Makalah Question Tag (Tag Question)

November 16,2018

BASIC GRAMMAR

QUESTION TAGS

BY:YUDI ISTIRA GUNAWAN

BAHASA INGGRIS 3

FAKULTAS ILMU BUDAYA

UNIVERSITAS PAMULANG

2018
 LIST OF CONTENTS

COVER

LIST OF CONTENTS …................................................................................... 1

CHAPTER 1 :
INTRODUCTION ……..……………....……………………………………... 2

CHAPTER 2 : CONTENTS

A. What is Question Tags?..……………...….....................................……….3

B. Question Tag Formula ….…..…....................................………………… 3

C. Figuration Of Question Tag .....…...……...............................…………… 4

D. Intonation Of Question Tags ...........................................………………….5

E. Example ……………….......…............................…………………………5

F. More Example Of Question Tags ..……………………………………… 5

G. Pay attention to the essential matters in Question Tags ……………………6

CHAPTER III : CLOSING

CONCLUSION …………………..……………………………………….….. 8
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Question Tags is a very common used in English daily conversation. The

sentence pattern of Question Tags is used to ask for confirmation from the listeners
about something uncertain for the speaker. For example in Bahasa Indonesia we say :

Johan adalah seorang mahasiswa bukan ?

(Johan is a student, isn’t he ?)

The word ‘not’ in this sentence that we recognize in English as Question Tags.
Question Tags are format using auxiliary verb (is, are, do, does, did, have, has, can,
may, must, shall will, etc) which are combine with pronoun (I, you, she, he, it, we,
they) with the formula as following :

- For the positive statements, Negative Question Tags.

- For the negative statements, Positive Question tags.
 CHAPTER 2
CONTENT
 What is Question Tag?

Question Tag is a special sentence patterns in English which is used for confirmation
or approval.
Question tag is a statement which following by mini-question like isn’t it?, are you?
Didn’t he?. Usually, Question tag used if questioner sure that his question answered yes
or for asking confirmation.


 Question Tag Formula

Example :
She is going to come here, isn’t she?
He cannot go now, can he?
You will be here with me, won’t you?

Example :
She loves me, doesn’t she?
He visited you, didn’t he?
They don’t watch TV, do they?
 Figuration of Question Tag

Based on the general rule (aturan umum) positive question tags can follow a
negative sentence (kalimat negatif). Likewise, negative tag question sentence can
follow positive (kalimat positif).
Question tags consist of the main verb (if it is a linking verb "be"), the dummy
auxiliary verb "do / does / did" (if the main verb is not a linking verb) or auxiliary
verb of the first (if it consists of the main verb and one or more auxiliary) +/- not +
subject (pronoun) adjusted to the main sentence.

negative sentence, positive question tag negative sentence, positive question tag

Ahmad came late, didn’t he?

Ahmad didn’t come late, did he?
(Ahmad datang terlambat kan?)
(Ahmad tidak datang terlambat kan?)
The man isn’t stingy, is he? The man is stingy, isn’t he?
(Pria tsb tidak pelit kan?) (Pria tsb pelit kan?)
You haven’t finished your homework,
You have finished your homework,
have you?
haven’t you?
(Kamu belum menyelesaikan PR-mu
(Kamu telah menyelesaikan PR-mu kan?)
kan?)
They won’t attend the seminar, will they?
They will attend the seminar, won’t they?
(Mereka tidak akan menghadiri seminar
(Mereka akan menghadiri seminar kan?)
kan?)
 Intonation of Question Tag

Back to the aim of the usage of question tags, that is to ask for information or
confirmation. When the question tag is used to ask for information, speaker position is
“He/She doesn’t know whether the information is right or wrong”. In this condition,
question tags is given a pressure with rising intonation. Otherwise, when the Tag is
used to ask for confirmation the speaker convinces that the known- information is
true. At that time the speaker just expect the answer to support his
convincing, question tag is expressed with falling intonation.

 Example:

You didn’t drink alcohol, did you? (Kamu tidak minum alkohol kan?)

 Speaker didn’t know whether the respondent drank the alcohol and he is
willing to know the answer, question tag is expressed with rising intonation.
 Speaker only want to know that the respondent did not drink alcohol and just
expect for confirmation, question tag with falling intonation.

 More Example Of Question Tag

Example Question Tag Explanation

I’m right, aren’t I? spoken English
I’m right, am I not? formal English
Everybody likes him, digunakan they sebagai gender neuter pronoun.
don’t they?
Nothing is impossible, Nothing= no thing, sehingga kalimat menjadi negatif,
is it? maka question tag-nya positif.
Nobody came late, did Nobody= no body, sehingga kalimat menjadi negatif,
they? maka question tag-nya positif.
Digunakan they sebagai gender neuter pronoun.
You will never regret it, Never= not ever, sehingga kalimat menjadi negatif,
will you? maka question tag-nya positif.
 Pay attention to the essential matters in Question Tags

1. Subject in an interrogative sentences is re-expressed in personal pronoun form.

Example :
Henri will be here, won’t he?
The players have a good skill, don’t they?
2. Sentences with the subjects like
everyone, everybody, everything, anyone, anybody, no one,
nobody, must be re-expressed in the tag as “They”.
Example :
Everybody watched movie, didn’t they?
No one cares of me, don’t they?
3. Sentences in imperative form, the tag is “Will You”.
Example :
Close the door, will you?
Don’t take my book, will you?
4. Sentences begin with “Let’s/ Let Us” is re-expressed in the tag to be “Shall We”.
Example :
let’s play the game, shall we?
Let us pay attention to the teacher’s speaking, shall we?
5. Sentences with the subject “I am/I” in positive sentences tag must use “Aren’t I”
Example :
I am clever, aren’t I?
I will get the prize in this contest, aren’t I?
But, when the negative sentences we use subject “I am not” the-tag is going back to
be “Am I”
Example :
I am not a student, am I ?
I am not lazy to study English, Am I?
6. When there is a sentence which contained the word Never, seldom, rarely,
barely, hardly, few,
little, are considered in the same degree with the negative sentences
Example :
She seldom comes late, does she?
They never spoke English, did they?
 CHAPTER 3
CLOSING

 Conclusion
By learning Question Tag, people can understand how to express confirmation
or asking for information in English. Not just to understand, but to be a good
speaker with using a good sentence. We hope that our paper can explain to the
reader relate to question tag how to express it in a sentence.