Auxiliaries

Concept: Sentences and Questions with 'do' & 'did'

Definition:

• Auxiliary verbs can describe both singular and plural nouns.
• Auxiliaries are also known as helping verbs. They give more information about the main verb.
• ‘Do’, ‘does’, and ‘did’ are the auxiliary verbs that describe an event or action that can be in the present or in the past. We can also refer to them as ‘do-verbs’.

In this lesson, we will learn about ‘do’ and ‘did’.

1. The use of ‘do’:
   • We use ‘do’ with plural nouns and pronouns like ‘we’, ‘they’.
   • We can make a statement by using ‘do’ in a sentence.

   Note: Statements are sentences that talk about facts, ideas, or opinions. They don’t ask questions, make requests or give advice.

   • Questions can be made with the word ‘do’. It is added at the start of the question.
   • We can use ‘do’ when we talk about an incident or an action that happens in the present or happens regularly.

   Examples:

   As statements

   
   • In the first sentence, ‘do’ is used to talk about plural nouns (Rakul and Nayan), and in the second sentence, it is used with the plural pronoun ‘they’.

   As questions

   

   Add ‘do’ before a statement to make it a question, and place a question mark at the end of the sentence.

2. The Use of ‘did’:
   • The word ‘did’ is used with both singular and plural nouns and pronouns.
   • ‘Did’ is used to describe an action that already happened in the past.
   • Add ‘did’ before a statement to ask a question.
   • Whenever we use ‘did’ in a sentence, the main verb doesn’t have ‘ed’ or ‘d’ at the end of the word.

   As statements

   
   • The above sentences describe an action that occurred in the past. Therefore, we used ‘did’ in the sentences.
   • ‘Did’ can be used with singular and plural nouns and pronouns. In the first sentence, the action was done by a singular person (singular pronoun ‘I’), and in the second one, the action was done by more than one person (plural pronoun ‘we’).

   a) Statement: You ate your breakfast?
   Question: Did you eat your breakfast?

   
   

   b) Statement: Suraj and his mother visited a doctor.
   Question: Did Suraj and his mother visit a doctor?

   Notice the word ‘did’ is added at the beginning of a statement, and the question mark is added at the end of the sentence.

How to Make Negative Sentences with ‘do’, and ‘did’?

In order to make a negative sentence with the help of ‘do’ and ‘did’, one has to add ‘not’ after the auxiliary verb.

Example:

Exception:

We can also use ‘do’ with the singular pronoun ‘I’ and the pronoun ‘you’ even though it denotes a singular person.

Example: