Seminar

Question  tags 

Introduction

A question tag or tag question (also known as tail question) is a grammatical structure in which a declarative statement or an imperative is turned into a question by adding an interrogative fragment ( the “tag” ).

For example :- In the sentence “ You’re John, aren’t you?”, the statement “You’re John” is turned into a question by the tag “aren’t you”.

      Question tags are not really questions but are a way of asking the other person to make a comment and so keep the conversation open. Making a tag is very mechanical. To make a tag, use the first auxiliary. If there is no auxiliary, use do, does, or did. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag and with a negative sentence, make a positive tag.

Eg:-  It is beautiful, isn’t it?

         You can, can’t you?

                The term “question tag” is generally preferred by British grammarians while their American counterparts prefer “tag questions”.           

        

Content

Question tags

Tag questions are questions attached to statements asking the listener to confirm the idea expressed in the statement. They are usually used only in conversation and in informal letters.

Rules of question tags

                 I.            A positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement takes a positive tag.

Eg:-  It is a fine day, isn’t it?

        John isn’t late today, is he?

        They have gone out, haven’t they?

         She had little time, had she?

For a statement to be negative the verb need not be negative always. Sometimes the subject, object or an adjective may be negative. If there is a negative idea in the sentence, the Statement may be said to be negative and it needs a positive tag.

Eg:-  1. We met none of our friends there, did we?

          2. They have never been to Kovalam, have they?

           3. Nobody gave the right answer,did they?

             II.            Semi-negative words like little, few, hardly, scarcely, rarely and seldom are treated as negatives and they take positive tags.

Eg:- 1. Few people met us there, did they?

         2. She seldom comes here, does she?

Though few and little are negatives, a few and a little have a positive sense, and therefore need negative tags.

Eg:- 1. A few students were present, weren’t they?

        2. A little milk is left, isn’t there?

         III.            The personal pronoun one in the statement must be followed by one in the tag, not he/she.

Eg:- One cann’t afford it, can one?

        IV.            The auxiliary verbs need and dare are not used in affirmative with question-tags. They are treated as full verbs then.

Eg:- You need to come earlier, don’t you?

Similarly, the auxiliary used to is not used in tag. It has a tag with did.

Eg:- He used to walk every morning, didn’t he?

             V.            Must

     The auxiliary must expresses a positive command, and must not expresses a prohibition. What is needed in the tag is the opposite(in meaning) of what is expressed in the statement.

Eg:- You must consult a doctor, needn’t you?

         VI.            When the main verb of the statement is have(denoting possession), it is repeated in the tag.

Eg:- 1. He has a good pen, hasn’t he?

        2. They have a good car, haven’t they?

But, when have denotes something other than possession, use do or did in the tag.

Eg:- 1. They have supper at 8.30 p.m., don’t they?

         2. They had their usual prayer, didn’t they?

     VII.            Imperative verbs are treated as a separate class. Whether the statement is affirmative or negative, they take a positive tag (will you?).

Eg:- 1. Pass me the salt, will you?

         2. Close the door after you, will you?

Invitations and suggestions also take will you? But won’t you gives more urgency.

Eg:- 1. Have another cup of tea, will you?

         2. Have another cup of tea, won’t you?

Suggestions beginning Let us take shall we in the tag.

Eg:- 1. Let us go for a ride, shall we?

         2. Let us have a game of chess, shall we?

 VIII.            Everybody, everyone, somebody, someone, nobody and no one are singular subjects, and they take singular verbs too. But, for the purpose of adding question tags, they are treated as plural subjects and the pronoun to be used in the tag they.

Eg:- 1. Everyone came in time, didn’t they?

         2. Somebody is knocking at the door,aren’t they?

         3. No one is late today, are they?

None of us takes we as the subject of the tag, because none of us includes we also.

Eg:-  1.None of us knew the way, did we?

         2. Some of you were late yesterday, weren’t you?

         3. I am older than you, aren’t I?

Ø While adding the suitable question-tag, importance must be given to the following points:

1.   Change the full stop at the end of the statement into a comma.

2.   The tag must begin with a small letter.

3.   The negative must be shortened one(n’t).

4.   There should be a question mark at the end.

5.   In the case of will, the shortened negative is won’t, not willn’t. ( Shall-shan’t; not shalln’t).

6.   There is no meaning in writing the tag alone. The tag must follow the statement.

Conclusion

In most languages, question tags are more common in colloquial spoken usage than in formal written usage. They can be an indicator of politeness, emphasis or irony. They may suggest confidence or lack of confidence; they may be confrontational, defensive or tentative. Although they have the grammatical form a question, they may be rhetorical. In other cases, when they do expect a response, they may differ from straight forward questions in that they cue the listener as to what response is desired. In legal setting, tag questions can be found in a leading question.

Bibliography

Ø Kuriakose, T. T(2004). Grammarian. Surya Publications, Kottayam

Ø Kumar, Santhosh(2009). A Practical Guide To English Grammar. H&C Publishing House, Thrissur

Ø Nair, Sankaranarayanan. M.N(1996). Fundamentals of High School English Grammar & Composition. H&C Publishing House,Thrissur

Ø Prof. Dakshinamurthy, M(1992). Let Us Learn English. Meridian Publications, Thiruvalla

Webliography

Ø www.englishgrammarsecrets.com