Questions and Question Tags | English Olympiad for Class 3 PDF Download

Questions are sentences that seek information, clarification, or confirmation. They typically begin with question words like "who," "what," "where," "when," "why," or "how," or they can be formed by inverting the subject and the auxiliary verb in a statement.

Examples:

• Who is coming to the party?
• What time does the movie start?
• Where are you going on vacation?
• When did you finish your homework?
• Why are you sad?
• How did you learn to ride a bike?

Question Tags

Question tags are short phrases added to the end of a statement to turn it into a question or to seek confirmation or agreement. They typically consist of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun that matches the subject of the statement.

Examples:

• It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
• You're going to the store, aren't you?
• She can speak French, can't she?
• He hasn't finished yet, has he?
• They like pizza, don't they?
• We're going to the beach, aren't we?

Rule for forming question tags:

• If the main clause is positive, the question tag is negative.
• If the main clause is negative, the question tag is positive.

Examples:

• Main clause: You're coming for the party.
• Positive main clause ➡ Negative question tag
  Question tag: aren't you?
• Main clause: You are not coming for the party.
• Negative main clause ➡ Positive question tag
  Question tag: are you?
• Main clause: She has finished her lunch.
• Positive main clause ➡ Negative question tag
  Question tag: hasn't she?

For statements showing possession, two solutions are possible:

• He has a pen, doesn't he? (Widely accepted answer)
• He has a pen, hasn't he? (Less common, but still correct)

Understanding question tags and their rules helps ensure clear and accurate communication in conversations. Questions and question tags are essential for communication as they help gather information, confirm understanding, and engage in conversation.