Grammar — Question Tags

💼 Why it matters at work

You are coming to the meeting, aren’t you? Question tags are the small talk glue of English: they check facts, soften statements and keep people on side. Used well, they help you confirm details and read the room without sounding pushy.

Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement to confirm information or invite agreement (…, isn’t it?).

A positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement takes a positive tag. The tag uses the same auxiliary and tense.

→ You are ready, aren’t you? / You aren’t ready, are you?

Use the auxiliary in the sentence; if there isn’t one, use do/does/did.

→ She works here, doesn’t she? / You’ve finished, haven’t you? / He can swim, can’t he?

• I am… → aren’t I?
• Let’s… → shall we?
• Imperative → will you?
• There is… → isn’t there?
• everyone / nobody → they

💡 Tip: Falling intonation = you are checking (you expect agreement); rising intonation = a real question.

⚠️ Watch out

• Positive → negative, negative → positive.
• Match the auxiliary and tense.
• I’m… → aren’t I? (not amn’t I).