Question Tag Production
Produce grammatically correct question tags at the end of declarative sentences.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Teach the two rules explicitly. The tag uses the statement's auxiliary — is, can, will, has — or supplies do when there is none, and it flips positive to negative or the reverse. Cover the tag and let the student build it, which is where the rules get applied. He hasn't called, has he? is the one to do last, since it reverses from negative to positive and students find that direction harder.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- HintStress the part of the sentence that changes, or point to the word ending.Log as cued
- Sentence starterSay the first half of the sentence and let the student finish it.Log as cued
- ModelSay the correct form in the whole sentence; the student repeats it.Log as cued
Adjust it
Give a sentence starter every time, and do fewer cards.
Ask for a new sentence of the student's own with the same form, with no card to lean on.
Matching IEP goal
Given sentence cards, Student will produce the target grammatical form in sentences in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve statements with their tags: You're coming, aren't you? She likes pizza, doesn't she? They left already, didn't they? He can swim, can't he? We won, didn't we? He hasn't called, has he? They're not ready, are they? Tags reverse the polarity of the statement and reuse its auxiliary, which makes them one of the most intricate small structures in English.
What to listen for
Listen for the auxiliary being carried across. She likes pizza has no auxiliary, so the tag has to supply doesn't — and students who have not been told this produce likes she or isn't she. Watch the polarity flip on the negative statements, which is the half that most often goes wrong.
Carrying it home
Tags are common in ordinary speech and easy to notice once pointed out. Hearing you're ready, aren't you and asking what the second part is doing takes ten seconds.
What's in this activity
- You're coming, aren't you?
- It's cold today, isn't it?
- He can swim, can't he?
- You'll be there, won't you?
- We won, didn't we?
- He hasn't called, has he?
- You don't mind, do you?
- That was easy, wasn't it?
- They're not ready, are they?
- +3 more
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Fifth through eighth, and it is useful for older students learning English as an additional language.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all twelve items play free.
- Why are question tags so difficult?
- Because two things have to be right at once — the auxiliary has to match the statement, and the polarity has to flip. English speakers do this automatically and cannot usually explain it, which is why it needs stating.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.