Meaning & use
tag phrase
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A short phrase added to the end of a statement that turns it into a question, asking for confirmation or agreement.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a tag phrase' or 'tag phrases'. It usually follows a statement and matches its auxiliary verb.
Patterns
- a tag phrase at the end of a statement
- use a tag phrase to check information
In English, 'isn't it?' in 'It's cold today, isn't it?' is a tag phrase.
She added a tag phrase to her sentence to make it sound more friendly.
Learners often forget to make the tag phrase negative when the statement is positive.
Word forms
| plural | tag phrases |
|---|
Common combinations
- add a tag phrase
- You can add a tag phrase to make your statement a question.
- question tag
- 'Isn't it?' is a common question tag in English.
- tag question
- In some grammar books, a tag phrase is called a tag question.
Synonyms and how they differ
- question tag
- Question tag is the more common term in British English grammar; tag phrase is a broader term that can refer to any short phrase added at the end.
- tag question
- Tag question is often used in American English and refers specifically to a short question added to a statement.
Word family
- tag noun
- A short word or phrase added to something, such as a label or a question at the end of a sentence.
Commonly confused: tag phrase or tagline?
tag phrase vs tagline
A tagline is a memorable phrase used in advertising, not a grammatical question at the end of a sentence.
Practice
Which of these is a tag phrase?
Choose one answer.
'Isn't she?' is a tag phrase because it is a short question added to the end of a statement to ask for confirmation. The other options are not questions added to statements.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tag phrase”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.