |
| The + Noun+ and+ Noun (single person) | He/ She (singular pronoun) |
Note: If there are two verbs and two subjects in the sentence, the second pronoun and second verb of the main clause is used in tag.
Examples:
a. I promise she won't be late, – will she?
b. There are two books on the table, aren't there/aren't they?
c. The poet and philosopher is dead, isn't he?
d. He as well as I put it there, didn't he?
e. Neither you nor she is Laborious, is she?
⮚ You and I as a subject in the statement
takes 'we' in the tag
Example:
You and I are good players, aren't we ?
⮚ You and he as a subject takes 'you' in the tag.
Example:
You and he were farmers, weren't you ?
⮚ If there are such clauses at the beginning of long sentences, we should use the tag for the second clause. Clauses: I think, I suppose, I know, I hope, etc.
Examples:
I suppose he has done it before, hasn't he ?
I think they are good at English, aren't they?
Also, Read our other Notes of English for Entrance Exams:
- Article
- Connectives
- Number
- Concord
- Tense Use
- Causative Verbs
- Conditional Sentence
- Voice
- Reported Speech
- Transformation
- Gerund / To-Infinitive
- Sentence Pattern
- Agreement & Disagreement
- Inversion
- Adjectives
- Embedded Question
- Illogical participle Modifiers
- Preposition
- Question Tag
- Pronouns
- Commonly Confused Words
- One Word Substitution
- Words of Comparision
- Specialists
- Phobias
- Killing & Killers
- Graphy Words