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’.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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’.
Note: Statements are sentences that talk about facts, ideas, or opinions. They don’t ask questions, make requests or give advice.
Examples:
As statements
As questions
Add ‘do’ before a statement to make it a question, and place a question mark at the end of the sentence.
- 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.
- 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’).
As statements
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:
Do | Did |
---|---|
Statement: I do not want to miss the train. | Statement: We did not fight with them. |
Question: Do they not want to play football? | Question: Did you not attend the class yesterday? |
Exception:
We can also use ‘do’ with the singular pronoun ‘I’ and the pronoun ‘you’ even though it denotes a singular person.
Example: