Tag Question
Definition
A short interrogative attached to a declarative, such as 'You left at midnight, didn't you?' The grammatical form invites agreement and is used in cross-examination to constrain witness response.
- Structure
- Declarative statement plus short interrogative tag
- Example form
- '...didn't you?', '...isn't it?'
- Function
- Invites agreement, constrains witness response
- Use context
- Cross-examination questioning
Common questions
Why are tag questions considered a form of leading question in cross-examination?+
The declarative portion asserts a fact and the tag invites a simple confirming or denying response, structurally steering the witness toward agreeing with the examiner's framing rather than describing events in the witness's own words, which is the classic hallmark of a leading question permitted in cross-examination.
How can a forensic linguist demonstrate that a series of tag questions shaped a witness's testimony?+
By analysing the transcript for a pattern of successive tag questions that progressively narrow or commit the witness to a specific version of events, and comparing the witness's answers when questions were open versus tag-structured, a linguist can show how the questioning form itself influenced the resulting testimony.
Do tag questions always pressure a witness toward the examiner's preferred answer?+
Not always; a witness can resist a tag question's pull by contradicting the tag directly, but research on courtroom discourse shows tag questions measurably increase the rate of compliant, agreeing responses compared to open-ended questions, especially under sustained cross-examination.
Related terms
- Cross-Examination
- Questioning of a witness by the opposing party. For an expert, cross-examination probes qualifications, methodology, the basis of opinions, limitations, inconsistencies with...
- Examination-in-Chief
- The questioning of a witness by the party who called them. For an expert, this is typically limited because the substance is...
- Leading Question
- A question that signals or contains the expected answer. 'You were angry, weren't you?' is leading because the expected answer is embedded....
- Presupposition
- Information built into a question as a taken-for-granted background assumption. Asking 'Why did you go back?' presupposes the person went back. The...
- Response Constraint
- The structural limits on what a witness can say given a particular question type. A yes/no question formally permits only yes or...