ESL ok with these aren't you - how to structure tag questions

ESL Difficult Quiz - OK with these, aren't you? (Questions)

Tag questions help you check information politely, aren’t they? This quiz practises matching the correct helper verb and pronoun, so your tags sound natural in real conversations.

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Fascinating Fact:

If there is no auxiliary verb in the statement, English uses do, does, or did in the tag, like “You like it, don’t you?”

In ESL Difficult, tag questions are a great way to confirm something or sound friendly. You build the tag to match the tense and subject of the main statement, and you usually swap positive to negative, or negative to positive.

Key Terms

Tag question: A short question added to the end of a statement to check or confirm information, like “It’s late, isn’t it?”
Auxiliary verb: A helper verb such as be, have, or will, used to form questions, negatives, or tenses.
Subject pronoun: A pronoun that replaces the subject in the tag, such as I, you, he, she, it, we, or they.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How do I make a tag question in English?

To make a tag question, use a short helper verb plus a subject pronoun at the end of the sentence. The tag usually has the opposite form, for example, “She’s coming, isn’t she?”

Why do people use tag questions like “aren’t you”?

People use tag questions to confirm information, invite agreement, or sound less direct. “You’re OK with these, aren’t you?” checks how someone feels without sounding too pushy.

What tag do I use after “I am”?

After “I am”, the most common tag is “aren’t I?”, for example, “I’m early, aren’t I?” It sounds unusual, but it is the standard form in everyday English.

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Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'She's arriving next Thursday evening, I think, ... ...'

[ ]	... don't you?
[ ]	... isn't she?
[ ]	... isn't it?
[ ]	... won't she?

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
I suppose I ought to go and get my hair cut sometime before I go for that interview next week, ... ...

[ ]	... isn't it?
[ ]	... don't I?
[ ]	... shouldn't I?
[ ]	... oughtn't I?

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
This is the piece that we fit into the hole round the back, ... ...

[ ]	... isn't it?
[ ]	... aren't they?
[ ]	... don't we?
[ ]	... mustn't it?

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
Children whose parents don't leave work before 5 o'clock or so, do their homework under supervision here at school after 4, ... ...

[ ]	... is it?
[ ]	... do they?
[ ]	... can they?
[ ]	... can't they?

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'We Brits are used to driving on the left, so the controls are on the right side of our cars; but, to coin a phrase, you other people have them on the wrong side, ... ...'

[ ]	... aren't they?
[ ]	... haven't you?
[ ]	... don't you?
[ ]	... isn't it?

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'You've remembered to put out the recycling bins, in case the collectors come at crack of dawn tomorrow morning, ... ...'

[ ]	... didn't you?
[ ]	... haven't you?
[ ]	... did you?
[ ]	... aren't they?

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'I'll need to come back through the town this afternoon and pick up a few odds and ends for supper, then, ... ...'

[ ]	... shan't I?
[ ]	... oughtn't I?
[ ]	... will I not?
[ ]	... mustn't I?

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'At this point in the scene, the dragon comes in, breathing fire and trying to scare everyone, ... ...'

[ ]	... isn't it?
[ ]	... doesn't he?
[ ]	... won't it?
[ ]	... wouldn't she?

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'Turned out another nice afternoon, after all that early cloud, ... ...'

[ ]	... isn't it?
[ ]	... did it?
[ ]	... hasn't he?
[ ]	... hasn't it?

10.

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'There are still plenty of spaces here and there in the auditorium, ... ... ~ if you wouldn't mind sitting separately in a couple of singles.'

[ ]	... aren't there ...
[ ]	... isn't it ...
[ ]	... won't you ...
[ ]	... hasn't there ...

ESL Difficult Quiz - OK with these, aren't you? (Answers)

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'She's arriving next Thursday evening, I think, ... ...'

[ ]	... don't you?
[x]	... isn't she?
[ ]	... isn't it?
[ ]	... won't she?

Answer 1 is also possible, if what's being queried is whether the listener agrees with the speaker.
But it's more likely that the speaker is checking when 'she' will arrive, so the tag in Answer 2 is better.

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
I suppose I ought to go and get my hair cut sometime before I go for that interview next week, ... ...

[ ]	... isn't it?
[ ]	... don't I?
[ ]	... shouldn't I?
[x]	... oughtn't I?

Answer 3 is just about possible (and certainly understandable), but not as direct an echo as in Answer 4.

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
This is the piece that we fit into the hole round the back, ... ...

[x]	... isn't it?
[ ]	... aren't they?
[ ]	... don't we?
[ ]	... mustn't it?

'It is ... isn't it?'

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
Children whose parents don't leave work before 5 o'clock or so, do their homework under supervision here at school after 4, ... ...

[ ]	... is it?
[x]	... do they?
[ ]	... can they?
[ ]	... can't they?

'They do, ... do they?' ( ~ or indeed, ' ... don't they?' ; but that option was not offered here)

[ ]	... aren't they?
[ ]	... haven't you?
[x]	... don't you?
[ ]	... isn't it?

'You have ... haven't you?' is a possible echo, but the general form in Answer 3 is far more likely in this context.

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'You've remembered to put out the recycling bins, in case the collectors come at crack of dawn tomorrow morning, ... ...'

[ ]	... didn't you?
[x]	... haven't you?
[ ]	... did you?
[ ]	... aren't they?

The form in Answer 2 assumes that the bins have indeed been put out; had the speaker said '... have you?', this will obtain the same information but it sounds like a stronger challenge (i.e. rather assuming that the chore has NOT definitely yet been done, after all).

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'I'll need to come back through the town this afternoon and pick up a few odds and ends for supper, then, ... ...'

[x]	... shan't I?
[ ]	... oughtn't I?
[ ]	... will I not?
[ ]	... mustn't I?

'I shall ... , shan't I (or: won't I)?' are the only tags that work properly here.
The version at Answer 3 is just about possible in certain non-central dialects, but probably not really a good model.

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'At this point in the scene, the dragon comes in, breathing fire and trying to scare everyone, ... ...'

[ ]	... isn't it?
[x]	... doesn't he?
[ ]	... won't it?
[ ]	... wouldn't she?

'He does ... , doesn't he?' : 'does' is the all-purpose 'tag auxiliary', as you've probably realised.
You might hear such a dialogue as:
'Young Simon looks so like his father used to at that age.'
'Now you mention it ~ yes, he does, rather, doesn't he?'

Choose the phrase that completes the question most accurately.
'Turned out another nice afternoon, after all that early cloud, ... ...'

[ ]	... isn't it?
[ ]	... did it?
[ ]	... hasn't he?
[x]	... hasn't it?

Answer 4 is right: we need the negative tag for the (elided) 'feed' : 'It has ... , hasn't it?'

10.

[x]	... aren't there ...
[ ]	... isn't it ...
[ ]	... won't you ...
[ ]	... hasn't there ...

'There are ... , aren't there?'
(In this case the question is embedded, almost just to check that the listener is following and accepts the circumstances, before the speaker carries straight on into the next consequential stage.)

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ESL Difficult Quiz - OK with these, aren't you? (Questions)

Fascinating Fact:

Key Terms

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

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