Hello, everybody.
I’m Greg, and in today’s video we’re going to be
looking at a quite special construction in English grammar,
a construction that can really cause confusion among some students.
You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?
You’ve tried studying them before, haven’t you?
They nearly made you tear your hair out, didn’t they?
Yes, of course, today we’re looking at question tags.
Or, as they’re known in American English, tag questions.
So yes, today’s topic is question tags.
But, however, before we start the video, you have subscribed to the channel,
haven’t you?
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Okay, so now that you’ve done that, let’s see what question tags are
all about.
So, a question tag is a mini-question that
follows a statement, that we use in English
to check or confirm something.
Like when we’re not sure if we’ve got something right,
or if we don’t trust someone.
You’ve got the passports, haven’t you?
Question tags can come in two forms.
A negative tag is used to follow a positive statement,
whereas a positive tag is used the other way round,
to follow a negative statement.
So you packed the passports, didn’t you?
You really don’t trust me, do you?
And question tags can be pronounced in two different ways.
When we’re genuinely asking a question, and we don’t know the
answer to something, then the question tag
is pronounced with a rising intonation.
You booked the tickets, didn’t you?
Whereas, when we’re saying something that doesn’t really require an answer,
like a statement or a comment on something,
then the negative tag will have a falling intonation.
You forgot to book them, didn’t you?
Don’t worry, I have the passports. Fantastic, well done.
It’s a great feeling now you’re going on holiday.
Nothing can stop us now, can it?
So, there you go, question tags.
A really useful bit of English grammar for you.
As ever, before I go, just a reminder to subscribe
to the channel, if you haven’t already.
Just checking that you have subscribed,
because you wouldn’t lie to me, would you?
Okay, that’s a wrap.
All that’s left to say is to say thank you for stopping by,
it’s been great to have you here today.
And I’ll see you next time for more language fun.