Question tags are short questions at the end of a statement. There are several reasons why we might do this. Overall, we use question tags to encourage a response from another person. We use question tags to confirm something that is true or not true. Future speculation is another reason to use this type of grammar. Advanced speakers of English know this grammar well. It is extremely common in spoken English. We can also use question tags to imply an offer. Question tags are formed with an auxiliary or modal verb. Positive statements are followed by a negative tag while negative statements are followed by a positive tag. If your statement is a true question, your intonation rises. If you know the answer or share your opinion, your intonation falls.

Sometimes, questions aren’t really questions at all. Speakers of English often want to confirm information they think they know. In other words, we might know something about a fact and we simply want to know if it is true or not. We also use negative questions to offer an opinion, polite requests and offers. When someone uses a negative question, be careful with your answer!

Another fun subject. In everyday English, we often hear statements that seem to be a little confusing. Strange grammar or words not known. Direct questions are rather simple to create. Indirect questions are a little more complicated but, easy to use with a little practice. Direct and Indirect questions are used when we don’t know the answer and need information. Indirect questions are more polite. It is common to start an indirect question with “Can” or “Do”. Remember that “Can” is often used with more urgency while “Could” is more polite. We often use “If” in our sentence as well. There are simple rules to follow. Below are examples. Ask your teacher to help explain the rules about this subject further!