Question & interest tags – cheat sheet
1. Grammar rules
- Form: auxiliary verb + subject pronoun. Positive statement → negative tag; negative statement → positive tag.
You’re ready,aren’t you?· You aren’t ready,are you? - Auxiliary choice: reuse the sentence auxiliary. If none, use
do / does / did.
She can swim,can’t she?· You like coffee,don’t you? - Subject pronoun: reduce to a pronoun.
Mr Smith is late,isn’t he? - Special cases: I’m late,
aren’t I?· Imperatives: Open the door,will you?/ Don’t be late,will you?· Let’s go,shall we? - Interest tags: same polarity as the statement; show friendly interest or surprise.
So you’re from Brno,are you?
2. Meaning & use
- Confirming (expect agreement): It’s cold today, isn’t it? ↓
- Checking (less sure): It’s cold today, isn’t it? ↑
- Interest (friendly surprise): Oh, you’re a teacher, are you? ↑
The tag matches the main clause tense and modality: wasn’t he?, won’t they?, shouldn’t we?
3. Pronunciation quick guide
| Item | Common pronunciation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| isn’t | [ˈɪznt] ~ fast [ˈɪzn̩t] | final t often light |
| aren’t | [ɑːnt] (non‑rhotic), [ɑːrnt] (rhotic) | used in aren’t I? |
| don’t / doesn’t | [dəʊnt] / [ˈdʌznt] | auxiliary carries negation |
| will you | [ˈwɪljə] | common reduction |
| won’t you | [wəʊntʃə] ~ [woʊntʃu] | t + y → [tʃ] |
| can’t | [kɑːnt] (UK), [kænt] (US) | accent variation |
| pronouns | he [i], she [ʃi], it [ɪt], they [ðeɪ] | reduced/quick in tags |
Intonation decides meaning more than stress: fall ↓ for confirmation; rise ↑ for checking/interest.
4. Patterns at a glance
| Sentence type | Example | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| be (present) | She’s here, | isn’t she? |
| be (past) | They were late, | weren’t they? |
| no auxiliary | You know him, | don’t you? |
| perfect | He’s finished, | hasn’t he? |
| modal: can | She can drive, | can’t she? |
| modal: will | You’ll call, | won’t you? |
| imperative | Pass the salt, | will you? |
| let’s | Let’s start, | shall we? |
| interest tag | So you’re the new student, | are you? |
| negative main clause | You aren’t serious, | are you? |
5. Minimal pairs for intonation
- You sent the email, didn’t you? ↓ | didn’t you? ↑
- They’ll join us, won’t they? ↓ | won’t they? ↑
- It was obvious, wasn’t it? ↓ | wasn’t it? ↑
6. Common pitfalls
- *I’m late, amn’t I? → use aren’t I?
- Repeat the same tense in the tag: You were there, weren’t you? (not *are you?)
- Match the pronoun: Everyone’s ready, aren’t they? (generic singular → they)
- Interest tags keep the polarity: So you’re ready, are you?
7. Quick practice
- You finished early, ____?
- They aren’t coming, ____?
- Let’s take a break, ____?
- Close the window, ____?
- Oh, you live nearby, ____? (interest)
Show answers
1 didn’t you? · 2 are they? · 3 shall we? · 4 will you? · 5 do you?
© · Minimal styling for maximum readability and printer/phone compatibility.
