Meaning & use
tag statement
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalspecialist
a short phrase added to the end of a sentence to ask for agreement or check information
Grammar: Countable: one tag statement, two tag statements. It is a technical term used in grammar books.
Patterns
- a tag statement
- use a tag statement
- add a tag statement
In English, 'isn't it?' in 'It's cold, isn't it?' is a tag statement.
Teachers often explain tag statements to help students ask questions politely.
A tag statement usually matches the tense and auxiliary of the main sentence.
Word forms
| plural | tag statements |
|---|
Common combinations
- negative tag statement
- A negative tag statement like 'don't you?' often follows a positive sentence.
- positive tag statement
- A positive tag statement like 'do you?' often follows a negative sentence.
- use a tag statement
- Speakers use a tag statement to involve the listener.
Synonyms and how they differ
- question tag
- Question tag is the more common term in British English for the same thing.
- tag question
- Tag question is the usual term in American English; tag statement is a less common, more formal variant.
Word family
- tag noun
- a short phrase or label attached to something
Commonly confused: tag statement or tag question?
tag statement vs tag question
Tag question is the standard term for this grammatical structure; tag statement is a less common synonym.
Practice
Which of the following is an example of a tag statement?
Choose one answer.
A tag statement adds a short phrase like 'aren't you?' to the end of a statement to ask for agreement. Option 1 has this tag, while the others are a plain statement, a direct question, and a sentence with a reason clause.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tag statement”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.