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Which one to use?Intermediatestructurestructure
Positive tagvsNegative tag
Question tags are mini-questions at the end of a sentence; a positive statement takes a negative tag and vice versa.
Side-by-side comparison
Positive tag
structureQuestion tags invert the polarity of the main sentence: if the sentence is affirmative, the tag is negative; if it is negative, the tag is affirmative.
The budget for next quarter has already been approved, hasn't it? I thought the board signed off on it last week.
You have worked with this client before, haven't you? You should have some context on their communication preferences.
She is leading the new product launch, isn't she? I saw her name on the project brief that came through this morning.
Negative tag
structureThe tag also repeats the auxiliary from the main clause and pairs it with a pronoun. "She's coming, isn't she?" If there is no auxiliary, use "do/does/did".
The report hasn't been sent to the client yet, has it? I want to add one more section before it goes out.
They didn't announce the restructuring plan at the all-hands meeting, did they? I heard the communication was delayed.
You won't be in the office on Friday, will you? We were thinking of organizing a small farewell for the team.
Common mistake
The four most common errors:
- 1.positive tag with positive sentence: "She works here, DOES she?" is wrong, the rule is opposite: positive → negative: "She works, DOESN'T she?"
- 2.Wrong pronoun: "doesn't HER?" (correct: "doesn't SHE?").
- 3.Wrong auxiliary: "She works, isn't she?" (correct: "doesn't she?", present simple uses DO/DOES).
- 4."I am right, amn't I?", the standard form is "aren't I?"
Trick to remember it
- •Two-step trick: Step 1 = is the sentence positive or negative? → the tag is the opposite.
- •Step 2 = repeat the main clause auxiliary in the tag.
- •No auxiliary (present/past simple) = use DO/DOES/DID.
- •The tag subject is always a pronoun, never a noun.
Quick rule
- •Positive sentence → negative tag ("She works, DOESN'T she?").
- •Negative sentence → positive tag ("She doesn't work, DOES she?").
- •Repeat the main clause auxiliary.
- •No auxiliary = use DO/DOES/DID.
Did you know?
English question tags are one of the most idiomatic aspects of the language and what most distinguishes it from its European cousins. German uses "nicht wahr?" (is that not true?), French "n'est-ce pas?", Spanish "verdad?" or "no?", all fixed, invariable, not changing with the verb. English is the only major European language that forms tags dynamically by repeating the specific auxiliary of each sentence. This makes them grammatically rich and socially very nuanced: the intonation of the tag communicates whether the speaker genuinely seeks confirmation (falling intonation) or is gently initiating conversation (rising intonation). Two identical phrases, two completely different intentions, determined solely by melody.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
It's a beautiful day, _____ ?
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
You haven't met her yet, _____ ?
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
CanvsCould
'Can' expresses ability or possibility in the present; 'could' expresses past ability or hypothetical possibility.
EithervsNeither
'Either' refers to one of two (any one); 'neither' refers to neither of the two.
There isvsThere are
"There is" is used with singular and uncountable nouns; "there are" is used with plural countable nouns.
AvsAn
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy