I had this all-male class once. Boisterous didn’t even begin to describe them, and their energy was exhausting at times, but also something I looked forward to.
Anyway, we’d just finished learning tag questions, and during the break between classes, as I walked down the hall to the teachers’ room, tag questions were flying up and down the hallway like verbal confetti.
These young men had decided tag questions were the perfect ice breaker with the young women they wanted to talk to.
“You’re in the level three class, aren’t you?”
“You like this school, don’t you?”
Some were serious attempts at conversation, and some were comical disasters. All of them were using grammar they’d learned just minutes ago in real, spontaneous interactions.
And that’s when I knew that tag questions aren’t just grammar. They’re a social tool students want to use.
But I didn’t always think tag questions even mattered!
The first time I had to teach a grammar class, the very first one, I nearly threw up. The night before, the morning of, and during the class. Native speakers are terrible at explaining things we use instinctively, and I was terrified my students would ask questions I couldn’t answer.
When it came time to teach tag questions specifically, I dismissed them as unnecessary, not worth the time, because I didn’t think they were that common.
But I try to keep an open mind, so I spent a few days listening for tag questions in people’s conversations. (Yes, lots of eavesdropping in public places!)
Guess what? They’re everywhere, and I even caught myself using them all the time.
Wait, what are tag questions anyway?
Tag questions are positive or negative statements that end with a question tag.
“You’re coming to class tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“She didn’t finish the assignment, did she?”
That’s it. I think one reason students love them is BECAUSE the structure is so simple. Instead of trying to remember how to invert word order to create a sentence, they can just go with a statement, any statement, and then add the question tag.
Why do students love tag questions?
Tag questions also work like ice breakers. And most students don’t just want to learn grammar; they want to make connections with other students.
Students who normally kept to themselves started talking to classmates they barely knew. Reluctant speakers suddenly had a reason to engage. They wanted to use tag questions in real conversations, not just in exercises.
Using a tag question correctly makes them feel confident. Fluent. Like they’ve unlocked something native speakers do without thinking.
Don’t wait for the grammar unit on them!
I stopped teaching tag questions as a separate unit and started weaving them into verb tenses as we went.
Working on present progressive? Start using tag questions in that tense. “You’re studying for the test, aren’t you?” Model it. Encourage them to try it, and make it normal.
Hold on…what about the students who want worksheets?
I always have a few students who prefer traditional written exercises. They need that practice to feel confident.
So I made a grammar guide with worksheets. Then I got tired of constantly creating tag question sets for the relay activity (you’ll see it in a second) and made an official grammar activity. A former student asked why I never gave them task cards for tag questions, so I created sets for simple tenses and the progressive tenses..
Meet your students where they are, then nudge them into taking risks.
Two activities you can use right now
This first one works great for building memory and conversation skills. The second one is pure energy and competition. Both are going to get your students using tag questions like they’ve known them for months.
You Were Listening, Weren’t You?
Students create a list of 10-20 information questions they’ll ask a partner, preferably someone they don’t know well.
Have them leave a blank line beneath each question.
They take turns asking and answering questions with their partners WITHOUT taking notes.
Once finished, they split apart and write a tag question beneath each information question to check how well they remember their partner’s answers.
They get one point for each bit of information they remember correctly and one point for each tag question they write correctly. Whoever gets the most points wins.
Example:
Information Question: Where are you from?
Partner’s Response: I’m from Chile.
Tag Question: You’re from Chile, aren’t you?
Tag; You’re It!
Remember how I said that I made an “official” activity? This is it, and fair warning…this one gets loud.
Create as many tag questions as you can. (Or buy my tag question grammar activity and save yourself the work.)
Cut them to separate the statements and the question tags.
Put all statements on a table at one end of the classroom. Put all the question tags on a table at the other end.
Divide the class into two teams.
One person from each team grabs a statement and runs to the other table to find its match. As soon as they find it, they show it to you for confirmation. If correct, they keep the slips, run back to tag the next person in line, and you keep score on the board. If incorrect, send them back to try again. I usually let them tell their team what their statement is so that the team can help by hollering (somehow it’s always hollering) that tag question. Then they just have to find the right tag.
Repeat until all slips are gone. Then tally up the results to see which team is holding the most question tags.
Between the hollering and running back and forth, they’ll be learning grammar…but without realizing how hard they’re working.
The Bottom Line
Tag questions are not optional grammar that you can skip when you’re short on time, nor are they just filler between the “important” verb tenses.
Tag questions are a conversation tool students want to use immediately. They make students feel more fluent, more confident, more like native speakers.
And when you give them fun ways to practice? They’ll be shouting tag questions down the hallway during break, trying them out on each other, using them in real conversations.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post.
Read more about adult ESL grammar!
