English Question Tags: 20 Essential Examples | 附加問句完整指南

Every English learner in Taiwan eventually hits the same wall: a native speaker finishes a sentence with something like “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” and the learner freezes. The grammar is simple on paper, yet these short add-on questions trip up even advanced students. The problem is that Chinese doesn’t work the same way — 中文 uses words like 對不對 or 是不是 as catch-all confirmations, while English has a precise rule-based system. Get the system down, and question tags stop being a source of confusion and start being a tool you reach for naturally.

What Are Question Tags? [附加問句是什麼？]

A question tag is a mini-question attached to the end of a statement. It turns a flat declaration into a request for confirmation, agreement, or clarification. Native speakers use them constantly — in casual conversation, in meetings, even in writing to make a point feel less blunt.

Question tags appear constantly in natural English speech — once you recognize the pattern, they’re easy to form.

Question tags serve three purposes in real communication:

• Confirmation — checking that what you believe is correct: “The office closes at six, doesn’t it?”
• Agreement — inviting the listener to agree with you: “That was a long meeting, wasn’t it?”
• Softening — making a request less direct: “You could help me carry this, couldn’t you?”

The tag doesn’t change the meaning of the main statement. What it changes is the social dynamic — it opens a door for the other person to respond.

The Two Core Rules [兩個核心規則]

Every question tag in English follows one of two patterns, and the rule never breaks. Once this is in your head, forming tags becomes automatic.

The positive/negative rule is the foundation of every question tag in English.

Rule 1: Positive statement → Negative tag
When the main clause is affirmative, the tag is negative.

She speaks French, doesn’t she?
They were late, weren’t they?
You’ve finished, haven’t you?

Rule 2: Negative statement → Positive tag
When the main clause is negative (using not, never, hardly, rarely), the tag is positive.

He can’t drive, can he?
You haven’t met her, have you?
She never complains, does she?

That last example is worth pausing on: never makes the sentence negative in meaning, so the tag flips to positive — even though there’s no “not” in the sentence. The rule applies to meaning, not just the presence of “not.”

Forming Question Tags Step by Step [逐步構成附加問句]

There are three decisions to make when building a question tag:

Breaking question tags into three decisions makes them straightforward to construct.

1. Find the auxiliary verb in the main clause (be, have, do, can, will, should, must, etc.)
2. Flip the polarity — positive main clause → negative tag; negative main clause → positive tag
3. Match the pronoun to the subject of the main clause (she, he, it, they, we, you, I)

The tricky part for many Taiwan learners: when the main clause has no auxiliary verb, you must use do/does/did in the tag. Simple present uses doesn’t/don’t; simple past uses didn’t.

She teaches English, doesn’t she? — not “isn’t she?” The verb is teaches, not is.
They finished the project, didn’t they?
You drink coffee, don’t you?

This is the most common confusion point: applying the be-verb pattern to action verbs. The auxiliary in the tag must reflect the tense and type of the main verb.

Auxiliary Verbs in Question Tags [助動詞附加問句完整表]

Each auxiliary verb has its own tag form — but the positive/negative rule always applies.

Here’s how the most common auxiliary verbs behave in tags:

Notice will contracts to won’t — not willn’t. These contracted forms are fixed. You can’t invent new ones.

Special Cases to Memorize [特殊情況必學]

A handful of structures don’t follow the standard pattern, and they tend to appear exactly when you’re least prepared.

These special cases require memorizing the correct tag — they don’t follow the standard rule.

“I am” → “aren’t I?”
Logically it should be “amn’t I?” — but that form doesn’t exist in standard English. The accepted tag for I am is always aren’t I?

I’m on time, aren’t I?

Imperatives → “will you?” or “won’t you?”
Commands have no auxiliary verb, so a special tag steps in. Use will you? for neutral requests and won’t you? for more polite or persuasive ones.

Sit down, will you?
Join us for dinner, won’t you?

“Let’s” → “shall we?”
Suggestions beginning with Let’s always take the tag shall we?

Let’s start the meeting, shall we?

Negative pronouns (nobody, nothing, no one) → positive plural tags
Words like nobody and nothing carry negative meaning, so the tag is positive. English treats them as third-person plural in the tag.

Nobody called, did they?
Nothing went wrong, did it?

20 Question Tag Examples [20個附加問句例句]

Reading examples in context is the fastest way to make question tags feel natural.

These cover the full range of auxiliary verbs and sentence types you’ll encounter in real English:

1. It’s Tuesday today, isn’t it?
2. They aren’t coming, are they?
3. You can drive, can’t you?
4. She hasn’t replied yet, has she?
5. We should leave now, shouldn’t we?
6. He was late yesterday, wasn’t he?
7. You’ll be there at eight, won’t you?
8. They’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t they?
9. It doesn’t matter, does it?
10. You weren’t in the office Friday, were you?
11. Let’s grab lunch, shall we?
12. Open the window, will you?
13. There’s been a mistake, hasn’t there?
14. Nobody told you, did they?
15. You speak Mandarin, don’t you?
16. She’s your manager, isn’t she?
17. They didn’t finish on time, did they?
18. You’d prefer something cold, wouldn’t you?
19. He’s never been abroad, has he?
20. The train leaves at nine, doesn’t it?

Read these aloud. The rhythm of a question tag is distinctive — the tag rises in pitch when you’re genuinely asking, and falls when you’re just confirming something you already know. That tonal difference carries as much meaning as the words themselves.

Common Mistakes Taiwan Learners Make [台灣學習者常犯的錯誤]

These errors come up consistently in advanced classes. They’re all fixable once you see them clearly.

1. Using “right?” as a universal replacement
“It’s hot today, right?” is grammatically acceptable in casual speech, but it’s not a question tag — it’s an informal filler. In a job interview, a presentation, or any professional setting, using the correct tag (isn’t it?) signals far better fluency. “Right?” has its place, but it shouldn’t be your only option.

2. Using the wrong auxiliary verb
“She teaches English, isn’t she?” ❌ — The main verb is teaches, not is, so the tag needs does: “doesn’t she?” This comes from applying the be-verb pattern to all sentences. Always check what the main verb actually is.

3. Forgetting to flip polarity
Learners sometimes hesitate mid-sentence and end up with the wrong tag. Write the rule somewhere visible: positive → negative, negative → positive. No exceptions.

4. Pronoun mismatch
“The company decided, didn’t she?” ❌ — Companies take it: “didn’t it?” Match the pronoun to the actual subject, not what feels natural from Chinese grammar.

Watch: Tag Questions Video Lesson [影片教學]

This grammar lesson covers the rules with native speaker examples that help with the pronunciation and rhythm of question tags:

Quick Practice [快速練習]

Question tag exercises appear in IELTS, TOEIC, and real workplace English.

Add the correct question tag to each sentence:

1. She was born in Taipei, __________?
2. You haven’t read that book, __________?
3. Let’s take a break, __________?
4. Nobody called while I was out, __________?
5. He can’t swim, __________?

Answers: 1. wasn’t she?  2. have you?  3. shall we?  4. did they?  5. can he?

For more grammar patterns that work in professional English, check out our guide to polite requests and suggestions. The perfect modals guide covers should have, could have, and would have — another set of forms Taiwan learners find tricky. And if articles (a, an, the) still cause hesitation, the English articles guide has the full breakdown.

Sources

1. British Council — Question Tags Grammar Reference — Official grammar reference covering formation rules and special cases.
2. Cambridge Dictionary — Question Tags — Definitions, examples, and usage notes from Cambridge’s grammar resource.
3. EF Education First — Question Tags — Clear overview of positive/negative rules with practical examples.