Why a tag is needed
A question tag is a short question after a statement. It helps check information or invite the other person to agree. In this rule, the main skill is to find the statement’s verb support and transfer the correct auxiliary verb to the tag.
First identify the polarity: after an affirmative statement, the typical tag is negative, and after a negative statement, it is affirmative. Then make the auxiliary verb and pronoun agree. Polarity is practised in detail in neighboring rules, but without it, you cannot form a complete tag.
statement, auxiliary verb + pronoun?
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
- auxiliary —
- A helping verb used to form tenses, questions or negatives: do, have, be.
- pronoun —
- A word used instead of naming a person or thing: I, you, she, it, they.
The room is ready, isn't it?
The room is ready, isn't it?
The statement contains the form be is, so we keep is in the negative tag: isn't it.
The room isn't ready, is it?
The room isn't ready, is it?
The negative isn't changes the tag’s polarity, but the verb support remains is.
Three-step algorithm
Step 1: find the first auxiliary or modal verb in the predicate. This may be a form of be, have, can, or will. Step 2: if there is no such verb and the statement is in the Present Simple or Past Simple, choose do, does, or did. Step 3: change the polarity and put after the auxiliary the pronoun that replaces the subject.
Tense and person do not change. The Present Simple with he, she, or it requires does; other persons use do. The Past Simple requires did for all persons. Do not copy the lexical verb into the tag.
auxiliary present → repeat it; no auxiliary → do/does/did
- auxiliary —
- A helping verb used to form tenses, questions or negatives: do, have, be.
Nora works here, doesn't she?
Nora works here, doesn't she?
Works is a lexical verb in the Present Simple, and the subject Nora = she, so doesn't is required.
The guests arrived early, didn't they?
The guests arrived early, didn't they?
In an affirmative Past Simple statement, there is no separate auxiliary verb, so the tag uses did in the negative form.
Forms of be remain forms of be
If be is the main verb or helps build a continuous form, repeat its form in the tag: is, are, was, or were. Do not add do here.
Replace a noun subject in the tag with a pronoun: the printer → it, Maya → she, the keys → they. This is a supporting skill for this rule: the correct auxiliary verb with the wrong pronoun does not make a correct tag.
is↔isn't; are↔aren't; was↔wasn't; were↔weren't
Maya is waiting outside, isn't she?
Maya is waiting outside, isn't she?
The Present Continuous already has is; that same verb moves into the tag.
The keys weren't on the desk, were they?
The keys weren't on the desk, were they?
The negative weren't gives the affirmative were, and the plural subject the keys is replaced by they.
Do, does, and did with lexical verbs
In an affirmative Present Simple or Past Simple statement with an ordinary lexical verb, there is no separate auxiliary verb. The tag then adds do or does for the present and did for the past.
If the statement already contains don't, doesn't, or didn't, repeat the corresponding form without not in the affirmative tag: do, does, or did. Choose the form according to the grammar of the statement, not according to the nearest word.
works→doesn't; work→don't; arrived→didn't; didn't arrive→did
You take this bus, don't you?
You take this bus, don't you?
Take is in the Present Simple with you, so the tag has do.
Leo didn't call, did he?
Leo didn't call, did he?
The statement already contains didn't; the affirmative tag repeats did.
The Perfect has have or has
In the Present Perfect, have or has is the auxiliary verb. The tag uses that same verb: have with I, you, we, and they, and has with he, she, and it. Do not replace it with do or does.
Here we practise only unambiguous Perfect examples with have/has + V3. Ordinary have meaning possession and the have got construction can have different patterns in different varieties of English, so they are not included in this lesson’s closed answer keys.
have/has + V3 → have/has in the tag
- V3 / past participle —
- The third verb form: worked, gone, seen. Used after have/has or in the passive, for example; it is not always the same as V2.
They've received the link, haven't they?
They've received the link, haven't they?
They've = they have, so the tag repeats have in the form haven't.
Ms Lee hasn't replied, has she?
Ms Lee hasn't replied, has she?
The negative hasn't gives the affirmative has; the clearly female subject Ms Lee becomes she in the tag.
The modals can and will
If the statement contains the modal can or will, the same modal verb forms the tag. Do not use do, does, or did with modals.
Learn the contracted negative forms as complete words: can → can't, will → won't. In this A2 lesson, we actively practise can and will, which are directly specified by the rule; the wider system of modal forms is left for later topics.
can↔can't; will↔won't
Ella can join us, can't she?
Ella can join us, can't she?
Can is already in the statement, so the tag does not need does.
You won't forget, will you?
You won't forget, will you?
After the negative won't, use the affirmative will with the same subject, you.
The special case of I am and the limits of this lesson
In neutral standard English, use aren't I? after an affirmative I am: I'm early, aren't I? After the negative I'm not, the ordinary affirmative tag am I? is possible. This is a separate fixed form, not a signal to replace am with are in other sentences.
Intonation can show how confident the speaker is, but the text-based exercise does not assess it. We also do not practise tags after imperatives and let's, rare modal constructions, or same-polarity tags used to express surprise. The goal is to confidently make the auxiliary verb agree in standard tags of opposite polarity.
I am ... , aren't I?; I'm not ... , am I?
I'm on the guest list, aren't I?
I'm on the guest list, aren't I?
The standard negative tag after I am has the form aren't I.
I'm not too late, am I?
I'm not too late, am I?
After the negative I'm not, the tag is affirmative: am I.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:He is ready, doesn't he?
Correct:He is ready, isn't he?
The statement contains the main verb is, so the tag repeats is rather than adding does.
Incorrect:Marta works here, isn't she?
Correct:Marta works here, doesn't she?
Works is a lexical verb in the Present Simple with she; without a separate auxiliary verb, does is required.
Incorrect:They finished early, don't they?
Correct:They finished early, didn't they?
Finished establishes the Past Simple, so the auxiliary in the tag must be did.
Incorrect:You've sent the file, don't you?
Correct:You've sent the file, haven't you?
You've sent is the Present Perfect with the auxiliary have, so the tag uses haven't.
Incorrect:She can drive, doesn't she?
Correct:She can drive, can't she?
The modal can forms the tag itself; do is not added with it.
Incorrect:The keys are here, aren't it?
Correct:The keys are here, aren't they?
The auxiliary are is correct, but the plural subject the keys must be replaced by the pronoun they.
Incorrect:I'm first, isn't I?
Correct:I'm first, aren't I?
The standard negative tag after an affirmative I am has the fixed form aren't I.