do
Do is one of the most common verbs in English. Its other forms are does, doing, did, done. It can be an auxiliary verb or a main verb.
used as an auxiliary verb
Do has two other special uses as an auxiliary verb:
used for emphasis
You can use do to emphasize a statement. The forms do, does, and did can all be used in this way.
I do feel sorry for Roger.
I wanted to go over to the Ramsey's. Later that day, I did drive by.
You can use do in front of an imperative when you are urging someone to do something or accept something.
Do help yourself to a biscuit
Do be careful.
used to focus on an action
You can also use do as an auxiliary verb to focus on an action.
When you use do like this, you put what at the beginning of the sentence, followed by a noun or noun phrase and the auxiliary verb do. After do, you put is or was and an infinitive with or without to.
For example, instead of saying ‘Carolyn opened a bookshop’, you can say ‘What Carolyn did was to open a bookshop’ or ‘What Carolyn did was open a bookshop’.
What Stephen did was to interview a lot of teachers.
What it does is draw out all the vitamins from the body.
You can use all instead of ‘what’ if you want to emphasize that just one thing is done and nothing else.
All he did was shake hands and wish me luck.
All she ever does is make jam.
used as a main verb
Do is used as a main verb to say that someone performs an action, activity, or task.
We did quite a lot of work yesterday.
Do is often used with -ing nouns referring to jobs connected with the home, and with nouns referring generally to work.
He does all the shopping and I do the cooking.
Have you done your homework yet?
The man who did the job had ten years' training.
In conversation, do is often used instead of more specific verbs. For example, if you do your teeth, you brush your teeth.
Do I need to do my hair?
She had done her breakfast dishes.
Be careful
You don't normally use ‘do’ when you are talking about creating or constructing something. Instead you use make.
You don't normally use ‘do’ when you are talking about creating or constructing something. Instead you use make.
I like making cakes.
Thuy makes all her own clothes.
➜ See make
repeating ‘do’
In questions and negative clauses, you often use do twice. You use it first as an auxiliary verb to form the question or negative verb phrase, and then repeat it as the main verb. The main verb is always in the infinitive form without to.
What did she do all day when she wasn't working?
If this exercise hurts your back do not do it.