A question tag is a short question that is added to the end of a statement to transform it into a question or to ask for confirmation. Question tags are commonly used in English to check if the listener agrees or disagrees with what the speaker is saying. They are often used in spoken English and informal writing.
The
structure of a question tag consists of a statement and a question tag. The
statement is usually in the form of an affirmative or negative sentence, and
the question tag is usually a negative or positive question that matches the
statement.
Here
are some examples of question tags:
1)
It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
In
this example, the statement is "It's a beautiful day", and the
question tag is "isn't it?". The question tag is used to ask for
confirmation from the listener that they also think it's a beautiful day.
2)
You're coming with us, aren't you?
Here,
the statement is "You're coming with us", and the question tag is
"aren't you?". The speaker is asking for confirmation from the
listener that they are coming along.
3)
She doesn't like pizza, does she?
In
this example, the statement is "She doesn't like pizza", and the
question tag is "does she?". The speaker is asking for confirmation
from the listener that they also believe that she doesn't like pizza.
4)
They won't be late, will they?
Here,
the statement is "They won't be late", and the question tag is
"will they?". The speaker is asking for confirmation from the
listener that they also believe that they won't be late.
Note that in the
examples above, the question tags are formed by inverting the auxiliary verb or
modal verb and the subject of the statement. If the statement does not contain
an auxiliary verb or a modal verb, the question tag is formed by adding
"do" for present tense and "did" for past tense and then
inverting the subject and the auxiliary verb. For example:
1)
He likes ice cream, doesn't he?
2)
They went to the beach, didn't they?
In
conclusion, question tags are a useful tool for checking information and
confirming understanding in spoken and informal written English.
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