Question tag adalah pertanyaan yang ditambahkan pada akhir suatu kalimat untuk menyatakan suatu informasi atau untuk mendapatkan persetujuan. Ini merupakan pertanyaan ekor yang tidak membutuhkan jawaban.
Question tag juga merupakan suatu kata bentuk penegasan kalimat yang digunakan untuk menguatkan pendapat, yang dalam bahasa Indonesia, biasanya diartikan kan? atau bukan?
Dalam
question tag diperlukan
auxiliary (kata kerja bantu), yakni :
- To be
- is, am, are (present)
- was, were (past)
- To do
- does (present)
- did (past)
- To Have
- has, have (present)
- had (past)
- Modals (Can, May, Will, Should, Could)
Bentuk umum dari question tag adalah
Positive sentence + Negative question tag
Negative sentence + Positive question tag
Contoh:
You are a doctor, aren’t you?
+ –
The question isn’t difficult, is it?
– +
A. Kalimat positif (+)
Bila kalimat pernyataan dalam bentuk positif, maka
tag -nya harus dalam bentuk negatif. Contoh :
- She really can swim, can't she?
- Some students study English at school, don't they?
- The book was very expensive, wasn't it?
B. Kalimat negatif (-)
Bila kalimat pernyataan dalam bentuk negatif, maka
tag -nya harus dalam bentuk positif. Contoh :
- We have discussed chapter III, haven't we?
- There is a music concert today. isn't there?
- Tommy didn't like you, did he?
Catatan :
Subjek dalam
tag berupa bentuk
personal pronoun (kata ganti), contoh :
- Melinda is your student, isn't she?
- The girls look very happy, don't they?
- Everything is okay, isn't it?
- This is my teacher's house, isn't it?
- There was a cat under the table, wasn't there?
Subyek
everybody, everyone, anybody, anyone, nobody, dan
no one berubah menjadi "
they" pada bentuk
tag-nya.
Contoh :
- Everyone came here last night, didn't they?
- No one believe me, do they?
Pernyataan positif "
I am" bentuk
tag-nya harus "
aren't I?". Akan tetapi, bentuk negatif "
I am not" bentuk
tag-nya tetap "
am I?"
Contoh:
- I am handsome, aren't I?
- I am not guilty, am I?
Jika kalimat pertama tidak mengandung auxiliary maka tag-nya mengandung do, does, atau did sesuai dengan bentuk kata kerja yang ada pada statement.
Contoh:
- They play football in the yard, don't they?
- He plays football in the yard, doesn't he?
- They played football in the yard, didn't they?
Jika kalimat pertama adalah kalimat perintah maka
tag-nya berbentuk berbentuk
"will you".
Contoh:
- Open the door, will you?
- Put the book on my table, will you?
ika kalimat pertama adalah kalimat ajakan maka
tag-nya berbentuk berbentuk
"shall we"
- Let's go home,shall we?
- Let's do it, shall we?.
Beberapa ketentuan yang dipakai:
1. Bila dalam kalimat menggunakan:
a.
To be, tag–nya
to be.
The shops
are closed,
aren’t they?
Lucy
isn’t a teacher,
is she?
b. Kata kerja
simple present/past, tag–nya adalah auxiliary verbs (
do does, did).
Vina cleans the room,
doesn’t she?
Dodi didn’t go to school,
did he?
c. Kata kerja
present/past perfect, tag–nya
have, has, had.
The nurse
has gone,
hasn’t she?
The boy hadn’t slept before his mother come, had he?
d.
Modal, tag–nya
modal yang sama.
Rosa could sing, couldn’t she?
2. Bila subyek yang dipakai adalah:
a.
Everything, anything, nothing, something, tag–nya adalah
it.
Something is missing, isn’t it?
b.
Everybody, anybody, nobody, somebody, tag–nya adalah
they.
Somebody put the box, don’t they?
c.
There, tag–nya tetap
there.
There was a horse, wasn’t there?
d.
This/that, tag–nya
it.
This isn’t yours, is it?
e.
These/ those, tag–nya
they.
These are your books, aren’t they?
Catatan:
Kata
seldom, rarely, barely, never, hardly, few, little, dan no akan menjadikan sebuah
kalimat menjadi kalimat negatif, maka tag nya harus positif.
Contoh:
- You seldom bring the dictionary, do you?
- Sinta never eats durian, does she?
Contoh:
1. Ari : She usually travels by train, …
Adi : Yes. She prefers to go by train to bus because it’s more comfortable.
a. doesn’t she? c. is she?
b. does she? d. won’t she?
Jawab: (a)
Dalam percakapan ini diminta untuk melengkapi kalimat dengan question tag. Dalam question tag:
Pertanyaan Tagnya
+ –
– +
She usually travels by train, doesn’t she?
+ –
2. Andien : You’ll have the audition next week, ...?
Delon : Yes, pray for me.
Andien : Good luck to you.
a. won’t you? c. don’t you?
b. will you? d. do you?
Jawab: (a)
Dalam percakapan ini diminta untuk melengkapi kalimat dengan question tag. Dalam question tag:
You’ll have the audition next week, won’t you?
+ –
You’ll = you will, dalam question tag bentuk negatif dari will bukan will not, melainkan won’t.
