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Question Tags: Rules and Special Cases: correct answers

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Question Tags: Basics and Special Rules

Question tags are short phrases added to the end of a statement to turn it into a question, usually to confirm information or seek agreement. The basic rule is straightforward: use a positive tag for a negative statement ("You aren't tired, are you?") and a negative tag for a positive statement ("She likes coffee, doesn't she?"). However, the exceptions can easily trip you up.

This challenge dives into the special rules and tricky edge cases of question tags. You will practice the unique first-person exception for "I am" (which becomes "aren't I?"), suggestions starting with "let's," and imperative sentences. You'll also tackle statements containing negative adverbs like "hardly" or "never," and figure out the correct tags to use when referring back to indefinite pronouns like "everyone" or "somebody."

You'll work through 12 questions featuring fun scenarios (from frantic chefs to medieval knights) using a mix of single-choice, multi-choice, drop-down, and drag-and-drop formats.

Try the quiz to check your knowledge!

MediumA2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediateA2QuestionsAuxiliary verbEnglish Grammar Basics

Correct answers

Question 1

Help the slightly insecure superhero finish his dramatic sentence.

I am still the most terrifying hero in this city, _____?

The correct answer is aren't I.

Although the statement uses "I am", the standard negative question tag for "I am" is always "aren't I?". "Am not I" is not used in modern English, and "amn't I" is only found in a few specific regional dialects!

Question 2

Complete the detective's observation about the suspiciously lazy suspect.

Your client hardly ever leaves his gaming couch, _____?

The correct answer is does he.

Words like hardly, barely, never, and seldom have a negative meaning. Because the main statement contains a negative word, it is treated as a negative sentence. Therefore, the question tag must be positive ("does he" instead of "doesn't he").

Question 3

Help the frantic head chef shout instructions to the kitchen staff by selecting the correct question tags.
"Let's make sure the soup isn't burnt, _________________________?"
"Don't drop that expensive caviar, _________________________?"
"That giant lobster looks a little angry, _________________________?"

"Let's make sure the soup isn't burnt, shall we?"

Sentences starting with "Let's" (Let us) always use "shall we?" as their question tag.

"Don't drop that expensive caviar, will you?"

For negative imperative sentences (commands or requests starting with "Don't"), the standard question tag is "will you?".

"That giant lobster looks a little angry, doesn't it?"

"Looks" is a present simple action verb, so we use "does." The statement is positive, so the tag becomes negative ("doesn't it").

Question 4

Help the slightly anxious superhero confirm the details of their latest mission with their trusty sidekick by choosing the best question tags.
"I'm still the best hero in this city, _________________________?"
"You haven't seen my favorite cape anywhere, _________________________?"
"We defeated the villain yesterday, _________________________?"

"I'm still the best hero in this city, aren't I?"

The question tag for "I am" is always "aren't I?" because "am not I" is not used in modern English, and "ain't I" is considered informal.

"You haven't seen my favorite cape anywhere, have you?"

If the main statement is negative ("haven't seen"), the question tag must be positive ("have you").

"We defeated the villain yesterday, didn't we?"

For past simple action verbs ("defeated"), we use the auxiliary verb "did." Since the statement is positive, the tag is negative ("didn't we").

Question 5

You are a detective checking the grammar of a suspect's alibi to see if they are lying. Select ALL the sentences that use question tags correctly.

The correct answers are He barely touched the vault, did he?, They never went to the museum, did they?, and You rarely forget your lockpicks, do you?.

Words like barely, hardly, never, rarely, and seldom have a negative meaning. Because the main sentence is considered negative, the question tag at the end must be positive. The incorrect options mistakenly use negative tags (didn't she, don't we).

Question 6

Help the stressed event planner direct the medieval fair by choosing the correct question tag to finish their sentences.

Let's release the dragons at noon, shall we?
Don't forget to feed the court jester, will you?

Let's release the dragons at noon, shall we?

Suggestions starting with "Let's" (Let us) always take the question tag "shall we?".

Don't forget to feed the court jester, will you?

For imperative sentences (orders, requests, or commands), we typically use "will you?" as the question tag. This is especially true for negative commands starting with "Don't".

Question 7

Help the dramatic roommate finish their complaints by choosing the correct question tag for the end of each sentence.

I'm the only one who cleans around here, aren't I?
You hardly ever take out the trash, do you?

I'm the only one who cleans around here, aren't I?

The pronoun "I" with the verb "am" is a special case in question tags. Instead of "amn't I" (which doesn't exist in standard English), we use "aren't I".

You hardly ever take out the trash, do you?

Words like "hardly," "barely," "never," and "rarely" give a sentence a negative meaning. Because the statement is already negative, the question tag must be positive (do you).

Question 8

Complete the gossiping ghost's observations at the haunted mansion party by selecting the correct question tags.
"Nobody brought the phantom punch, _________________________?"
"Everyone is having a terrifyingly good time, _________________________?"
"Nothing ever goes wrong at these parties, _________________________?"

"Nobody brought the phantom punch, did they?"

"Nobody" is a negative word, so the tag must be positive. Even though "nobody" takes a singular verb in a sentence, its question tag uses the pronoun "they."

"Everyone is having a terrifyingly good time, aren't they?"

"Everyone" also uses the pronoun "they" in question tags. Because "they" is plural, the verb changes from "is" to "are," creating the negative tag "aren't they."

"Nothing ever goes wrong at these parties, does it?"

"Nothing" is a negative word and refers to an object/concept, so it takes the pronoun "it." Since the statement is negative, the tag must be positive ("does it").

Question 9

Complete the detective's musings on a slightly absurd crime scene by choosing the appropriate question tag for each blank.

Everyone saw the giant penguin escape, didn't they?
Nothing about this case makes sense, does it?

Everyone saw the giant penguin escape, didn't they?

When using indefinite pronouns referring to people (like everyone, somebody, nobody), we use the plural pronoun "they" in the question tag. Since the statement is positive and in the past tense, the tag is negative (didn't they).

Nothing about this case makes sense, does it?

Indefinite pronouns referring to things (like nothing, something, everything) use the pronoun "it" in the tag. Because "nothing" makes the statement negative, the tag must be positive (does it).

Question 10

Help the polite but struggling ghost finish his request. Select ALL the question tags that correctly complete the sentence.
"Give me a hand opening this ancient crypt door, _____"

The correct answers are will you?, would you?, and can you?.

When making a request or giving an imperative (command), we can use several different question tags depending on how polite or forceful we want to be. "Will you", "would you", "can you", and "could you" are all grammatically correct ways to soften a command into a request! "Shall we" is only used when the sentence starts with "Let's".

Question 11

The head chef is having a dramatic meltdown about his kitchen staff. Select ALL the grammatically correct complaints he can yell.

The correct answers are Everybody loved my spicy soup, didn't they?, Nobody remembered to buy the truffles, did they?, and Someone left the oven on, didn't they?.

When the subject of a sentence is an indefinite pronoun referring to people (like everybody, somebody, nobody, anyone), we use the pronoun they in the question tag.

Also, remember that nobody makes the sentence negative, so it requires a positive tag (did they? instead of didn't they?).

Question 12

Choose the right phrase to complete the hungry roommate's midnight suggestion.

Let's sneak down to the kitchen and steal the last slice of pizza, _____?

The correct answer is shall we.

When we make a suggestion starting with "Let's" (which is short for "Let us"), the standard question tag to use is always "shall we?".

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