Photo courtesy of Pixabay, CCO

Sometimes we answer a question with another question or ask a question that can only have one answer. It is very common in English conversations, and can be deceptively tricky in some situations. We call it the tag question.

A tag question is a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement is altered by use of an added interrogative (the “tag”). You can usually identify a tag question by noting that the statement and resulting tag are opposites. The auxiliary or main verb in the statement is changed in the tag.  A positive statement will have a negative tag, a negative statement will have a corresponding positive tag. Also, tenses must agree in both parts of the question.

• “I won’t like this movie, will I?”
• “You can see the difference between them, can’t you?”
• “Your mother was born in Texas, wasn’t she?”

Sometimes, a tag question is asked to simply confirm what is already understood. Note that the verbs do not agree in the examples below, but the tenses do. In an English casual conversation, this is typical.

• “You are coming with me to the gym, right?”
• “The train departs at three, doesn’t it?”

Perhaps the most common form of a tag question is the rhetorical question. It doesn’t require a response because the response is obvious, or completely unnecessary. A rhetorical question may more often be asked to make a point rather than to gain any actual knowledge. It may also be used for comedic effect.

• “You don’t expect me to answer that, do you?”
• “We do have laws in this country, isn’t that right?”

Since most tag questions are used in conversation, the intonation, or delivery of the tag, is very important. It all depends on whether a response is expected or not. If no response is expected, and the question is really a statement, the tone at the end will be flat or go down. If you are hoping for an answer, the tonal inflection will rise, as with most questions.

• Statement: “This play runs for three hours, doesn’t it?” There would be a very brief pause before the tag, and the inflection would be flat.
• Question: “This play runs for three hours, doesn’t it?” The pause before the tag is longer, and the tonal inflection goes up.

Watch out for negative adverbs in tag questions. You will commonly find negative adverbs, like never, rarely, seldom, or hardly in the positive statement before the tag. In this case, the positive statement is treated as a negative, and the negative tag is actually a positive. The answer, if needed, is always phrased in the negative, confirming the statement.

• “I bet you never saw anything like that before, did you?”
• “She rarely leaves her home now, does she?”

You will also find that some tag questions are imperatives, meaning that they are commands which don’t require a response.

• “You will sit down, won’t you?”
• “You can do this for me, can’t you?”

What are some examples of tag questions that you’ve heard?