QUESTION TAGS
Tamil Nadu Samacheer Kalvi • Previous-Year Question Paper Focus • Learners aged 11 years and above
Question Tagsதமிழ் உதவி12th Standard One-Mark FocusENGWIN.NET • Master the auxiliary, pronoun, polarity and special-case rules needed for fast exam answers.
🎯 Course Purpose
A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement. It is used to check information, ask for agreement, or keep a conversation natural.
Samacheer / DGE exam connection: Question Tags are explicitly listed by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examinations among the topics tested in the Higher Secondary English objective section. The published pattern places them within Part I, where questions 1–20 are one-mark objective questions. citeturn0search24
தமிழில்: ஒரு statement-ன் முடிவில் சிறிய கேள்வி வடிவில் சேர்க்கப்படும் பகுதி Question Tag. உதாரணம்: Ravi is ready, isn’t he? — “ரவி தயாராக இருக்கிறான், இல்லையா?”
📚 Learning Outcomes
Identify the auxiliary verb in a statement.
Choose the correct subject pronoun.
Use positive statement → negative tag.
Use negative statement → positive tag.
Handle do/does/did tags.
Master special forms such as I am → aren’t I? and Let’s → shall we?.
🗺️ Course Roadmap
- What is a question tag?
- The basic positive–negative rule
- Auxiliary verbs and tags
- Do / does / did
- Pronouns in question tags
- Negative statements and positive tags
- Special case: I am → aren’t I?
- Commands, requests and Let’s
- Indefinite pronouns and tricky subjects
- Previous-year / Samacheer-style practice
- Common errors and exam shortcuts
- Final mastery test
Lesson 1 – What Is a Question Tag?
A question tag is a short question placed after a statement.
| Statement | Tag |
|---|---|
| Ravi is a student, | isn’t he? |
| Priya can swim, | can’t she? |
| Arun likes cricket, | doesn’t he? |
தமிழ் நினைவுக்குறிப்பு: Statement + சிறிய கேள்வி = Question Tag.
Lesson 2 – The Golden Rule
Positive statement → Negative tag
Meena is clever, isn’t she?
Negative statement → Positive tag
Meena isn’t late, is she?
Meena is clever, isn’t she?
Negative statement → Positive tag
Meena isn’t late, is she?
This is the most important rule for standard question-tag questions.
எளிய விதி: Positive sentence என்றால் tag-ல் not வரும். Negative sentence என்றால் tag positive ஆகும்.
Lesson 3 – Use the Auxiliary Verb
If the statement already contains an auxiliary/modal verb, repeat that verb in the tag.
| Statement | Tag |
|---|---|
| Ravi is ready, | isn’t he? |
| Priya was absent, | wasn’t she? |
| Arun has finished, | hasn’t he? |
| Meena will come, | won’t she? |
| Karthik can drive, | can’t he? |
| Varshini should study, | shouldn’t she? |
Exam trap: Do not automatically use do/does/did when an auxiliary or modal is already present.
Lesson 4 – Do, Does and Did
When the statement has an ordinary present or past verb and no auxiliary, use do, does or did.
| Statement | Correct tag | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Ravi plays chess, | doesn’t he? | present simple + he |
| Priya sings well, | doesn’t she? | present simple + she |
| Arun likes mangoes, | doesn’t he? | present simple + he |
| Meena went home, | didn’t she? | past simple |
| Karthik studied hard, | didn’t he? | past simple |
தமிழில்: Simple Present/Past-ல் helping verb இல்லையெனில் do/does/did tag-ல் உதவும்.
Lesson 5 – Choose the Correct Pronoun
The tag must normally use a pronoun that refers to the subject.
| Subject | Tag pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ravi | he | Ravi is ready, isn’t he? |
| Priya | she | Priya came, didn’t she? |
| the boys | they | The boys are ready, aren’t they? |
| the book | it | The book is new, isn’t it? |
| Ravi and Arun | they | Ravi and Arun came, didn’t they? |
Do not repeat the full noun in the tag: Ravi is here, isn’t Ravi? is not the normal school-exam form.
Lesson 6 – Negative Statements Take Positive Tags
| Negative statement | Positive tag |
|---|---|
| Ravi isn’t tired, | is he? |
| Priya doesn’t smoke, | does she? |
| Arun didn’t call, | did he? |
| Meena can’t swim, | can she? |
| Karthik won’t be late, | will he? |
கவனம்: Statement-ல் not இருந்தால் tag-ல் பொதுவாக not இருக்காது.
Lesson 7 – Special Case: I am → aren’t I?
In standard question-tag usage, the familiar school-exam form is:
I am late, aren’t I?
Although amn’t I? is logically possible in some varieties, it is not the expected standard form in ordinary school grammar exercises.
மனப்பாடம்: I am → aren’t I?
Example
I am your teacher, aren’t I?
Lesson 8 – Let’s, Commands and Requests
| Statement | Tag |
|---|---|
| Let’s go, | shall we? |
| Let’s start the lesson, | shall we? |
| Open the door, | will you? |
| Please help me, | will you? |
| Don’t make noise, | will you? |
தமிழ் உதவி: Let’s = ஒரு suggestion/proposal. அதனால் பொதுவாக shall we?
Exam focus: Commands/requests can take will you? in standard school exercises. Always follow the context and the answer choices.
Lesson 9 – Tricky Subjects
Some subjects require special attention because the tag uses a pronoun or auxiliary that may not look obvious.
| Statement | Correct tag | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone is ready, | aren’t they? | everyone → singular meaning but commonly they in the tag |
| Nobody came, | did they? | nobody is negative in meaning |
| Nothing happened, | did it? | nothing → it |
| These children are tired, | aren’t they? | children → they |
| The pair of shoes is new, | isn’t it? | head noun pair → it |
தமிழில்: nobody, nothing, everyone, each போன்ற words-ஐப் பார்த்தவுடன் அவற்றின் positive/negative meaning-ஐ கவனிக்க வேண்டும்.
Lesson 10 – Samacheer / Previous-Year-Style Questions
The official DGE pattern places Question Tags among the Part I objective topics. Published Samacheer model material also uses the exact one-mark MCQ format; for example, a model paper asks: “You met Seth yesterday, …?” with “didn’t you?” as the correct answer. citeturn0search24turn0search3
PYQ-style method:
- Find the main verb/auxiliary.
- Decide positive or negative.
- Choose the correct auxiliary in the opposite form.
- Replace the subject with the correct pronoun.
- Check tense.
Practice
- You met Seth yesterday, ________? (a) won’t you (b) didn’t you (c) will you (d) don’t you
- Ravi is a good student, ________? (a) isn’t he (b) doesn’t he (c) wasn’t he (d) isn’t Ravi
- Priya doesn’t like coffee, ________? (a) doesn’t she (b) does she (c) did she (d) is she
- Arun can swim, ________? (a) doesn’t he (b) can’t he (c) isn’t he (d) can he
- Meena went to Chennai, ________? (a) doesn’t she (b) won’t she (c) didn’t she (d) wasn’t she
- Let’s begin, ________? (a) will you (b) shall we (c) do we (d) aren’t we
Reveal answers
1-b, 2-a, 3-b, 4-b, 5-c, 6-b.
Lesson 11 – Common Errors and Exam Shortcuts
| Wrong idea | Correct idea |
|---|---|
| Positive statement → positive tag | Normally positive → negative tag. |
| Negative statement → negative tag | Normally negative → positive tag. |
| Use do/does/did for every sentence | First check for an existing auxiliary/modal. |
| Use the noun again in the tag | Use the appropriate pronoun. |
| I am → amn’t I? | Standard school form: aren’t I? |
| Let’s → will we? | Standard form: shall we? |
| Nobody = positive meaning | Nobody has negative meaning: Nobody came, did they? |
Lesson 12 – Grammar Detective Challenge
Find the correct tag for each Indian-name classroom sentence.
- Ravi is studying, __________?
- Priya doesn’t play chess, __________?
- Arun completed the work, __________?
- Meena can sing, __________?
- Karthik isn’t absent, __________?
- Varshini has finished the project, __________?
- Let’s revise the lesson, __________?
- I am your friend, __________?
Reveal answers
1. isn’t he? • 2. does she? • 3. didn’t he? • 4. can’t she? • 5. is he? • 6. hasn’t she? • 7. shall we? • 8. aren’t I?
📝 20 One-Mark MCQs
- Ravi is ready, ________? (a) isn’t he (b) doesn’t he (c) wasn’t he (d) isn’t Ravi
- Priya sings well, ________? (a) isn’t she (b) doesn’t she (c) didn’t she (d) won’t she
- Arun went home, ________? (a) doesn’t he (b) didn’t he (c) isn’t he (d) wasn’t he
- Meena can drive, ________? (a) doesn’t she (b) can’t she (c) isn’t she (d) can she
- Karthik will come, ________? (a) won’t he (b) doesn’t he (c) isn’t he (d) didn’t he
- Varshini has completed it, ________? (a) doesn’t she (b) hasn’t she (c) isn’t she (d) didn’t she
- Ravi doesn’t smoke, ________? (a) doesn’t he (b) does he (c) did he (d) is he
- Priya didn’t call, ________? (a) did she (b) didn’t she (c) does she (d) is she
- Arun isn’t late, ________? (a) isn’t he (b) is he (c) does he (d) did he
- Meena won’t be absent, ________? (a) won’t she (b) will she (c) does she (d) is she
- I am correct, ________? (a) amn’t I (b) aren’t I (c) isn’t I (d) don’t I
- Let’s go now, ________? (a) will you (b) shall we (c) do we (d) aren’t we
- Open the window, ________? (a) shall we (b) will you (c) won’t we (d) don’t you
- Nobody came, ________? (a) did they (b) didn’t they (c) did he (d) was it
- Nothing happened, ________? (a) didn’t it (b) did it (c) doesn’t it (d) was it
- Everyone is ready, ________? (a) isn’t he (b) aren’t they (c) isn’t it (d) don’t they
- The boys are playing, ________? (a) isn’t they (b) aren’t they (c) don’t they (d) won’t they
- Ravi plays cricket, ________? (a) doesn’t he (b) isn’t he (c) didn’t he (d) won’t he
- Meena studied hard, ________? (a) doesn’t she (b) didn’t she (c) isn’t she (d) hasn’t she
- You met Seth yesterday, ________? (a) won’t you (b) didn’t you (c) will you (d) don’t you
Answer Key
1-a, 2-b, 3-b, 4-b, 5-a, 6-b, 7-b, 8-a, 9-b, 10-b, 11-b, 12-b, 13-b, 14-a, 15-b, 16-b, 17-b, 18-a, 19-b, 20-b.
📌 One-Page Revision Chart
| Statement pattern | Tag pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Positive + be | negative be | He is ready, isn’t he? |
| Negative + be | positive be | He isn’t ready, is he? |
| Positive simple present | do/does + not | She sings, doesn’t she? |
| Positive simple past | did not | She sang, didn’t she? |
| Negative simple present | do/does | She doesn’t sing, does she? |
| Negative simple past | did | She didn’t sing, did she? |
| Modal | same modal, opposite polarity | He can swim, can’t he? |
| I am | aren’t I? | I am late, aren’t I? |
| Let’s | shall we? | Let’s go, shall we? |
| Command/request | will you? | Open it, will you? |
| nobody/nothing | positive tag | Nobody came, did they? |
🏆 Final Mastery Check
- Ravi is a doctor, __________?
- Priya doesn’t eat meat, __________?
- Arun finished the work, __________?
- Meena can dance, __________?
- Karthik won’t be late, __________?
- Varshini has arrived, __________?
- I am your teacher, __________?
- Let’s study now, __________?
- Nobody complained, __________?
- Open the book, __________?
Reveal answers
1. isn’t he? • 2. does she? • 3. didn’t he? • 4. can’t she? • 5. will he? • 6. hasn’t she? • 7. aren’t I? • 8. shall we? • 9. did they? • 10. will you?
Self-Check
9–10: Excellent – Exam Ready 7–8: Good – Revise special cases 5–6: Fair – Practise Lessons 2–9 0–4: Relearn the golden rule and auxiliaries👩🏫 Teacher Assessment Rubric
| Skill | Excellent | Needs Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Auxiliary identification | Instant and accurate | Confuses auxiliary and main verb |
| Polarity | Correct opposite polarity | Often repeats the same polarity |
| Pronouns | Chooses accurately | Repeats nouns or chooses wrong pronouns |
| Special cases | Handles I am, Let’s, commands and indefinite pronouns | Needs targeted drills |
| Exam speed | Answers one-mark items confidently | Needs timed practice |
🎲 Classroom Activities
Tag Relay: Ravi reads a statement; Priya races to write the correct tag.
Pronoun Cards: Arun chooses the correct pronoun card for each subject.
Auxiliary Hunt: Meena underlines the auxiliary before creating the tag.
Exam Sprint: Karthik and Varshini solve 20 one-mark questions under timed conditions.
🔑 Master Exam Strategy
FIND THE AUXILIARY → CHECK POSITIVE/NEGATIVE → CHANGE POLARITY → CHOOSE THE PRONOUN → CHECK TENSE → ANSWER
தமிழில்: Helping verb-ஐ கண்டுபிடி → Sentence positive/negative எனப் பார் → எதிர்மறை/உடன்பாட்டு வடிவமாக மாற்று → சரியான pronoun தேர்வு செய் → tense சரிபார் → விடையைத் தேர்வு செய்.
Question Tags • Tamil Nadu Samacheer Kalvi • 12th Standard Exam-Oriented Courseware