📘 QUESTION TAGS

 [📘 QUESTION TAGS (Page 77)

Simple Rules, Examples and Textbook Questions with Answers

🌟 1. What is a Question Tag?

A question tag is a short question added at the end of a sentence to confirm something or ask for agreement.

Examples:

• She is happy, isn't she?
• He plays cricket, doesn't he?
• They are students, aren't they?

📝 2. Important Rules with Examples

🟢 Rule 1: Positive Sentence → Negative Tag

When the sentence is positive, use a negative question tag.

Examples:

1. She is a teacher, isn't she?
2. They are happy, aren't they?
3. He can swim, can't he?

🔵 Rule 2: Negative Sentence → Positive Tag

When the sentence is negative, use a positive question tag.

Examples:

1. She isn't ready, is she?
2. They don't play cricket, do they?
3. He cannot drive, can he?

🟣 Rule 3: Use Do / Does / Did

When the sentence has an ordinary verb without a helping verb, use do, does or did in the tag.

Examples:

1. She sings well, doesn't she?
2. They play football, don't they?
3. He visited Delhi, didn't he?

🟠 Rule 4: Negative Words Take Positive Tags

Words like never, nothing, nobody, hardly, scarcely and seldom give a negative meaning.

Therefore, use a positive tag.

Examples:

1. He never lies, does he?
2. Nothing happened, did it?
3. She hardly speaks, does she?

🔴 Rule 5: Commands and Requests

For positive commands and requests, will you? is commonly used.

For negative commands, will you? is also commonly used.

Examples:

1. Open the door, will you?
2. Please help me, will you?
3. Don't make noise, will you?

🟡 Rule 6: Let's → Shall We?

When a sentence begins with Let's, use shall we?

Examples:

1. Let's play cricket, shall we?
2. Let's go home, shall we?

🟤 Rule 7: There → There

When the sentence begins with There, use there in the tag.

Examples:

1. There is a problem, isn't there?
2. There are many students, aren't there?
3. There is no water, is there?

🟢 Rule 8: Used to → Didn't

For sentences with used to, we commonly use didn't in the question tag.

Examples:

1. He used to play football, didn't he?
2. They used to live here, didn't they?

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✍️ 3. TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Complete the following sentences with suitable question tags.

✅ Question (i)

Nothing justifies making derogatory and anonymous comments about someone, __________?

Answer: does it?

Correct Sentence:

Nothing justifies making derogatory and anonymous comments about someone, does it?

Reason: Nothing has a negative meaning. Therefore, we use a positive tag.

✅ Question (ii)

Don't forget to verify facts before sharing them online, __________?

Answer: will you?

Correct Sentence:

Don't forget to verify facts before sharing them online, will you?

Reason: Negative commands commonly take will you?

✅ Question (iii)

There is no better time than the present to help someone in need, __________?

Answer: is there?

Correct Sentence:

There is no better time than the present to help someone in need, is there?

Reason: The sentence contains no, which makes it negative.

✅ Question (iv)

We can hardly expect to solve a problem without our active involvement, __________?

Answer: can we?

Correct Sentence:

We can hardly expect to solve a problem without our active involvement, can we?

Reason: Hardly gives a negative meaning. Therefore, we use a positive tag.

✅ Question (v)

Communities used to be much more sociable before the era of smartphones, __________?

Answer: didn't they?

Correct Sentence:

Communities used to be much more sociable before the era of smartphones, didn't they?

Reason: Sentences with used to commonly take didn't in the tag.

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📚 4. QUICK REVISION TABLE

Rule	Example
Positive → Negative	She is happy, isn't she?
Negative → Positive	He isn't ready, is he?
Simple Present	She sings, doesn't she?
Simple Past	He came, didn't he?
Nothing / Nobody	Nothing happened, did it?
Hardly / Never	He never lies, does he?
Negative Command	Don't shout, will you?
Let's	Let's go, shall we?
There	There is a problem, isn't there?
Used to	He used to play, didn't he?

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🎯 5. TEXTBOOK ANSWER KEY

Question	Correct Tag
i	does it?
ii	will you?
iii	is there?
iv	can we?
v	didn't they?

⭐ Easy Memory Trick

✅ Positive Sentence → Negative Tag

✅ Negative Sentence → Positive Tag

✅ Never / Nothing / Hardly → Positive Tag

✅ Don't + Command → Will you?

✅ Let's → Shall we?

✅ Used to → Didn't + Pronoun?]

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[Question Tag എന്നത് ഒരു വാക്യത്തിന്റെ അവസാനം ചേർക്കുന്ന ചെറിയ ചോദ്യമാണ്.

• Positive Sentence: Negative Tag ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നു.

• Negative Sentence: Positive Tag ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നു.

• Nothing, Never, Hardly: Positive Tag ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നു.

• Don't എന്നുതുടങ്ങുന്ന നിർദേശങ്ങൾ: സാധാരണയായി will you? ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നു.

• Let's: shall we? ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നു.

• Used to: സാധാരണയായി didn't ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്നു.

ഓർക്കുക: Question tag എഴുതുമ്പോൾ വാക്യത്തിന്റെ അർത്ഥവും helping verb-ഉം ശ്രദ്ധിക്കണം.]