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QUESTION TAGS

Question tags is a short question which is placed at the end of the sentence. When you would like to ask something and try to guess what someone do or act or think or feel, use question tags then!.

For examples:



KEY : Use Auxilliary to build a question-tags' expression!. The auxilliary is based on the tense being used. When the Sentence is in Simple Present Tense, then use /does/ or /do/ for Verbal Sentence and the verb /is/, /am/, or /are/ for Nominal Sentence. Look at this following step to build a question-tag!




Read this following example carefully!

Santi dances beautifully

Step 1 : The sentence above is in Simple Present Tense
Step 2 : The sentence is in Verbal Sentence (Because the Verb is in Lexical-meaning-verb).
Step 3 : If the sentence is in both Simple Present Tense and Verbal Sentence then the Auxilliary Must be "      DO " or " DOES ".
Step 4 : Because the Subject is /Santi/. So, the auxilliary should be "DOES".
Step 5 : Because the sentence is in Positive Sentence, then The Tag must be in Negative Form. (When the sentence is in Negative sentence, then the tag must be in Positive Form).
Step 6 : Use personal Pronoun or impersonal pronoun for the tag, not in noun or noun phrase!

So, the answer is :

Santi dances beautifully, doesn't she?

So, the formula is :




Study this following!

She is a nice girl, isn't she?
They went to Bali, didn't they?
We don't understand yet, do we?
All of the students should pay for the school-tuition today, shouldn't they?

EXCEPT:

1. When the sentence or the statement has a negative expression like, never, hardly, seldom, nowhere, dislike, disagree, barely, scarcely, few, little, etc then, the question-tag should be in Positive Form. e.g. He can hardly move, can he? (Notice that the word /hardly/ is in negative meaning, so we do not need to place /NOT/ at the auxilliary /can/.

2. Use /aren't I/ when the subject (at the statement) is /I/. e.g. I am a teacher, aren't I ?.

3. When the subject is /one/ (indefinite personal pronoun) then, the auxilliary should be in singular. e.g. one knows who I am, doesn't one?

4. When the subject is /everyone/, /everybody/, /no one/, /no body/ /few .... / then, the subject must be in plural personal pronoun, that is, /they/. e.g. everyone needs money, don't they?

5. When there is expression like " There is " or " There are ", then use the expression in the question-tag. e.g. there is a book on the table, isn't there?

6. When the statement is in Imperative Sentence, use /will you?/ or /won't you?/ or /can't you?/ as the tag! e.g. be careful, will you?, put them on the desk, can't you?

7. When the statement uses the word "Let's" then the tag must use /shall we/. e.g. Let's go, shall we?

Read this following examples carefully!

1. No body believes him, do they?
2. none of us knows his age, do we?
3. There is nowhere to sit here, is there?
4. Only few people like me, do they?
5. she will never be here, will she?
6. One can be too careful, can't one?

When the statement is in positive form And you want to say or answer / YES /, it means that you agree what the speaker means.

For examples:

Bella : You like an apple, don't you?
Rina : Yes I do ( Rina likes an apple )

Anto : You don't like the magazine, do you?
Rina : No, I don't ( Rina doesn't like the magazine )

Billy : you will never come back to me, will you?
Rina : No, I won't ( Rina will never come back to him )

QUESTION TAG IN DIALECTAL EXPRESSION (USA)

For examples :

you still remember her, right?
what you want from me is my attendance, right?

(In the sentences above, the expression /right?/ is used to substitute the all conditions of formal question-tags.)