Question tag adalah kalimat yang digunakan untuk meminta penegasan dari pendengar tentang sesuatu yang belum menyakinkan si pembicara atau meminta persetujuan dari pendengar.
Ex :
Jhon is a student, isn't he ?
(Jhon adalah seorang pelajar, bukan ?
Kata " bukan " dalam kalimat itulah yang disebut question tag.
Syarat-syarat question tag adalah sebagai berikut :
1. Bila pernyataan (statement) positive maka question tagnya harus negative dan jawabannya positive, begitu sebaliknya.
Ex :
* Bentuk Positive *
1. You are a student, aren't you ? Yes, I am
2. Your father is a teacher, isn't he ? Yes, he is
3. You are happy, aren't you ? Yes, we are
4. You like apple, don't you ? Yes, I do
5. They bought a new car, didn't they ? Yes, they did
6. You will come to my house, won't you ? Yes, I will
7. You can speak english, can't you ? Yes, I can
* Bentuk Negative *
1. Jojon is not a singer, is he ? No, he is not
2. You are not angry with me, are you ? No, I am not
3. He does not love me, does he ? No, he doesn't
4. They did not go to Alam Mayang, did they ? No, They didn't
5. You will not forget me, will you ? No, I will not
6. You can not play football, can you ? No, I can't
2. Subjek dalam bentuk question tag harus berupa kata ganti.
Ex :
1. Jhon is a student, isn't he ?
2. Fadlia is beautiful, isn't she ?
3. Untuk membentuk question tag, kita harus menggunakan tobe atau kata bantu yang sesuai dengan tensesnya dan untuk question tag negativenya harus di singkat.
Ex :
1. She is a new teacher, isn't he ?
2. You study english at ITGG, don't you ?
3. Your mother made cakes, didn't she ?
4. Khusus sebagai pengecualian, pernyataan " I am " dalam bentuk positive maka untuk question tag negativenya adalah " aren't I ". Bukan " am not I ", karena bentuk singkatan am not tidak ada.
Ex :
1. I am a teacher, aren't I ?
2. I am sick, aren't I ?
Perhatikan dan bandingkan :
1. I am not a doctor, am I ?
2. I am not watching TV, am I ?
5. Kalimat yang berisikan kata-kata seperti :
neither, none of, no one, nobody, nothing maka di berlakukan sebagai kalimat negative dan question tagnya bentuk positive.
Ex :
1. There is no one in the class, are they ?
2. No body loves me, do they ?
6. Jika subjek dalam kalimat statement memakai somebody, anybody, nobody, no one, everybody, maka dalam question tag kata gantinya adalah " they ".
Ex :
1. Everybody has mother, don,t they ?
7. Question tag dapat dibuat dalam berbagai macam tenses.
8. Bentuk-bentuk singkatan (contractions) :
- are not (aren't)
- is not (isn't)
- was not (wasn't)
- were not (weren't)
- do not (don't)
- does not (doesn't)
- did not (didn't)
- have not (haven't)
- has not (hasn't)
- had not (hadn't)
- will not (won't)
- shall not (shan't)
- can not (can't)
- must not (mustn't)
- may not (mayn't)
- should not (shouldn't)
- would not (wouldn't)
- could not (couldn't)