It's Important, Isn't It?
Question Tags
Most questions in English use this structure:
(Question Word) + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb Form + (objects) + ?
Example:
How often do you check your credit score in a year?
Are they going to be able to submit the blueprints by the deadline?
Question Tags
Question tags are used to confirm information that the speaker knows, or believes to know. This conversational form is used to check that the speaker has understood something.
Form questions tags by making a statement followed by a comma and the OPPOSITE (positive -negative, negative - positive) form of the matching auxiliary verb in the same tense.
Example:
The personnel costs wouldn't count towards our net profits, would they?
He would always preform the interviews as per your request, wouldn't he?
The chairman didn't read the minutes of a meeting, did he?
This list shows question tags for a number of tenses.
Present Simple:
Our gross yield this year is more than this time last year, isn't it?
Present Continuous:
Jennifer is taking the day off to protest a bill, isn't she?
Past Simple:
Mom didn't lose the money order, did she?
Present Perfect:
That stock has been going up, hasn't it?
Future with 'Will':
People will now think twice before taking out a floating-rate loan, won't they?
Request with 'Would':
He wouldn't purchase that government bond, would he?
Special Notes:
Use question tags in order to do the following:
- To confirm information
- To continue a conversation
Sometimes, question tags are used sarcastically or in a joking manner. This type of usage depends on the context and the speaker's tone of voice.
Exception: When using the verb 'to be' as the auxiliary verb in a question tag with the subject I (rhetorical) use the form "am I?".
Example:
I'm not going to be late, am I?
I'm not involved in that sale, am I?