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This is because it can be a verb TO DO (Do / Does / Did / Done) and can also be an AUXILIARY verb (Do / Does /
Did).
The Verb - To Do
The verb TO DO has four forms.
I / you / we / they - DO
he / she / it - DOES
I do my laundry on Saturdays.
They do their chores when they arrive home.
He does nothing all day.
She does charity work when she has time.
TO DO - To replace a verb
We sometimes use the verb DO to replace a verb when the meaning is clear or obvious. This replacement is more
common in informal spoken English:
DO vs DOES in Questions
To make a question in the Simple Present Tense in English we normally put the auxiliary Do or Does at the beginning
of the question before the subject.
You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to change it into a question. We use Do when
the subject is I, you, we or they.
When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative sentence a question. Notice
that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the
question.
NOTE: We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must, might, should
etc.)
Notice there can be other words before Do and Does such as Question Words (Who, What etc.)
DID in Questions
To make a question in the Past Tense in English we normally put the auxiliary DID at the beginning of the question or
before the main subject.
Both Do and Does in present tense questions become Did in past tense questions. Compare the following:
The main verb (live in the example above) is in its base form (of the infinitive). The auxiliary DID shows that the
question is in the past tense.
NOTICE: The only difference between a question in the present tense and a question in the past tense is the change in
the auxiliary verb.
Don't and Doesn't are used in negative sentences with all verbs EXCEPT To Be and Modal verbs (Can, might, should
etc.).
You will see that we add don't between the subject and the verb. We use Don't when the subject is I, you, we or they.
When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb to make a negative sentence.
Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the
negative sentence.
The main verb (live in the example above) is in its base form (of the infinitive). The auxiliary DIDN'T shows that the
sentence is negative AND in the past tense.
NOTICE: The only difference between a negative sentence in the present tense and a negative sentence in the past
tense is the change in the auxiliary verb.
I didn't want to go
He didn't study for the exam.
We didn't have time to finish the report.
They didn't like the movie.
DO - For Emphasis
Sometimes Do / Does / Did are used in positive sentences to give special emphasis. Note that when speaking, the
word (do/does/did) is stressed.
I do want to go. (We put stress on the word DO to emphasize that we want to go)
You do need to take an umbrella.
He does like spinach. (You may be surprised but yes, he likes spinach)
I did study. (Contrary to what you may believe... yes, I studied)
Notice that Did is used for positive sentences in the past tense and that the main verb is in its base form.
Do can also appear at the beginning of an imperative sentence to emphasize the importance of that imperative verb.
Next activity
Try our interactive game about the difference between Do, Does, Did and Done.
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