Statement/ Tag Questions and Responses – JSS1 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

A tag question is a statement followed by a mini-question, such as “You speak English, don’t you?” We use it to ask for confirmation, meaning “Is that right?” or “Do you agree?” A positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement takes a positive tag. The tag repeats the auxiliary verb from the statement.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• explain what a tag question is and why we use it;
• form tag questions from positive statements;
• form tag questions from negative statements;
• answer tag questions correctly with Yes or No.

What is the basic structure of a tag question?

Tag questions are very common in English. The basic structure is:

• Positive statement = negative tag: Snow is white, isn’t it?
• Negative statement = positive tag: You don’t like me, do you?

Notice that the tag repeats the auxiliary verb (or the main verb when it is be) from the statement and changes it to negative or positive.

Positive statement tag questions

Look at these examples with positive statements. Most of the time, the auxiliary verb from the positive statement is repeated in the tag and changed to negative.

Examples

1. You are coming, aren’t you?
2. We have finished, haven’t we?
3. You do like coffee, don’t you?
4. You like coffee, don’t you?
5. I can come, can’t I?
6. He should try harder, shouldn’t he?
7. You are English, aren’t you?
8. John was there, wasn’t he?

Note:

Look at the use of “do” in the two coffee questions. In Present Simple, “do” is optional in positive statements (You like coffee / You do like coffee). But “do” must appear in the tag. The same applies to Past Simple.

In the last two questions, the main verb is be (Present Simple and Past Simple), so there is no auxiliary. The tag repeats the verb be.

Negative statement tag questions

Look at these examples with negative statements. Notice that the negative verb in the original statement is changed to positive in the tag.

Examples

1. It isn’t raining, is it?
2. We have never seen that, have we?
3. You don’t like coffee, do you?
4. They will not help, will they?
5. They won’t report us, will they?
6. I can never do it, can I?
7. We mustn’t tell her, must we?
8. He shouldn’t drive so, should he?
9. You won’t be late, will you?
10. You aren’t English, are you?

Note:

“Won’t” is the contracted form of “will not”.

The tag repeats the auxiliary verb. The exception is the verb be in Present Simple and Past Simple, where the tag repeats the main verb.

How do we answer tag questions?

Often, we just say Yes or No. Sometimes we repeat the tag and reverse it (They don’t live here, do they? Yes, they do.).

Be very careful when answering tag questions. In some languages, the system of answering is the opposite, and non-native English speakers sometimes answer in the wrong way. This can lead to a lot of confusion.

Evaluation

1. Write five statements of your own. Add a tag question and an answer to each one.
2. Write the correct tag question and response for each of the following statements.
   1. I can never do it.
   2. We mustn’t tell her.
   3. He shouldn’t drive so.
   4. You won’t be late.
   5. You aren’t English.

General evaluation

• Write ten statements of your own. Add a tag question and an answer to each one.
• English Workbook, Unit 8, No 4, page 21.

Assignment

1. Effective English: study the grammar lesson on page 44, then do Practice 4 on page 45.
2. Write a narrative essay on the title: “A Fight in My Class”.