Question Tags

You already know how to form basic question tags (positive statement = negative tag) and the special exceptions for "I am", "Let's", and imperatives. At the mastery level, you need to handle question tags for every tense, every auxiliary and modal verb, and several tricky sentence patterns -- the kind that appear in P6 examinations and beyond.

What You'll Learn

• How to form question tags for all twelve tenses, including perfect and continuous forms
• How to handle modal verbs such as could, should, would, might, must, need, and ought to
• How to deal with negative statements that take a positive tag
• How to choose the correct tag for tricky subjects like nobody, everyone, nothing, somebody, and there

When to Use

1. Present perfect continuous: "They have been waiting for an hour, haven't they?"
2. Past perfect: "She had already left when you arrived, hadn't she?"
3. Modals -- should and would: "We should submit our project by Friday, shouldn't we?"
4. Negative statements needing a positive tag: "He doesn't enjoy crowded places, does he?"
5. Indefinite pronouns as subjects: "Nobody remembered to bring the permission form, did they?"

How to Form

Negative Statements Take Positive Tags

You already know that a positive statement takes a negative tag. The reverse is equally important: a negative statement takes a positive tag.

All Tenses at a Glance

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs work like ordinary auxiliaries -- copy the modal into the tag and add or remove "not".

Note: "Might" and "must" rarely appear in negative form in question tags. In exams, you are most likely to see could, should, and would. For "ought to", the tag drops the "to" -- say "oughtn't she?" or, more commonly in Singapore exams, replace it with "shouldn't she?"

Tricky Subjects

Some subjects need special pronoun treatment in the tag.

Key Rules

1. Positive statement = negative tag; negative statement = positive tag: This "flip" rule applies to every tense and every auxiliary. "She has been studying hard, hasn't she?" / "She hasn't been studying hard, has she?"
2. Words that make a statement negative: Words like never, no, nothing, nobody, hardly, seldom, rarely, and barely make the statement negative, so the tag must be positive. "He hardly eats vegetables, does he?"
3. "Nobody / no one / nothing" take positive tags with "they" or "it": "Nobody brought an umbrella, did they?" / "Nothing was damaged, was it?"
4. "There" stays in the tag: When a sentence starts with "There is/are...", keep "there" as the subject in the tag. "There were many people at the National Day Parade, weren't there?"
5. "Ought to" drops the "to" in the tag: "We ought to help, oughtn't we?" (or use "shouldn't we?" if in doubt)
6. "Used to" takes "didn't" in the tag: "She used to live in Tampines, didn't she?" (treat "used to" like a simple past verb)
7. Match the first auxiliary in compound tenses: In tenses with more than one auxiliary (e.g., "has been playing"), only the first auxiliary goes into the tag. "He has been playing, hasn't he?" (not "been he?" or "playing he?")
8. "Mustn't" in tags expresses obligation, not prohibition: "You must finish your revision, mustn't you?" This form is less common in everyday speech but does appear in examinations.

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Negative adverbs (statement is treated as negative -- use a positive tag)

never, hardly, seldom, rarely, barely, scarcely, no, neither, nor

Indefinite pronouns (use "they" or "it" in the tag)

everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, no one, nobody, everything, nothing

Modal verbs (copy the modal into the tag)

could, should, would, might, must, need, ought to

Compound auxiliaries (only use the first auxiliary)

has been, have been, had been, will be, will have

Tip: If the statement contains a negative word like "never", "hardly", or "seldom", treat the whole statement as negative and use a positive tag. A quick check: does the statement express a negative meaning? If yes, the tag must be positive.

Practice Tips

1. Identify the auxiliary first: Underline the first auxiliary verb in the statement. That verb goes into the tag. If there is no auxiliary, decide between do, does, or did based on the tense and subject.
2. Check for hidden negatives: Before deciding whether the tag should be positive or negative, scan the statement for words like never, hardly, seldom, rarely, barely, and no. These make the statement negative even though there is no "not".
3. Pronoun swap for tricky subjects: Cover the subject with your finger and ask, "What pronoun replaces this?" Remember: nobody/everyone/somebody = they, nothing/everything = it, there = there.
4. First auxiliary only: For compound tenses such as "has been doing" or "will have finished", remind yourself: only the first helping verb moves to the tag. Cross out the rest mentally.

Quick Reference