Question Tags

Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement to confirm information or ask for agreement. You already know the basic rule: a positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement takes a positive tag. Now let's look at the tricky exceptions that come up in exams.

What You'll Learn

• How to form the special tag "aren't I?" when the subject is "I"
• How to use "shall we?" with "Let's" sentences
• How to add question tags to imperative sentences (commands and requests)
• How to handle other irregular question tags that don't follow the standard pattern

When to Use

1. "Aren't I?" for first person: "I am joining the school trip, aren't I?"
2. "Shall we?" with suggestions: "Let's visit the hawker centre after school, shall we?"
3. Imperatives with "will you?": "Pass me the dictionary, will you?"
4. Negative imperatives with "will you?": "Don't run along the corridor, will you?"
5. "Won't you?" for polite invitations: "Have a seat, won't you?"

How to Form

The "I am" Exception

With most subjects, you simply use the contracted negative of the auxiliary verb. But "I am" is special because "amn't" does not exist in standard English.

Note: The negative tag for "I am" is always "aren't I?" but the positive tag for "I am not" follows the normal rule: "am I?"

"Let's" Sentences

"Let's" is short for "let us" and is used for suggestions. It always takes the tag "shall we?"

Imperative Sentences (Commands and Requests)

Imperative sentences have no visible subject -- the subject "you" is understood. These sentences take special tags.

Key Rules

1. "I am" always takes "aren't I?": There is no word "amn't" in English. Say "I am coming along, aren't I?" not "amn't I?"
2. "I am not" takes "am I?": The positive tag follows the normal rule. "I am not disturbing you, am I?"
3. "Let's" always takes "shall we?": Whether the suggestion is positive or negative, the tag is always "shall we?" -- "Let's not argue, shall we?"
4. Positive imperatives take "will you?": Commands like "Sit down" become "Sit down, will you?"
5. Negative imperatives also take "will you?": "Don't be late, will you?" -- the tag stays the same even though the command is negative
6. Polite invitations can use "won't you?": When you want to sound extra polite or welcoming, use "won't you?" -- "Have some cake, won't you?"

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Signals for "aren't I?"

I am, I'm (in a statement that needs a negative tag)

Signals for "shall we?"

Let's, Let us

Signals for "will you?" / "won't you?"

Commands with no subject visible at the start: Close..., Open..., Help..., Don't..., Please...

Tip: When you see "I am" at the start of a statement, the tag is aren't I? When you see "Let's", the tag is shall we? When the sentence starts with a verb (a command), the tag is will you? These three patterns cover most of the P5 question tag exceptions.

Practice Tips

1. Spot the starter: Look at the first word or two of the statement. "I am" leads to aren't I?, "Let's" leads to shall we?, and a bare verb (command) leads to will you?
2. Elimination trick: In MCQ, cross out any tag that uses a made-up contraction like "amn't" or a mismatched subject like "isn't I" -- these are always wrong.
3. Read it aloud: After adding the tag, read the whole sentence aloud. If it sounds natural, you likely have the right tag. If it sounds awkward, check again.
4. Remember the polite pair: "will you?" is for ordinary commands; "won't you?" is for polite invitations. If the sentence offers something nice, consider "won't you?"

Quick Reference