Framing Questions & Question Tags: Rules for Forming Questions and Tags
This page gives the rules for forming the correct question (Yes/No and Wh-question) from a sentence, the difference between a question about the subject and one about the object, and all the essential rules for question tags, with examples.
- Class 5-10 grammar level
- 8 min read
How to Form Yes/No Questions
A question whose answer is Yes or No is called a Yes/No (general) question. Rule: bring the auxiliary verb before the subject and add a question mark at the end of the sentence. He is reading → Is he reading? They have finished → Have they finished? She can drive → Can she drive?
In a sentence with no auxiliary verb (Simple Present and Simple Past), we add do/does/did, and the main verb returns to its first form (V1). Rani goes to school → Does Rani go to school? Rani went to Delhi by bus → Did Rani go to Delhi by bus? The most common mistake is 'Did Rani went…?' — 'did' is already showing the past, so 'went' must become 'go'. Forming a question never changes the sentence's tense: the question for a sentence with 'had killed' is formed with 'had' itself, not with do/did.
The Structure for Forming a Wh-Question
| What the question is about | Question word | Example (sentence → question) |
|---|---|---|
| Subject (person) | Who + verb (no do/did) | The angry neighbours had killed the mad dog. → Who had killed the mad dog? |
| Object (person) | Whom/Who + aux + subject + V | They will not help their needy neighbour. → Whom (Who) will they not help? |
| Person after a preposition | To whom / With whom … | He has given a pen to Radha. → To whom has he given a pen? |
| Object/thing | What | She bought a new bag. → What did she buy? |
| Time | When | The merchant left the shutter opened yesterday. → When did the merchant leave the shutter opened? |
| Place | Where | They live in Jaipur. → Where do they live? |
| Reason | Why | He was absent because he was ill. → Why was he absent? |
| Manner/means | How | Rani went to Delhi by bus. → How did Rani go to Delhi? |
| Possession | Whose | This is Mohan's book. → Whose book is this? |
| Number/quantity | How many / How much | He has three cows. → How many cows does he have? |
| Choosing among options | Which | I like the red pen. → Which pen do you like? |
Formula: Wh-word + auxiliary + subject + main verb + rest of the sentence? — but in a question about the subject, Who/What comes directly before the verb.
The Difference Between a Subject Question and an Object Question
This is the exam's favourite trap. When the question is about the subject, Who/What itself becomes the subject; so the sentence's word order doesn't change, and do/does/did is not added in Simple Present/Past — Ram broke the glass → Who broke the glass? (not 'Who did break…'). The angry neighbours had killed the mad dog → Who had killed the mad dog?
When the question is about the object, Whom (in speech, Who) is used, followed by auxiliary + subject — Ram broke the glass → What did Ram break? They will not help their needy neighbour → Whom will they not help? Notice that 'Whom had the mad dog killed?' reverses the meaning (asking whom the dog killed), so such options are wrong. Right after a preposition, it is always whom, never who — To whom has he given a pen?
Rules for Question Tags
| Situation | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| General | Positive sentence → negative tag; negative sentence → positive tag; use the sentence's own auxiliary verb and the subject's pronoun | She is a teacher, isn't she? / They can't swim, can they? |
| Simple Present/Past (no auxiliary) | Tag with do/does/did | He plays well, doesn't he? / You went there, didn't you? |
| I am | Tag 'aren't I?' in a positive sentence | I am sick, aren't I? |
| Let's | Tag 'shall we?' | Let's go for a walk, shall we? |
| Imperative | Tag 'will you?' (also won't you / would you for politeness) | Shut the door, will you? / Don't be late, will you? |
| Negative words | A sentence with never, hardly, seldom, scarcely, no, nobody, nothing is treated as negative → positive tag | He never tells lies, does he? / Nobody came, did they? |
| There is/are | Tag uses 'there' | There is a problem, isn't there? |
| Everyone/somebody/nobody | Pronoun 'they' | Everyone was present, weren't they? |
| Nothing/everything, this/that | Pronoun 'it' | Nothing happened, did it? / This is your pen, isn't it? |
| Form of the tag | The negative tag is usually contracted; the subject is always a pronoun | Radha is tall, isn't she? (not isn't Radha?) |
Memory Trick / Exam Tip
When choosing the question, run three checks — (1) is the tense the same? (2) is V1 used after did/does? (3) if it's a question about the subject, no do/did in between. For tags, remember 'reverse it, shorten it, make it a pronoun' — and memorise three exceptions: I am → aren't I, Let's → shall we, Imperative → will you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the question tag for 'I am'?+
The standard question tag for a positive sentence with 'I am…' is 'aren't I?', as in I am late, aren't I? The tag for the negative sentence 'I'm not late' is 'am I?'.
What is the question tag for a sentence with 'Let's'?+
A suggestion sentence beginning with 'Let's' takes the tag 'shall we?' — Let's play, shall we?
What is the difference between Who and Whom?+
Who is used for the subject (Who called you?), while whom is used for the object or after a preposition (Whom did you call? / To whom did you write?).
Which form of the verb comes after 'did'?+
The verb's first form (V1) always comes after 'did' — Did Rani go? 'Did Rani went?' is wrong.