Tag Question for the students of SSC

Tag Question: It is frequently used in a conversation to verify a statement.

Short forms of Auxiliary Verbs: (is=isn’t, are= aren’t, was= wasn’t, were= weren’t, have= haven’t, has= hasn’t, had= hadn’t, do= don’t, does= doesn’t, did= didn’t, may= mayn’t, might= mightn’t, must= mustn’t, dare= daren’t, ought= oughtn’t, am= aren’t, can= can’t, shall= shan’t, will= won’t, could= couldn’t, should= shouldn’t, need not= needn’t)

Structure Of Tag Question: Auxiliary verb (n’t) + pronoun (Subjective Case) + ? / Auxiliary verb + pronoun (Subjective Case) + ?

Rule 1: For Assertive sentences, Positive statement – Negative tag.

Ex: 1. I’d finished my work, hadn’t I?
2. Physics is my favorite Subject, isn’t it?
3. We ought to love our country, oughtn’t we?
4. I am ten years old, aren’t I?
5. I can redesign the program, can’t I?

Rule 2: For Assertive sentences, Negative statement – Positive tag.

Ex: 1. You dare not drive very fast, dare you?
2. My father and I are not happy, are we?
3. They won't play in the rain, will they?
4. We should not waste our time, should we?
5.  She does not trust you, does she?

Rule 3:  For Assertive sentences, Find Auxiliary Verb à Use it.

Ex: 1. I’d like to have some coffee, wouldn’t I?
2. You need to wait for an hour, needn’t you?
3. The books are very interesting, aren’t they?
4. Mina had better to stay at home, hadn’t she?
5. I am not busy, am I?

Rule 4: For Assertive sentences, No Auxiliary Verb à Use do/does for Present Indefinite Tense Or did for Past Indefinite Tense.

Ex: 1. Father let me play, didn’t he?
2. He has some books, doesn’t he?
3. I need a pencil to write with, don’t I?
4. They used to play football in the afternoon, didn’t they?

Rule 5: For Imperative sentences, Positive statement - won’t you?

Ex: 1. Shut up, won’t you?
2. Be assured of all co-operation, won’t you?
3. Switch on the cooler, won’t you?
4. Please, give me the documents, won’t you?
5. Kindly take a seat, won’t you?

Rule 6: For Imperative sentences, Negative statement – will you?

Ex: 1. Never run in the sun, will you?
2. Don’t forget me, will you?
3. Don’t touch the wire, will you?
4. Don’t litter here,  will you?
5. Don’t make a noise in the class, will you?

Rule 7: For Imperative sentences, Find let’s/ let us à shall we?

Ex: 1. Let’s have a party, shall we?
2. Let us make decision, shall we?
3. Let’s motivate them, shall we?
4. Let’s phone, shall we?
5. Let us help her to complete the work, shall we?
6. Let us go for a movie, shall we?
7. Let us go to meet her, shall we?

Rule 8: For Imperative sentences, Find let + Object à will you?

Ex: 1. Let me think, will you?
2. Let him go, will you?
3. Let them do their homework, will you?
4. Let the labourer work, will you?

Rule 9: For Exclamatory sentences, Find Subject & Auxiliary verb à use them.

Ex: 1. How nicely the bird sings, doesn’t it?
2. How beautiful the rainbow is, isn’t it?
3. What a tall tree it is, isn’t it?
4. How intelligent you are, aren’t you?
5. How beautiful the bird is, isn’t it?

Rule 10: For Exclamatory sentences, No Subject & Auxiliary verb à isn’t it?

Ex: 1. How strange, isn’t it?
2. What a lovely sight, isn’t it?
3. What a fine idea, isn’t it?
4. Oh! what a fine climate, isn’t it?

Rule 11: Negative words (Neither, never, none, none but, nothing, nothing but, no, no one, nobody, nowhere, nowhere else, no other, no longer, no more, no way, not, not often, not much, not enough, not sufficiently, not frequently, barely, rarely, scarcely, hardly, narrowly, seldom, little, few, very few, insufficiently, infrequently, by a hair’s breadth, once in a blue moon) à Positive tag.

Ex: 1. A barking dog seldom bites, does it?
2. I know nothing about this, do I?
3. Motivation seldom goes in vain, does it?
4. The American bison was saved from extinction by a hair's breadth, was it?

Rule 12: For Complex Sentences, Tag Question is formed from the principle clause.

Ex: 1. It was found that David walked at the age of two, wasn’t it?
2. It is man who pollutes his environment, isn’t it?
3. I was snippy with him because I was running late for work, wasn’t I?
4.  Stay awake until phone rings, won’t you?

Rule 13: For Complex Sentences, If the principle clause contains (think, suppose, say, tell, opine, comment, remark, cite, inform, refer, influence, instigate, persuade, utter, know, look, feel, guess, wish, hope), Tag Question is formed from the subordinate clause.

Ex: 1. Jerry said that he was responsible, wasn’t he?
2. As he was confused, I persuaded him, wasn’t he?
3. I suppose they're both little artificial, are they?
4. I think it will be difficult to return, won’t it?,

Rule 14: For compound sentences, Tag Question is formed from the after clause of Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, yet, otherwise etc.)

Ex: 1. Rubi is clever but Raju is foolish, isn’t he?
2. Keep your promise, otherwise no one will respect you, will they?
3. We invited him and he came in time, didn’t he?
4. Do the work properly or he won’t pay you, will he?

Rule 15: For the subjects – (All, Both, None, These, Those, Every one of them)
(Every/Some/Any/No + one)
(Every/Some/Any/No + body)
(Every/Some/Any/No + Noun)
(All of/ None of/ One of/ Each of/Any of/ Many of/ Most of/ Some of/ Either of/ Neither of/ Both of/ A few of/ A couple of/ A number of + them/these/those/Plural Noun)
The+ Adjective, Third person plural subjects
à Pronoun (they).

Ex: 1. Everybody desires success, don’t they?
2. No one knows what’ll happen next, do they?
3. Everyone was present there, were they?
4. Both are responsible, aren’t they?

Rule 16: For the subjects – (All of/ None of/ One of/ Each of/Any of/ Many of/ Most of/ Some of/ Either of/ Neither of/ Both of/ A few of/ A couple of/ A number of + us) à Pronoun (we).

Ex: 1. Many of us wanted to arrange the picnic, didn’t we?
2. Most of us will attend the function, won’t we?

Rule 17: For the subjects – (All of/ None of/ One of/ Each of/Any of/ Many of/ Most of/ Some of/ Either of/ Neither of/ Both of/ A few of/ A couple of/ A number of + you) à Pronoun (you).

Ex: 1. None of you let them play, did you?
2. Both of you are unique, aren’t you?

Rule 18: For the subjects – (This, That, Gerund, To + Infinitive, Material Noun, Abstract noun, Thing, Animal, Baby, Everything, Something, Anything, Nothing) à Pronoun (it)

Ex: 1. This is my pen, isn’t it?
2. Walking is the only exercise suitable for all, isn’t it?
3. Nothing is certain, is it?
4. The baby was asleep in her cradle, wasn’t it?
5. That looks strange, doesn’t it?
6. The Lion is a ferocious animal, isn’t it?
7. Sympathy made these matters worse, didn’t it?

Rule 19: For the subjects – (One, Here, There, It) à Pronoun (one, here, there, it).

Ex. 1. Here is the phone, isn’t here?
2. There is still hope, isn’t there?
3. One should be calm in most of the situations, shouldn’t one?
4. It must be stopped now, mustn’t it?

Rule 2o: For the subjects (Allah, God, Almighty) à Pronoun (He)

Ex: 1. Allah created us all and everything, didn’t He?
2. God will give us punishment for our misdeeds, won’t He?

Rule 21: Common Noun turns in to Abstract Noun placing The in front of it – (The father, The mother, The friend, The brother, The sister, The donkey, The fox, The lion, The monkey, The beast) à Pronoun (it)

Ex: 1. The father in him tended him to punish the boy, didn’t it?
2. The mother rises in her seeing the street children, doesn’t it?

Rule 22: For more than one subjects, If Noun/Pronoun is added with (as well as, with, along with, together with, accompanied by, including, excluding, except, in addition to, and not etc.) à Pronoun is to be considered from the first Subject.

Ex: 1. All excluding you will be punished, won’t they?
2. The packaging as well as the new concept is going to be on your desk by tomorrow, aren’t they?

Rule 23: For the subjects – (Sun, Winter, Summer, Anger, Fear, Fire, Death, Revenge, Storm, Thunder, Tsunami, Cyclone, Flood, Sidr, Earthquake, Tidal bore, Tidal wave, etc are considered as Masculine Gender). à Pronoun (he)

Ex: 1. The sun gives us light, doesn’t he?
2. Winter is disliked by the poor, isn’t he?
3. Anger is a vice, isn’t he?
4. The sun had set long since, hadn’t he?

Rule 24: For the subjects – [Bangladesh (Mother land), Moon, Earth, Autumn, Spring, Nature, Night, Love, Mercy, Modesty, Charity, Liberty, Justice, steamer, ship , launch, boat, train, airplane, bus etc. are considered as Feminine Gender] à Pronoun (she)

Ex: 1. The boat was carrying loads, wasn’t she?
2. The Titanic was thought to be unsinkable, wasn’t it?
3. Bangladesh has never attacked any country, has she?

Let's take a look at some exercises:

1. None is to come under the sun, are they?
2. All that glitters isn’t gold, is it?
3. Who cares, do they?
4. How odd, isn’t it?
5. Slow and steady wins the race, doesn’t he?
6. Time and tide wait for none, do they?
7. He hit upon a plan, didn’t he?
8. Have a nice journey, mayn’t you?
9. Look, Here he comes, doesn’t he?
10. All right, isn’t it?
11. Nice day, isn’t it?
12. Thank you, don’t I?
13. Good morning, don’t I?
14. Good night, don’t I?
15. Everybody, go there, won’t you?
16. They used to write to me, didn’t they?
17. Sinners suffer in the long run, don’t they?
18. Their team lost, didn’t it?
19. If they are educated, the will become conscious, won’t they?
20. It is man who pollutes the environment, doesn’t he?
21. No living being is above death, are they?
22. A boy like you should not do this, should he?
23. Barking dogs seldom bite, do they?
24. Good bye, don’t I?
25. He’s reading yesterday, wasn’t he?
26. Men who live long grow old, don’t they?
27. My friends and I hardly go there, do we?
28. The sooner, the better, isn’t it?
29. You and I came to terms, didn’t we?
30. Many a man will come, won’t they?
31. The little girl knew a little of the matter, didn’t she?
32. The Headmaster and the secretary said many things, didn’t they?
33. The oldest of the men little thinks about death, does he?
34. Someone is crying, aren’t they?
35. Slow and steady win the race, don’t they?
36. He set up a school in his village, didn’t he?
37. The girl in her will surprise you, won’t it?
38. That he is honest is known to all, isn’t it?
39. It‘s hardly rained at all this summer, has it?
40. I’d read the book, wouldn’t I? / hadn’t I?

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