Tamilnadu State Board Class 10 English Grammar Question Tags
A Question Tag is the shortest form of a question using the verb plus pronoun.
(i) A positive statement uses a negative tag.
(ii) A negative statement uses a positive tag.
I. Statements with auxiliaries:
1. It Is bright, isn’t It?
2. Bears are dangerous, aren’t they?
3. Shobana can’t dance, can she?
4. Kit kats aren’t sour, are they?
5. Arun and Ajay were here, weren’t they?
6. Seetha and Geetha will come, won’t they?
II. Statements without auxiliaries:
1. The cuckoo sings beautifully, doesn’t it?
2. Rats dig burrows, don’t they?
3. Tenzing conquered the Everest, didn’t he?
4. The sun shines hot in summer, doesn’t it?
5. Rivers flow towards the sea, don’t they?
6. Sachin broke the world record, didn’t he?
III. A. Statements using ‘has/have/had’ as auxiliaries:
1. The bell has rung, hasn’t it?
2. The flowers have drooped. haven’t they?
3. The school bus has started on time, hasn’t it?
B. Statements using ‘has/have/had’ as the main verb – use do/does/did forms:
1. A tiger has sharp claws, doesn’t it?
2. Indians have great respect for traditions, don’t they?
3. Little Rosy had fever, didn’t she?
IV. Statements having negative words – use positive tag:
A. Using no, none, never, not, neither-nor
1. Sheela is not going to come today, is she?
2. My grandfather never smokes, does he?
3. The cuckoo has no care for its eggs, does it?
4. Neither Swetha nor Sneha has any bad habits, do they?
B. Using little, few, scarcely, hardly, rarely
1. Muni shows little care in his studies, does he?
2. Few planets can be seen, can they?
3. Santhosh scarcely listens in class, does he?
4. They rarely lose their points, do they?
V. Statements having ‘a little/a few’ are positive. Therefore they use a negative tag.
1. A little sugar is added to sauces, isn’t it?
2. They had bought a few handkerchiefs, hadn’t they?
3. I have a few chocolates to share, haven’t I?
VI. ‘Only’ uses both positive and negative tags.
1. Only children are allowed to play in the park, are/aren’t they?
2. He did only one mistake, did/didn’t he?
VII. ‘Let’s’ uses ‘shall we?’
1. Let’s go for a walk, shall we?
2. Let’s get together for a party, shall we?
VIII. Simple requests use ‘will you?’
1. Pass me the book, will you?
2. Come with me, will you?
3. Get me a ticket, will you?
IX. Urgent requests use ‘won’t you?’
1. Send the e-mail, immediately, won ‘t you?
2. Catch this quick, won‘t you?
3. Pass on the message soon, won’t you?
X. Impatient remarks use ‘can’t you?
1. Keep quiet, can‘t you?
2. Listen to me, can ‘t you?
3. Be attentive, can‘t you?
Xl. Statements using each, every, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, none, nobody – take a p1uripronoun – ‘they’
1. Everybody cheered didn’t they?
2. Nobody was injured, were they?
3. Someone can do it, can‘t they?
4. Everybody is happy, aren‘t they?
5. Anybody will take up the challenge, won‘t they?
Contracted forms:
is + not → isn’t
are + not → aren’t
was + not → wasn’t
were + not → weren’t
will + not → won’t
can + not → can’t
could + not → couldn’t
need + not → needn’t
must + not → mustn’t
should + not → shouldn’t
shall + not → shan’t
am + not → aren’t
Exercises
Choose the correct question tag for the
Question 1.
Sheela danced well, _________?
(a) did she
(b) didn’t she
(c) doesn’t she
Answer:
(b) didn’t she
Question 2.
You can study well, _________?
(a) can you
(b) can’t you
(c) don’t you
Answer:
(b) can’t you
Question 3.
Swama cannot run fast, _________?
(a) can she
(b) can’t she
(c) can’t they
Answer:
(a) can she
Question 4.
The lessons are quite interesting, _________?
(a) arç they
(b) aren’t they
(c) did they
Answer:
(b) aren’t they
Question 5.
Let us start working, _________?
(a) will we
(b) must we
(c) shall we
Answer:
(c) shall we
Question 6.
They were climbing the trees, _________?
(a) weren’t they
(b) aren’t they
(c) isn’t they
Answer:
(a) weren’t they
Question 7.
Our team will win the match, _________?
(a) will nt it
(b) won’t it
(c) will it
Answer:
(b) won’t it
Question 8.
Shreya draws well, _________?
(a) won’t she
(b) doesn’t she
(c) do she
Answer:
(b) doesn’t she
Question 9.
I’m not late, _________?
(a) are’n’t
(b) am I
(c) have’ I
Answer:
(b)am I
Question 10.
He hasn’t completed the painting, _________?
(a) has he
(b) hasn’t he
(c) didn’t he
Answer:
(a) has he
Question 11.
The Sun sets in the west, _________?
(a) does it
(b) isn’t it
(c) doesn’t it
Answer:
(c) doesn’t it
Question 12.
Our team will win the match, _________?
(a) will we
(b) will nt we
(c) wont we
Answer:
(c) wont we
Question 13.
You should treat each other with respect. _________?
(a) should you
(b) has it
(c) shouldn’t you
Answer:
(c) shouldn’t you
Question 14.
Plants give out oxygen during the day, _________?
(a) do they
(b) don’t they
(c) won’t they
Answer:
(b) don’t they
Question 15.
The flag has four colours on it, _________?
(a) isn’t it
(b) hasn’t it
(c) has it
Answer:
(b) hasn’t it
Question 16.
Students should be allowed to use the library everyday _________?
(a) should they
(b) isn’t it
(c) shouldn’t they
Answer:
(c) shouldn’t they
Question 17.
We need not come tomorrow, _________?
(a) should we
(b) need we
(c) needn’t we
Answer:
(b) need we
Question 18.
It has been raining heavily, _________?
(a) has it
(b) hasn’t it
(c) doesn’t it
Answer:
(b) hasn’t it
Question 19.
He never fails in his duty, _________?
(a) doesn’t he
(b) does he
(c) won’t he
Answer:
(b) does he
Question 20.
Lets go for a movie, _________?
(a) shall we
(b) can we
(c) will we
Answer:
(a) shall we