Tag questions NEB grade 11 and 12

 

Grammar

Tag Questions

Tag questions are short questions added to the end of a statement, often used to confirm information, seek agreement, or prompt a response.

Here's a table summarizing the rules of tag questions:

Rule	Example Statement	Tag Question
1. Positive → Negative tag	She is a teacher.	isn’t she?
2. Negative → Positive tag	He doesn’t like tea.	does he?
3. Match the auxiliary verb	They have arrived.	haven’t they?
4. No auxiliary → Use do/does/did	He plays football.	doesn’t he?
5. Present simple → do/does	She sings well.	doesn’t she?
6. Past simple → did	He left early.	didn’t he?
7. Present continuous → be verb	They are waiting.	aren’t they?
8. Past continuous → was/were	She was sleeping.	wasn’t she?
9. Present perfect → have/has	You have seen it.	haven’t you?
10. Past perfect → had	They had left.	hadn’t they?
11. Imperatives → will/can/could	Close the door.	will you?
12. Let’s… → shall we	Let’s go home.	shall we?
13. “I am” → aren’t I	I am your friend.	aren’t I?
14. “I am not” → am I	I am not late.	am I?
15. "There" as subject → Repeat "there"	There is a problem.	isn’t there?
16. Negative words (nothing/nobody) → Positive tag	Nothing happened.	did it?
17. Match modal verbs	She can swim.	can’t she?
18. "Used to" → did	He used to smoke.	didn’t he?
19. "Must" (obligation) → mustn’t	We must go now.	mustn’t we?
20. Conditional sentences → Use main verb tense	If you leave, it won’t matter.	will it?

 

Basic Rules

1.      Positive statement → Negative tag

o    You are coming, aren’t you?

2.      Negative statement → Positive tag

o    She doesn’t like coffee, does she?

3.      Use the same auxiliary verb as in the statement

o    She has finished, hasn’t she?

4.      If there is no auxiliary verb, use "do/does/did"

o    He plays football, doesn’t he?

o    They went home, didn’t they?

Tense-Based Rules

5.      Present simple → Use "do/does" in the tag

o    She works here, doesn’t she?

6.      Past simple → Use "did" in the tag

o    He left early, didn’t he?

7.      Present continuous → Use "be" verb in the tag

o    They are waiting, aren’t they?

8.      Past continuous → Use "was/were" in the tag

o    She was studying, wasn’t she?

9.      Present perfect → Use "have/has" in the tag

o    You have seen it, haven’t you?

10. Past perfect → Use "had" in the tag

• They had left, hadn’t they?

Special Cases

11. Imperatives (orders, requests) → Use "will/would/can/could"

• Close the door, will you?
• Help me, can you?

12. Let’s … sentences → Use "shall we"

• Let’s go for a walk, shall we?
• Let us listen to the radio,……….?
• Let me sing a song,……………?

13. "I am" statements → Use "aren’t I"

• I am your friend, aren’t I?

14. "I am not" statements → Use "am I"

• I am not late, am I?

15. With "there" as subject → Repeat "there" in the tag

• There is a problem, isn’t there?

16. With "nothing/nobody/never" → Use a positive tag

• Nothing is wrong, is it?
• She never lies, does she?

Modal Verbs in Tag Questions

17. If the statement has a modal verb, use the same modal in the tag

• She can swim, can’t she?
• He should leave now, shouldn’t he?

18. With "used to" → Use "did" in the tag

• He used to smoke, didn’t he?

19. With "must" → Use "mustn’t" (for obligation) or "needn’t" (for possibility)

• We must be on time, mustn’t we?
• He must be at home, isn’t he? (For deduction)

20. With conditional sentences → Use the main verb tense for the tag

• If you leave now, it won’t be a problem, will it?

 

Rewrite the following sentences adding appropriate question tag.

a. Gill does not know Ann, does he?
b. I’m very patient, aren’t I?
c. They’d never met me before, had they?
d. Listen carefully, will you?
e. Let’s have a break, shall we?
f. Let us invite them, will you?
g. Hari used to live in France as a boy, didn’t he?
h. You’d better not take a hard drink, had you?
i. Sheep eat grass, don’t they?
j. Mr. Pande can speak nine languages, can’t he?
k. She’s finished her classes, hasn’t she?
l. She barely managed to reach the goal, did she?
m. Don’t let him swim in that pond, will you?
n. There are lots of people here, aren’t there?

 

Additional Questions

You like coffee, don’t you?

She isn’t coming, is she?

He has finished his homework, hasn’t he?

They didn’t call you, did they?

We are going to the park, aren’t we?

She was at the party last night, wasn’t she?

You have never been to Japan, have you?

 He can play the guitar, can’t he?

 Let’s go for a walk, shall we?

Open the window, will you?

There is a problem, isn’t there?

I am your best friend, aren’t I?

She must leave now, mustn’t she?

He used to live in France, didn’t he?

They won’t be late, will they?

Nothing happened, did it?

Everybody likes her, don’t they?

You should apologize, shouldn’t you?

If he calls, you will tell me, won’t you?

 I am not disturbing you, am I?

Tag Question Test

1.      She is your sister, ______?

2.      Let me open the window,…………..?

3.      Let us join the party……………..?

4.      Shyam, you should wake up early,…………..?

5.      Shivam, wash your face,…………..?

6.      They don’t like spicy food, ______?

7.      He has completed his work, ______?

8.      You were sleeping, ______?

9.      She plays the piano, ______?

10. You can swim, ______?

11. Let’s go for a movie, ______?

12. I am not late, ______?

13. There is a meeting tomorrow, ______?

14. He never lies, ______?

15. We should leave now, ______?

16. She wasn’t at home, ______?

17. They had already eaten, ______?

18. You don’t like horror movies, ______?

19. He must follow the rules, ______?

20. Nobody called you, ______?

21. You used to play football, ______?

22. If you study hard, you will pass, ______?

23. Close the door, ______?

24. I am your best friend, ______?