What is a question tag?

Question tags are short questions at the end of statements.

They are used when we want to:

• a) encourage a reply.
• b) confirm whether something is true or not.

In most cases, question tags are used when we're asking for agreement about something we already know (or think we know) the answer to.

There are two main patterns for using question tags, depending upon whether the rest of the sentence is positive or negative.

Question Tag Examples

If the main part of the sentence is positive, the question tag should be negative. Here's an example:

• You're a teacher, aren't you?

If the main part of the sentence is negative, the question tag should be positive. Here's an example:

• You haven't been here before, have you?