Question Tags and Short Answers

Topic: Question Tags and Short Answers | JAMB UTME – English Language Weight in Exam: 3 (Appears in Antonym, Sentence Completion, and Structure questions)

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What Are Question Tags?

A question tag is a short phrase added to the end of a statement to turn it into a question. It works like a small “check” — the speaker is asking the listener to confirm whether what they’ve said is true.

Think of it this way: instead of saying “You are coming” (a statement) or “Are you coming?” (a full question), a speaker can say “You’re coming, aren’t you?” — the statement comes first, then a small tag at the end turns it into a question.

Question tags are extremely common in everyday English — in conversation, on radio and TV shows, in interviews, and in literature. For the JAMB UTME exam, you must be able to:

1. Identify the correct question tag for a given statement
2. Form a grammatically accurate question tag
3. Understand short answers that respond to tag questions

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The Golden Rule: Echo and Reverse

The most important rule for question tags is simple:

Positive statement → Negative tag Negative statement → Positive tag

This rule comes from the idea of “seeking confirmation.” If you make a positive statement and add a negative tag, you’re asking “Right?” If you make a negative statement and add a positive tag, you’re saying “Yes, correct?”

Statement Type	Example	Tag	Full Question
Positive statement	”You are a student."	"aren’t you?"	"You are a student, aren’t you?”
Negative statement	”You don’t like rice."	"do you?"	"You don’t like rice, do you?”

Why Does This Work?

When you say “You are a student, aren’t you?” — you’re suggesting you’re fairly sure you’re right, but you want the listener to confirm. The negative tag makes the question feel more conversational, not harsh.

When you say “You don’t like rice, do you?” — you’re acknowledging uncertainty. You think they may not like rice, but you’re checking. The positive tag keeps the question soft.

JAMB examiners often test whether you understand this echo-and-reverse pattern. Many candidates fail because they simply add “isn’t it?” to everything — which is wrong.

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How Question Tags Are Formed

A question tag always has two parts:

1. An auxiliary verb (copied from the main clause)
2. A subject pronoun (referring to the subject of the main clause)

The pattern looks like this:

Statement + comma + Auxiliary + Subject Pronoun + question mark?

“She is a student” → “She is a student, isn’t she?”

Let’s go through every tense and verb form you’ll encounter in the UTME:

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1. Present Simple with the Verb “To Be”

When the main verb in the statement is “to be” (is, am, are, was, were), simply use the same form in the tag, with the opposite polarity.

Statement	Question Tag	Full Sentence
I am ready.	aren’t I?	I am ready, aren’t I?
She is a student.	isn’t she?	She is a student, isn’t she?
They are here.	aren’t they?	They are here, aren’t they?
It was expensive.	wasn’t it?	It was expensive, wasn’t it?
We were late.	weren’t we?	We were late, weren’t we?

Note: “Am I not?” sounds very formal and awkward. In English, the tag for “I am” is “aren’t I?” — this is the standard and correct form.

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2. Present Simple with Other Verbs (Dynamic/Ordinary)

When the statement uses ordinary verbs (like like, want, play, know) in present simple, there is no auxiliary verb in the statement itself. So we add the auxiliary “do” (or “does” for third person singular).

Statement	Question Tag	Full Sentence
You like rice.	don’t you?	You like rice, don’t you?
She plays football.	doesn’t she?	She plays football, doesn’t she?
They work hard.	don’t they?	They work hard, don’t they?
He knows me.	doesn’t he?	He knows me, doesn’t he?

Rule: Use “do” for I/you/we/they. Use “does” for he/she/it.

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3. Past Simple with “To Be”

When the verb “to be” is in past tense (was/were), use the same form with opposite polarity:

Statement	Question Tag	Full Sentence
They were there.	weren’t they?	They were there, weren’t they?
She was happy.	wasn’t she?	She was happy, wasn’t she?
It was a good movie.	wasn’t it?	It was a good movie, wasn’t it?
We were on time.	weren’t we?	We were on time, weren’t we?

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4. Past Simple with Ordinary Verbs

When the statement uses an ordinary verb in past simple (no auxiliary), we add “did” in the tag and return the main verb to its base form.

Statement	Question Tag	Full Sentence
She came early.	didn’t she?	She came early, didn’t she?
You studied last night.	didn’t you?	You studied last night, didn’t you?
They left on time.	didn’t they?	They left on time, didn’t they?
He forgot.	didn’t he?	He forgot, didn’t he?

Key: The main verb in the statement stays in its past form (came, studied, left). The tag uses “did” + base form (come, study, leave). This is because “did” already carries the past tense, so the verb after it returns to base form.

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5. Present Perfect Tense

When the statement uses have/has + past participle, the tag uses have/has with opposite polarity:

Statement	Question Tag	Full Sentence
You have eaten.	haven’t you?	You have eaten, haven’t you?
She has left.	hasn’t she?	She has left, hasn’t she?
They have finished.	haven’t they?	They have finished, haven’t they?
It has happened.	hasn’t it?	It has happened, hasn’t it?

The auxiliary has stays the same in form — we only change the polarity (positive/negative). We do not say “didn’t you” for a present perfect sentence.

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6. Past Perfect Tense

When the statement uses had + past participle, the tag uses had with opposite polarity:

Statement	Question Tag	Full Sentence
He had left.	hadn’t he?	He had left, hadn’t he?
She had already gone.	hadn’t she?	She had already gone, hadn’t she?
They had finished.	hadn’t they?	They had finished, hadn’t they?

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7. Modal Verbs (can, will, should, must, may, might, would, could)

When the statement contains a modal verb, we use the same modal verb in the tag with opposite polarity:

Statement	Question Tag	Full Sentence
It can work.	can’t it?	It can work, can’t it?
She will come.	won’t she?	She will come, won’t she?
They should try.	shouldn’t they?	They should try, shouldn’t they?
You must go.	mustn’t you?	You must go, mustn’t you?
It would rain.	wouldn’t it?	It would rain, wouldn’t it?
He could swim.	couldn’t he?	He could swim, couldn’t he?
You may go.	mayn’t you?	You may go, mayn’t you?

Important: The modal verb is repeated exactly in the tag. Do not add “do/does/did” for modal verb sentences.

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Special Cases and Exceptions

Statements with No Auxiliary

If the statement uses simple present or simple past (an ordinary verb with no helping verb), we must insert an auxiliary in the tag:

Statement	Problem	Solution	Tag
You play tennis.	No auxiliary in statement	Add “do/does”	don’t you?
She works here.	No auxiliary in statement	Add “does”	doesn’t she?
They saw the film.	No auxiliary in statement	Add “did”	didn’t they?

Negative Words in the Statement — A Critical JAMB Trap

Here is where many candidates lose marks. When a statement already contains a negative word, the tag that follows must be POSITIVE. This is because the statement itself is already negative — so you reverse the polarity.

Common negative words: never, hardly, seldom, rarely, nothing, nobody, nowhere, none, no one, neither, barely, scarcely

Statement (Contains Negative Word)	Tag	Full Sentence
He never comes late.	does he?	He never comes late, does he?
She hardly ever complains.	does she?	She hardly ever complains, does she?
Nothing happened.	did it?	Nothing happened, did it?
Nobody was there.	was anyone?	Nobody was there, was anyone?
He can hardly swim.	can he?	He can hardly swim, can he?
They seldom argue.	do they?	They seldom argue, do they?
She was never on time.	was she?	She was never on time, was she?

JAMB Pattern: If the statement contains a negative word, the tag will be positive (no “n’t”). Always check whether the statement already has a negative word before deciding on your tag.

Statements with “I am”

“I am” is the one case where the tag is “aren’t I?” — not “am I not?”

Statement	Tag	Full Sentence
I am right.	aren’t I?	I am right, aren’t I?

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Short Answers

Short answers are a complementary skill to question tags. In a short answer test item, you’re asked to respond to a question using Yes/No + subject pronoun + auxiliary verb.

The rule is straightforward:

• If the question was positive (were you, does she, can they), a true/factual answer uses Yes + subject + auxiliary
• If the answer is negative to the fact, use No + subject + auxiliary + not

Examples of Short Answers

Question	Short Answer (Positive)	Short Answer (Negative)
Are you coming?	Yes, I am.	No, I’m not.
Does she know?	Yes, she does.	No, she doesn’t.
Did they come?	Yes, they did.	No, they didn’t.
Has he finished?	Yes, he has.	No, he hasn’t.
Can they win?	Yes, they can.	No, they can’t.
Was she there?	Yes, she was.	No, she wasn’t.
Will you go?	Yes, I will.	No, I won’t.
Should we stay?	Yes, we should.	No, we shouldn’t.

Note: Short answers ALWAYS repeat the auxiliary verb from the question. You never use just “Yes” or “No” alone in standard English short answers.

Short Answer Pattern

Yes/No + Subject Pronoun + Auxiliary

• “Are you a student?” → “Yes, I am.” / “No, I’m not.”
• “Did they win?” → “Yes, they did.” / “No, they didn’t.”

The auxiliary must match the tense and person of the question. This is tested frequently in JAMB’s Structure and Written Expression section.

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Common JAMB Exam Errors to Avoid

1. Always reversing polarity — Some candidates forget that a negative statement needs a positive tag. Example: “You don’t know him, do you?” is correct. “You don’t know him, don’t you?” is wrong.

2. Using the wrong auxiliary — Many candidates use “did” when the sentence is present perfect: “You have gone, didn’t you?” is wrong. It should be “haven’t you?”

3. Forgetting negative words change the tag polarity — When a statement contains “never,” “hardly,” “seldom,” etc., the tag must be positive. This is a favourite trap in JAMB questions.

4. Wrong subject pronoun — The tag must refer to the subject of the main clause:

   • Correct: “Bola and I went out, didn’t we?”
   • Wrong: “Bola and I went out, didn’t they?”

5. Not returning verbs to base form — In past simple tags with “did,” the main verb must go back to base form:

   • Correct: “She came here, didn’t she?”
   • Wrong: “She came here, didn’t she came?”

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JAMB Practice Questions

Question 1

Choose the correct question tag for this statement:

“She works in Lagos, …”

A. does she? B. doesn’t she? C. is she? D. isn’t she?

Answer: B — “She works in Lagos, doesn’t she?”

Explanation: The statement is positive (present simple, no negative word), so the tag must be negative. The subject is “she,” so we use “does” + “she” → “doesn’t she?”

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Question 2

Choose the correct option to complete this sentence:

“He never told the truth, …”

A. didn’t he? B. does he? C. did he? D. hasn’t he?

Answer: C — “He never told the truth, did he?”

Explanation: The statement already contains a negative word (“never”), so the tag must be positive — without the contraction. The correct tag is “did he?”

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Question 3

Choose the correct short answer to this question:

“Can Ade speak French?” ”…, Ade can speak French.”

A. Yes, he can B. No, he can C. Yes, he does D. Yes, he will

Answer: A — “Yes, he can”

Explanation: The question uses “can,” so the short answer must repeat “can.” The pattern is Yes/No + subject + auxiliary. Option C uses “does” (wrong auxiliary), and Option B contradicts the positive “can” with “No.”

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Question 4

Identify the correct question tag:

“They have already arrived, …”

A. haven’t they? B. have they? C. didn’t they? D. won’t they?

Answer: A — “They have already arrived, haven’t they?”

Explanation: The sentence uses present perfect (“have arrived”), so the tag uses “have” with negative polarity. Option C (“didn’t they”) is wrong because “did” is for past simple, not present perfect. Option B (“have they?”) is a positive tag, but the statement is positive — so we need a negative tag.

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Question 5

Choose the correct tag:

“Adamu was at the party, …”

A. wasn’t Adamu? B. wasn’t he? C. wasn’t it? D. isn’t he?

Answer: B — “Adamu was at the party, wasn’t he?”

Explanation: The verb is “was” (past tense of “to be”). The subject is “Adamu,” a person. The tag must use a pronoun (“he”), not repeat the name. The tag is “wasn’t he?”

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Three-Tier Content Guide

🟢 Lite — Start Here (Beginners)

Question tags are short questions attached to the end of statements. The biggest rule: flip the polarity. A positive statement gets a negative tag; a negative statement gets a positive tag.

If the sentence has “to be” (am, is, are, was, were), use the same verb in the tag. If it has an ordinary verb, add “do/does/did.” Modal verbs repeat themselves.

Negative words in the statement (never, hardly, nothing) make the tag positive.

🟡 Standard — Core Knowledge

• Master all eight tense patterns for tags (present be, present simple do/does, past be was/were, past simple did, present perfect have/has, past perfect had, all modals)
• Understand that the tag always echoes the auxiliary from the main sentence
• Know that negative words in the statement change the tag polarity
• Be able to produce correct short answers (Yes/No + subject + auxiliary)
• Practice identifying error patterns: wrong auxiliary, wrong polarity, wrong pronoun

🔴 Extended — Advanced & Exam-Ready

• Analyse complex statements: “She hardly ever comes, does she?” vs. “She hardly comes, does she?” (difference in tag depends on whether “hardly” is present)
• Handle multiple auxiliary scenarios in perfect tenses with modals
• Distinguish between tag questions and other question types in reading comprehension passages
• Apply meta-knowledge: know which patterns are most frequently tested by JAMB and which forms are most likely to appear as distractors

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Exam Tips for JAMB UTME English

1. Identify the auxiliary first — Before choosing your tag, find the main verb and its helping verb (if any). This tells you whether to use is/are/was/were, do/does/did, have/has, or the modal itself.

2. Find the polarity — Count the negative words in the statement. If there is at least one negative word (never, hardly, nothing, nobody, no, none, seldom, rarely, barely, scarcely), the tag must be positive (no “n’t”). If there is no negative word, the tag is negative.

3. Pick the pronoun — The tag always uses a pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) matching the subject of the main sentence. Never repeat the full name or noun.

4. Don’t panic on “I am” — The tag for “I am” is always “aren’t I?” even though grammatically “am I not?” could exist. In spoken and tested English, “aren’t I?” is correct.

5. For short answers, copy the auxiliary — Whatever auxiliary appears in the question must appear in the answer. Match the tense and person exactly.

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Study Priority and Order

Priority	Topic	Why It Matters
1st	Echo-and-reverse rule + polarity	Foundation of all question tags
2nd	Tense-by-tense tag formation	Covers 80% of JAMB questions
3rd	Negative word statements	High-frequency trap on JAMB
4th	Short answers	Frequently appears in structure questions
5th	Modal verb tags	Common in reading comprehension

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Related Topics

• Eng-11 — Questions and Question Forms: Direct questions, indirect questions, and question words (what, why, who, where)
• Eng-13 — Subject-Verb Agreement: How subjects and verbs agree, which matters for selecting the correct auxiliary in tags
• Eng-15 — Tenses and Aspect: Verb tenses that determine which auxiliary appears in the tag
• Eng-18 — Parts of Speech and Phrase Structure: Understanding nouns, verbs, and auxiliaries as building blocks
• Eng-24 — Oral and Written Communication: Natural use of question tags in speaking and writing

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Quick Reference Summary

Statement Type	Tag Example	Key Rule
Positive with “to be"	"She is here, isn’t she?”	Use same “to be” + negative
Positive with ordinary verb	”You play football, don’t you?”	Add do/does + negative
Negative statement	”He doesn’t smoke, does he?”	Positive tag (no “n’t”)
Past simple ordinary verb	”She left early, didn’t she?”	Use did + return verb to base
Present perfect	”They have gone, haven’t they?”	Use have/has + negative
Modal verb	”It can work, can’t it?”	Repeat the modal + negative
Statement with negative word	”He never came, did he?”	Positive tag (statement already negative)

Remember: Question tags are a test of your ability to understand polarity (positive vs. negative), auxiliary verbs, and pronoun reference — all in one small structure. Master the rule, and you can answer any tag question JAMB throws at you.