Grade 5 English Punctuation – Question Tags Notes
Punctuation: Question Tags
Subject: English • For Class (Age ~10) • Kenyan examples
What is a question tag?
A question tag is a short question added to the end of a sentence. We use it to ask for agreement or confirmation.
Example: You are ready, aren't you? ✅
How to write a question tag
- Put a comma after the statement.
- Use a short question (the tag) after the comma.
- End with a question mark.
Like this: He is your teacher, isn't he?
Important rule (easy):
If the main sentence is positive, the tag is negative. If the main sentence is negative, the tag is positive.
Positive → Negative
She is coming, isn't she?
Negative → Positive
They are not late, are they?
Which verb do we use in the tag?
- If the sentence has be (am/is/are/was/were) → repeat it in the tag.
You are Kenyan, aren't you?
- If the sentence has an auxiliary verb (have, has, will, can, must...) → use it in the tag.
She can swim, can't she?
- If there is no auxiliary (simple present or past) → use do/does/did in the tag.
You play football, don't you?
Use the right pronoun
The subject in the tag must be a pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they), not a noun.
Example: Mrs. Wanjiku is kind, isn't she? (not "isn't Mrs. Wanjiku?")
Common examples (Kenyan school life)
- We have break at ten, don't we?
- You live in Nairobi, don't you?
- He is the headteacher, isn't he?
- They didn't come to school, did they?
- She can speak Swahili, can't she?
- I am right, aren't I? (special form)
Short practice (write the correct tag)
- Your father works at the hospital, __________?
- The children are playing, __________?
- He doesn't like ugali, __________?
- We will go on a safari, __________?
- She can help us, __________?
- I am your friend, __________?
Answers
- Your father works at the hospital, doesn't he?
- The children are playing, aren't they?
- He doesn't like ugali, does he?
- We will go on a safari, won't we?
- She can help us, can't she?
- I am your friend, aren't I?
Quick tips:
- Always use a comma before the tag and end with a question mark.
- Match the tense and the auxiliary in the main sentence.
- Pronouns only in the tag (he, she, they...).
Good job! Keep practising with sentences you hear at home and at school. 😊