Tag Questions

Tag Questions

You speak English, don't you?

A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a mini-question. The whole sentence is a "tag question", and the mini-question at the end is called a "question tag".

We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in English.

The basic structure is:

+ Positive statement,	- negative tag?
Snow is white,	isn't it?
- Negative statement,	+ positive tag?
You don't like me,	do you?

Look at these examples with positive statements:

positive statement [+]				negative tag [-]			notes:
subject	auxiliary	main verb		auxiliary	not	personal pronoun (same as subject)
You	are	coming,		are	n't	you?
We	have	finished,		have	n't	we?
You	do	like	coffee,	do	n't	you?
You		like	coffee,	do	n't	you?	You (do) like...
They	will	help,		wo	n't	they?	won't = will not
I	can	come,		can	't	I?
We	must	go,		must	n't	we?
He	should	try	harder,	should	n't	he?
You		are	English,	are	n't	you?	no auxiliary for main verb be present & past
John		was	there,	was	n't	he?

Look at these examples with negative statements:

negative statement [-]						positive tag [+]
subject	auxiliary		main verb			auxiliary	personal pronoun (same as subject)
It	is	n't	raining,			is	it?
We	have	never	seen		that,	have	we?
You	do	n't	like		coffee,	do	you?
They	will	not	help,			will	they?
They	wo	n't	report		us,	will	they?
I	can	never	do		it right,	can	I?
We	must	n't	tell		her,	must	we?
He	should	n't	drive		so fast,	should	he?
You			are	n't	English,	are	you?
John			was	not	there,	was	he?

Some special cases:

I am right, aren't I?	aren't I (not amn't I)
You have to go, don't you?	you (do) have to go...
I have been answering, haven't I?	use first auxiliary
Nothing came in the post, did it?	treat statements with nothing, nobody etc like negative statements
Let's go, shall we?	let's = let us
He'd better do it, hadn't he?	he had better (no auxiliary)

Here are some mixed examples:

• But you don't really love her, do you?
• This will work, won't it?
• Well, I couldn't help it, could I?
• But you'll tell me if she calls, won't you?
• We'd never have known, would we?
• The weather's bad, isn't it?
• You won't be late, will you?
• Nobody knows, do they?

Notice that we often use tag questions to ask for information or help, starting with a negative statement. This is quite a friendly/polite way of making a request. For example, instead of saying "Where is the police station?" (not very polite), or "Do you know where the police station is?" (slightly more polite), we could say: "You wouldn't know where the police station is, would you?" Here are some more examples:

• You don't know of any good jobs, do you?
• You couldn't help me with my homework, could you?
• You haven't got $10 to lend me, have you?

Intonation

We can change the meaning of a tag question with the musical pitch of our voice. With rising intonation, it sounds like a real question. But if our intonation falls, it sounds more like a statement that doesn't require a real answer:

	intonation
You don't know where my wallet is,	do you?	/ rising	real question
It's a beautiful view,	isn't it?	\ falling	not a real question

Answers to tag questions

A question tag is the "mini-question" at the end. A tag question is the whole sentence.

How do we answer a tag question? Often, we just say Yes or No. Sometimes we may repeat the tag and reverse it (..., do they? Yes, they do). Be very careful about answering tag questions. In some languages, an oposite system of answering is used, and non-native English speakers sometimes answer in the wrong way. This can lead to a lot of confusion!

Answer a tag question according to the truth of the situation. Your answer reflects the real facts, not (necessarily) the question.

For example, everyone knows that snow is white. Look at these questions, and the correct answers:

tag question	correct answer
Snow is white, isn't it?	Yes (it is).	the answer is the same in both cases - because snow IS WHITE!	but notice the change of stress when the answerer does not agree with the questioner
Snow isn't white, is it?	Yes it is!
Snow is black, isn't it?	No it isn't!	the answer is the same in both cases - because snow IS NOT BLACK!
Snow isn't black, is it?	No (it isn't).

In some languages, people answer a question like "Snow isn't black, is it?" with "Yes" (meaning "Yes, I agree with you"). This is the wrong answer in English!

Here are some more examples, with correct answers:

• The moon goes round the earth, doesn't it? Yes, it does.
• The earth is bigger than the moon, isn't it? Yes.
• The earth is bigger than the sun, isn't it? No, it isn't!
• Asian people don't like rice, do they? Yes, they do!
• Elephants live in Europe, don't they? No, they don't!
• Men don't have babies, do they? No.
• The English alphabet doesn't have 40 letters, does it? No, it doesn't.

Question tags with imperatives

Sometimes we use question tags with imperatives (invitations, orders), but the sentence remains an imperative and does not require a direct answer. We use won't for invitations. We use can, can't, will, would for orders.

	imperative + question tag	notes:
invitation	Take a seat, won't you?	Polite
order	Help me, can you?	quite friendly
	Help me, can't you?	quite friendly (some irritation?)
	Close the door, would you?	quite polite
	Do it now, will you?	less polite
	Don't forget, will you?	with negative imperatives only will is possible

Same-way question tags

Although the basic structure of tag questions is positive-negative or negative-positive, it is sometime possible to use a positive-positive or negative-negative structure. We use same-way question tags to express interest, surprise, anger etc, and not to make real questions.

• So you're having a baby, are you? That's wonderful!
• She wants to marry him, does she? Some chance!
• So you think that's amusing, do you? Think again.

Negative-negative tag questions usually sound rather hostile:

• So you don't like my looks, don't you?

Contractions

Contractions

We often "contract" or shorten words in English. For example, we may say "he's" instead of "he is". Note that we usually insert an apostrophe (') in place of the missing letter or letters in writing. Here are some example sentences:

• I haven't seen him. (I have not seen him.)
• Who's calling? (Who is calling?)
• They're coming. (They are coming.)

We do this especially when we speak. We do not contract words so much in writing

Positive Contractions

Be careful. Some contractions can have two or three meanings. For example, he'd can be he had or he would. It depends on the rest of the sentence. Look at these examples:

• He'd like to go. (He would like to go.)
• He'd finished when I arrived. (He had finished when I arrived.)

The contraction 's (= is or has) is not used only with pronouns. It can also be used with nouns, names, question words and words like "here" and "there", for example: The train's late. John's arrived. Where's the phone? Here's your change. There's a policeman.

Short form	Long form
I'm	I am
I've	I have
I'll	I will/I shall
I'd	I would/I should/I had
you're	you are
you've	you have
you'll	you will
you'd	you had/you would
he's	he has/he is
he'll	he will
he'd	he had/he would
she's	she has/she is
she'll	she will
she'd	she had/she would
it's	it has/it is
it'll	it will
we're	we are
we've	we have
we'll	we will
we'd	we had/we would
they're	they are
they've	they have
they'll	they will
they'd	they had/they would

Negative Contractions

With the verb "to be", two negative forms are possible - we aren't or we're not etc. In questions, am not is contracted to aren't, for example: I'm late, aren't I?

Short form Long form aren't are not can't cannot, can not couldn't could not daren't dare not didn't did not doesn't does not don't do not hasn't has not haven't have not hadn't had not isn't is not mayn't may not mightn't might not mustn't must not needn't need not oughtn't ought not shan't shall not shouldn't should not wasn't was not weren't were not won't will not wouldn't would not

Other Contractions

It is possible, and common, to contract three words, for example: I'd've thought so = I would have thought so.

Short form	Long form	Example
here's	here is	Here's your meal.
there'll	there will	There'll be nobody here tomorrow.
there's	there is	There's a taxi!
that's	that is	That's my car!
that'll	that will	That'll be $10, please.
how's	how is?	How's your wife?
what'll	what will?	What'll people think?
what's	what is?	What's the matter?
when's	when is?	When's the wedding?
where's	where is?	Where's the cinema?
who's	who is?	Who's your teacher?
who'd	who would?	Who'd like ice-cream?
who'll	who will?	Who'll be there?

Informal Contractions

Informal contractions are short forms of other words that people use when speaking casually. They are not exactly slang, but they are a little like slang.

For example, "gonna" is a short form of "going to". If you say "going to" very fast, without carefully pronouncing each word, it can sound like "gonna".

Please remember that these are informal contractions. That means that we do not use them in "correct" speech, and we almost never use them in writing. (If you see them in writing, for example in a comic strip, that is because the written words represent the spoken words or dialogue.) We normally use them only when speaking fast and casually, for example with friends. Some people never use them, even in informal speech.

It is probably true to say that informal contractions are more common in American English.

Also note that, unlike normal contractions, we do not usually use apostrophes (') with informal contractions when written.

On the right are some common informal contractions, with example sentences. Note that the example sentences may be a little artificial because when we use a contraction we may also use other contractions in the same sentence, or even drop some words completely. For example:

• What are you going to do? >>
• Whatcha going to do? >>
• Whatcha gonna do?

or

• Do you want a beer?
• Do you wanna beer?
• D'you wanna beer?
• D'ya wanna beer?
• Ya wanna beer?
• Wanna beer?

• ain't = am not/are not/is not
  I ain't sure.
  You ain't my boss.
• ain't = has not/have not
  I ain't done it.
  She ain't finished yet.
• gimme = give me
  Gimme your money.
  Don't gimme that rubbish.
  Can you gimme a hand?
• gonna = going to
  Nothing's gonna change my love for you.
  I'm not gonna tell you.
  What are you gonna do?
• gotta = (have) got a
  I've gotta gun.
  I gotta gun.
  She hasn't gotta penny.
  Have you gotta car?
• gotta = (have) got to
  I've gotta go now.
  I gotta go now.
  We haven't gotta do that.
  Have they gotta work?
• kinda = kind of
  She's kinda cute.
• lemme = let me
  Lemme go!
• wanna = want to
  I wanna go home.
• wanna = want a
  I wanna coffee.
• whatcha = what are you
  Whatcha going to do?
• whatcha = what have you
  Whatcha got there?
• ya = you
  Who saw ya?