Tags for intermediate learners
Tags are short clauses that look like questions. They are generally used at the end of a clause to ask for a response from the listener. Let's learn more!
What Are Tags?
When we want to make sure that something is true or not, we use tags.
Tag Questions
In this lesson, we learn about tags in questions that are called tag questions.
They are here,
He can drive,
Structure
To make a tag question, you have to use the following structure:
- Statement, Auxiliary + Personal Pronoun + question mark (?)
General Rule
When the statement is positive the tag is negative, and when the statement is negative the tag is positive.
They will accept,
My mother isn't here,
How to Choose the Right Auxiliary?
If there is an auxiliary verb in the statement, you should use it in the tag question too, but if the verb is the main verb then you should use the auxiliary do (do/does) in the tag question. Here are the examples:
You want a cup of tea,
She isn't your mom,
Using Negative Tags
When using negative tags, usually contracted form is used. Here are the examples:
He wants to come,
You will stay tonight,
Review
Tag questions are used to make sure about the information that we already know. Here is the general rule:
- Negative sentence, positive tag?
- Positive sentence, negative tag?
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