Question tags - ESL worksheet by Nayane Thewes - Free Printable

Let's solve this exercise on question tags. Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement to seek confirmation or agreement. The rule is:

- If the main statement is positive, the tag is negative.
- If the main statement is negative, the tag is positive.
- The auxiliary verb (or modal) in the tag must match the one in the statement.
- Pronouns in the tag must match the subject of the sentence.

Here’s the solution with explanations:

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a) This movie is funny, isn’t it?
→ "is" is positive → use negative tag "isn’t" + pronoun "it" (refers to "this movie").

b) You brought a dictionary, didn’t you?
→ "brought" is past tense, so we use "did" → "didn’t you?" (negative tag because the statement is positive).

c) You don’t like hamburgers, do you?
→ "don’t" is negative → use positive tag "do you?"

d) Frank isn’t driving his truck today, is he?
→ "isn’t" is negative → use positive tag "is he?"

e) We can’t have lunch now, can we?
→ "can’t" is negative → use positive tag "can we?"

f) They didn’t go to the museum, did they?
→ "didn’t" is negative → use positive tag "did they?"

g) You aren’t using the cell phone, are you?
→ "aren’t" is negative → use positive tag "are you?"

h) She was feeling tired, wasn’t she?
→ "was" is positive → use negative tag "wasn’t" + "she".

i) They danced, didn’t they?
→ "danced" is past simple → use "did" → "didn’t they?"

j) It is raining, isn’t it?
→ "is" is positive → use negative tag "isn’t it?"

k) We were happy, weren’t we?
→ "were" is positive → use negative tag "weren’t we?"

l) My sister isn’t working now, is she?
→ "isn’t" is negative → use positive tag "is she?"

m) He doesn’t like to dive, does he?
→ "doesn’t" is negative → use positive tag "does he?"

n) Your brother lives in Australia, doesn’t he?
→ "lives" is positive → use negative tag "doesn’t he?"

o) This book isn’t expensive, is it?
→ "isn’t" is negative → use positive tag "is it?"

p) I make a good work, don’t I?
→ Note: "make a good work" is incorrect grammar. It should be "I do good work" or "I make good work" (but "work" is uncountable). However, assuming the intended meaning is correct, we proceed with the structure:
→ "make" is present simple → use "do" → "don’t I?"
So: I make good work, don’t I? (Note: grammatical error in original, but we focus on question tag.)

q) Peter doesn’t play tennis, does he?
→ "doesn’t" is negative → use positive tag "does he?"

r) The teacher is new here, isn’t he/she?
→ "is" is positive → use negative tag "isn’t" + pronoun ("he" or "she", depending on gender).
We’ll use isn’t he? or isn’t she? — both acceptable if context not given.

s) You didn’t see it, did you?
→ "didn’t" is negative → use positive tag "did you?"

t) They weren’t talking, were they?
→ "weren’t" is negative → use positive tag "were they?"

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✔ Final Answers:

a) isn’t it?
b) didn’t you?
c) do you?
d) is he?
e) can we?
f) did they?
g) are you?
h) wasn’t she?
i) didn’t they?
j) isn’t it?
k) weren’t we?
l) is she?
m) does he?
n) doesn’t he?
o) is it?
p) don’t I?
q) does he?
r) isn’t he? / isn’t she?
s) did you?
t) were they?

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🔍 Key Tips:

- Always check for auxiliary/modals: *is, are, was, were, do, does, did, can, could, will, would*, etc.
- Use contractions like *isn’t, wasn’t, didn’t, don’t* in tags.
- Subject pronouns must agree with the subject (e.g., “they” → “they”, “you” → “you”, “he” → “he”).
- Be careful with negative statements – the tag becomes positive.

Let me know if you'd like this as a printable worksheet!