Grammar Syntax Questions Medium
Question tags are short phrases that are added to the end of a statement to turn it into a question. The rules for using question tags in grammar syntax are as follows:
1. The question tag should match the tense of the main verb in the statement. For example, if the main verb is in the present tense, the question tag should also be in the present tense.
2. If the main verb is positive, the question tag should be negative, and vice versa. For instance, if the statement is "You are coming, aren't you?", the main verb "are" is positive, so the question tag "aren't you?" is negative.
3. If the main verb is in the present simple tense, the auxiliary verb "do" is used in the question tag. For example, "He likes coffee, doesn't he?"
4. If the main verb is in the past simple tense, the auxiliary verb "did" is used in the question tag. For instance, "They went to the party, didn't they?"
5. If the main verb is in the present continuous tense, the auxiliary verb "is" or "are" is used in the question tag. For example, "She is studying, isn't she?"
6. If the main verb is in the past continuous tense, the auxiliary verb "was" or "were" is used in the question tag. For instance, "They were playing football, weren't they?"
7. If the main verb is in the present perfect tense, the auxiliary verb "have" or "has" is used in the question tag. For example, "You have finished your homework, haven't you?"
8. If the main verb is in the past perfect tense, the auxiliary verb "had" is used in the question tag. For instance, "She had already left, hadn't she?"
9. If the main verb is in the future tense, the auxiliary verb "will" is used in the question tag. For example, "He will come, won't he?"
10. If the main verb is in the modal verb form, the same modal verb is used in the question tag. For instance, "You can swim, can't you?"
It is important to note that the subject of the question tag is always a pronoun that agrees with the subject of the main statement. For example, "She is going, isn't she?"