Question tags are mini-questions at the end of a sentence asking for confirmation or agreement. Positive sentence = negative tag; negative sentence = positive tag.
QUESTION TAG after a POSITIVE sentence = NEGATIVE TAG. "She works here, DOESN'T SHE?" (positive sentence -> negative tag). "They have left, HAVEN'T THEY?" "He was there, WASN'T HE?" Structure: repeat the AUXILIARY from the main clause (or DO/DOES/DID if no auxiliary) in NEGATIVE + subject pronoun. "She works" (no auxiliary, present simple) -> "doesn't she?". "They have" -> "haven't they?". "He was" -> "wasn't he?".
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.
QUESTION TAG after a NEGATIVE sentence = POSITIVE TAG. "She doesn't work here, DOES SHE?" (negative sentence -> positive tag). "They haven't left, HAVE THEY?" "He wasn't there, WAS HE?" Structure: repeat the AUXILIARY in POSITIVE + pronoun. Intonation of the tag changes meaning: FALLING intonation = the speaker already knows and seeks confirmation. RISING intonation = the speaker genuinely does not know and is asking.
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
Four most frequent errors: (1) Positive tag with positive sentence: "She works here, DOES she?" = INCORRECT (sounds sarcastic in English). The rule is OPPOSITE: positive -> negative: "She works here, DOESN'T she?" (2) Wrong pronoun in tag: "She works here, doesn't HER?" = INCORRECT. The tag uses the SUBJECT PRONOUN (she, he, it, they, we, you, I). (3) Not repeating the correct AUXILIARY: "She works, isn't she?" = INCORRECT. "Works" = present simple without auxiliary -> use DO: "doesn't she?" (4) "I am right, amn't I?" = sounds very archaic. The accepted contraction: "I am right, AREN'T I?" (irregular but standard form).
Trick to remember it
The TWO-STEP TRICK: Step 1: is the sentence POSITIVE or NEGATIVE? If POSITIVE -> NEGATIVE tag. If NEGATIVE -> POSITIVE tag. Step 2: what is the AUXILIARY in the sentence? Repeat it in the tag with the OPPOSITE form. "She HAS left" (aux = has, positive sentence) -> "HASN'T she?" "They DIDN'T finish" (aux = did, negative sentence) -> "DID they?" If no auxiliary (present simple/past simple without DO): use DO/DOES/DID. "She works" -> "doesn't she?" "He went" -> "didn't he?" 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 auxiliary from the main clause. No auxiliary = use DO/DOES/DID.
Did you know?
English question tags are one of the most idiomatic aspects of the language and most differentiated from its Germanic relatives. German has "nicht wahr?" (is that not true?), French "n'est-ce pas?", Spanish "verdad?" or "no?" — all equivalent, but FIXED, not changing according to the verb. English is the only major European language that forms tags dynamically by repeating the auxiliary of each sentence. This makes English question tags grammatically rich but difficult to automate for non-native speakers — you must know the correct auxiliary, polarity, and pronoun for each case.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The team has already reviewed the compliance documentation, _____?
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She didn't receive the invitation to the annual dinner, _____?
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Positive sentence -> negative tag ("She works, DOESN'T she?"). Negative sentence -> positive tag ("She doesn't work, DOES she?"). Repeat the auxiliary from the main clause. No auxiliary = use DO/DOES/DID.
Four most frequent errors: (1) Positive tag with positive sentence: "She works here, DOES she?" = INCORRECT (sounds sarcastic in English). The rule is OPPOSITE: positive -> negative: "She works here, DOESN'T she?" (2) Wrong pronoun in tag: "She works here, doesn't HER?" = INCORRECT. The tag uses the SUBJECT PRONOUN (she, he, it, they, we, you, I). (3) Not repeating the correct AUXILIARY: "She works, isn't she?" = INCORRECT. "Works" = present simple without auxiliary -> use DO: "doesn't she?" (4) "I am right, amn't I?" = sounds very archaic. The accepted contraction: "I am right, AREN'T I?" (irregular but standard form).
The TWO-STEP TRICK: Step 1: is the sentence POSITIVE or NEGATIVE? If POSITIVE -> NEGATIVE tag. If NEGATIVE -> POSITIVE tag. Step 2: what is the AUXILIARY in the sentence? Repeat it in the tag with the OPPOSITE form. "She HAS left" (aux = has, positive sentence) -> "HASN'T she?" "They DIDN'T finish" (aux = did, negative sentence) -> "DID they?" If no auxiliary (present simple/past simple without DO): use DO/DOES/DID. "She works" -> "doesn't she?" "He went" -> "didn't he?" The tag subject is ALWAYS a PRONOUN, never a noun.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy