What Are Question Tags?
Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement to confirm something or invite agreement. They’re a natural part of English conversation and are tested in SPM grammar questions.
“You like chocolate, don’t you?” “She’s coming tomorrow, isn’t she?” “They haven’t finished, have they?”
The Golden Rule: Positive-Negative / Negative-Positive
The rule is simple:
- Positive statement → Negative tag: “She is smart, isn’t she?”
- Negative statement → Positive tag: “He doesn’t like sports, does he?”
Think of it as a seesaw — if the statement goes up (positive), the tag goes down (negative), and vice versa.
Step-by-Step Method
Step 1: Identify the Auxiliary Verb
Find the helping verb in the main statement:
| Statement | Auxiliary | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| She is reading. | is | isn’t she? |
| They have arrived. | have | haven’t they? |
| He will come. | will | won’t he? |
| You can swim. | can | can’t you? |
| She was late. | was | wasn’t she? |
Step 2: If No Auxiliary, Use “Do/Does/Did”
When the statement uses a simple present or past tense with no visible auxiliary:
| Statement | Hidden Auxiliary | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| She likes coffee. | does | doesn’t she? |
| They play football. | do | don’t they? |
| He went home. | did | didn’t he? |
| You studied hard. | did | didn’t you? |
Step 3: Match the Subject with a Pronoun
Replace the subject with the correct pronoun in the tag:
- “Ahmad is smart, isn’t he?”
- “The students are ready, aren’t they?”
- “Your mother called, didn’t she?”
- “This book is good, isn’t it?”
Tricky Cases That SPM Loves to Test
”I am” → “aren’t I?”
This is irregular and must be memorised:
- “I am your friend, aren’t I?” (NOT “amn’t I”)
- “I am late, aren’t I?”
But in negative: “I’m not bothering you, am I?"
"Let’s” → “shall we?”
- “Let’s go to the canteen, shall we?”
- “Let’s start the meeting, shall we?”
Imperatives → “will you?” / “won’t you?”
- “Close the door, will you?”
- “Please sit down, won’t you?”
- “Don’t make noise, will you?"
"There is/are” → “isn’t there/aren’t there?”
- “There is a problem, isn’t there?”
- “There are many students, aren’t there?”
Negative Words Without “Not”
Words like never, hardly, seldom, rarely, nobody, nothing, barely make the statement negative, so the tag must be POSITIVE:
- “She never complains, does she?” (NOT “doesn’t she”)
- “He hardly studies, does he?”
- “They seldom go out, do they?”
- “Nobody came, did they?”
- “Nothing happened, did it?"
"Nobody/Somebody/Everybody” → “they”
- “Everybody enjoyed the party, didn’t they?”
- “Somebody left this bag here, didn’t they?”
- “Nobody knows the answer, do they?"
"This/That” → “it”
- “This is your book, isn’t it?”
- “That was interesting, wasn’t it?”
Common SPM Mistakes
1. Wrong Auxiliary
Wrong: “She likes tea, isn’t she?” Right: “She likes tea, doesn’t she?” (“likes” uses “does” as auxiliary)
2. Same Polarity (Both Positive)
Wrong: “He is tall, is he?” Right: “He is tall, isn’t he?“
3. Wrong Subject Pronoun
Wrong: “Ahmad and Ali are here, isn’t he?” Right: “Ahmad and Ali are here, aren’t they?“
4. Forgetting “Never” Makes It Negative
Wrong: “She never eats meat, doesn’t she?” Right: “She never eats meat, does she?”
Practice Exercise
Add the correct question tag:
- You are a student, _____?
- She doesn’t like durian, _____?
- They went to Langkawi, _____?
- He can speak Mandarin, _____?
- Nobody was hurt, _____?
- Let’s have lunch, _____?
- I am right, _____?
- Close the window, _____?
- She has never been to Penang, _____?
- There were many people, _____?
Answers:
- aren’t you?
- does she?
- didn’t they?
- can’t he?
- were they?
- shall we?
- aren’t I?
- will you?
- has she?
- weren’t there?
How Question Tags Help in SPM Speaking
In the SPM speaking test, question tags make your conversation sound natural. Instead of blunt statements, you can soften your points:
- “This topic is quite difficult, isn’t it?”
- “We should discuss the advantages first, shouldn’t we?”
- “Social media has many benefits, doesn’t it?”
This shows the examiner you can use varied sentence structures.
Perfect Your Grammar for SPM
Question tags combine auxiliary verbs, subject-verb agreement, and sentence polarity — testing multiple grammar skills at once. At SPMEnglish.com.my, we practise these patterns until they become automatic. WhatsApp us to sharpen your grammar for every SPM paper.
Related Resources
- Grammar & Sentence Structure — Complete grammar programme
- Speaking Test Tips — Use question tags naturally
- Subject-Verb Agreement — Essential for correct tags
- Active & Passive Voice — Another grammar pattern SPM tests