Question Tags in English Grammar – Rules, Examples, Practice Questions & Answers

- October 03, 2026

Question Tags in English Grammar – Rules, Examples, Practice Questions and Answers

Question Tags are short questions added to the end of a statement. They are used to confirm information or ask for agreement.

What is a Question Tag?

A question tag is a short question placed at the end of a statement.

Examples:

You are a teacher, aren't you?
She is beautiful, isn't she?
They play cricket, don't they?
He can swim, can't he?

Basic Rules of Question Tags

1. Positive Statement - Negative Tag

If the statement is positive, the question tag is generally negative.

Examples:

You are happy, aren't you?
She is a teacher, isn't she?
He can swim, can't he?
They will come, won't they?
You like English, don't you?

2. Negative Statement - Positive Tag

If the statement is negative, the question tag is generally positive.

You aren't tired, are you?
She isn't a doctor, is she?
He can't drive, can he?
They won't come, will they?
You don't like tea, do you?

Question Tags with Is, Am and Are

He is a student, isn't he?
She is happy, isn't she?
They are ready, aren't they?
You are busy, aren't you?

Question Tags with Was and Were

He was absent, wasn't he?
She was angry, wasn't she?
They were late, weren't they?
You were busy, weren't you?

Question Tags with Has, Have and Had

She has completed her work, hasn't she?
They have arrived, haven't they?
He had left early, hadn't he?

Question Tags with Can and Could

He can swim, can't he?
She can speak English, can't she?
You could help me, couldn't you?
He couldn't answer, could he?

Question Tags with Will and Would

He will come, won't he?
They will help us, won't they?
She would agree, wouldn't she?

Question Tags with Should

You should study hard, shouldn't you?
We should help them, shouldn't we?
He shouldn't waste time, should he?

Question Tags with Do, Does and Did

When there is no helping verb in the Simple Present or Simple Past tense, use do, does or did.

Do

You play cricket, don't you?
They like music, don't they?

Does

He plays cricket, doesn't he?
She likes music, doesn't she?

Did

He played cricket, didn't he?
She visited Mumbai, didn't she?
They won the match, didn't they?

Question Tags with Imperative Sentences

Imperative sentences can use question tags such as will you? and won't you?

Open the door, will you?
Close the window, will you?
Please help me, will you?
Have a cup of tea, won't you?

Let's - Shall We?

When a sentence begins with Let's, use shall we?

Let's go to school, shall we?
Let's play cricket, shall we?
Let's start the lesson, shall we?
Let's have some tea, shall we?

Special Rule: I Am - Aren't I?

With I am, the usual question tag is aren't I?

I am late, aren't I?
I am right, aren't I?
I am your teacher, aren't I?

Question Tags with Negative Words

Words such as never, nobody, no one, nothing, hardly, rarely and seldom have a negative meaning. They generally take a positive question tag.

He never lies, does he?
She never comes late, does she?
Nobody helped him, did they?
Nothing happened, did it?
No one knows the answer, do they?
She rarely goes out, does she?

Everyone, Everybody, Someone and Somebody

Everyone is ready, aren't they?
Everybody enjoyed the party, didn't they?
Someone has taken my pen, haven't they?
Somebody called you, didn't they?
Nobody came, did they?

There Is and There Are

There is a book on the table, isn't there?
There are many students, aren't there?
There was a problem, wasn't there?
There were many people, weren't there?
There isn't any problem, is there?

This, That, These and Those

This is your book, isn't it?
That is your house, isn't it?
These are your books, aren't they?
Those are your shoes, aren't they?

Used To

He used to play cricket, didn't he?
She used to live here, didn't she?
They used to visit us, didn't they?

More Examples

She is a good student, isn't she?
They are your friends, aren't they?
He was absent yesterday, wasn't he?
We were late, weren't we?
You have completed the work, haven't you?
She has gone home, hasn't she?
He had finished the work, hadn't he?
You speak English, don't you?
She speaks English, doesn't she?
They visited Delhi, didn't they?
He doesn't smoke, does he?
They didn't win the match, did they?
She can dance, can't she?
He cannot drive, can he?
They will help us, won't they?
She won't be late, will she?
You should study regularly, shouldn't you?
He shouldn't waste time, should he?
Let's go home, shall we?
I am right, aren't I?

Practice Questions - Set 1

Fill in the blanks with suitable question tags.

You are a student, __________?
She is your sister, __________?
They are ready, __________?
He isn't busy, __________?
You like English, __________?
She doesn't play tennis, __________?
He plays cricket, __________?
They went to Mumbai, __________?
She can swim, __________?
He can't drive, __________?
They will come tomorrow, __________?
You won't tell anyone, __________?
Let's go for a walk, __________?
Open the window, __________?
I am late, __________?
Nobody came here, __________?
Everyone is happy, __________?
There is a problem, __________?
There aren't many students, __________?
He never tells lies, __________?

Answers - Set 1

aren't you?
isn't she?
aren't they?
is he?
don't you?
does she?
doesn't he?
didn't they?
can't she?
can he?
won't they?
will you?
shall we?
will you?
aren't I?
did they?
aren't they?
isn't there?
are there?
does he?

Practice Questions - Set 2