Grammar: Using DO and DID to make a strong point in English

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• published: 01 Mar 2016
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"Do" and "did" are some of the most common words in English, but do you know how to use them to add contrast or emphasis? In this lesson we'll look at "do" and "did" in affirmative sentences. You'll learn to use them to make your English sound clearer, more interesting, and more fluent. Usually, you learn that "do" and "did" are only used in questions, negatives, and short answers, but we also use them to make strong points. You'll hear many examples of how this is done in spoken English. So if you do want to improve your English, watch this video and take the quiz at: http://www.engvid.com/grammar-using-do-and-did-to-make-a-strong-point-in-english/ TRANSCRIPT Hi, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this lesson on "Do and Did in Affirmative Sentences". So, by this point, you're probably familiar with using "do" and "did" in three different contexts. And specifically, I'm talking about "do" and "did" as auxiliary verbs. So you can use "do" and "did" most commonly in questions. So: "Where do you live?", "Do you like cheese?" for example. You can also use "do" and "did" in negatives, so: "I don't want to do that.", "He didn't start the test on time." And you can also use it in short answers, like: "Yes I do.", "No I don't.", "Yes he did.", "No she didn't." Okay? However, the focus of this lesson is on using "do" and "did" in affirmative sentences. And it is possible in two different contexts. So, like the board says, they can also be used in the affirmative to show, number one, contrast. So if you really want to emphasize a contrast between two different things, you can use "do" or "did" in the following way. Check out this example. "He didn't like the movie, but he did like the music." Okay? So if you go to a theatre and you watch a film, you can say: "Hmm, I didn't like this, but I did like this." So you're emphasizing a contrast. You can do this in many contexts. Many things where you have differing opinions or different feelings about something. If you go to a restaurant, you can say: "Mm, I didn't like the food, but I did like the service." So, the service was really good, but the food wasn't good. So: "I didn't like this, but I did like this.", "I don't like this, but I do like this." or: "I do want this or need this." etc. All right, secondly, you can use "do" and "did" to show emphasize or to give clarification to something. So what I mean by this is if you are walking through, you know, a department store and, hmm, you're looking at a refrigerator with your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your husband, or wife and they're trying to convince you to buy this fridge, this new refrigerator. And then you think: "Hmm, we do need a new fridge." So, we need a fridge, a new fridge. You can also say: "You know what? We do need a new fridge." So you are emphasizing your need for that refrigerator. You can also clarify: "Hey, why isn't...?" For example: -"Why isn't Mark here?" -"Well, he did say..." Not just: "He said", "He did say he was going to be late." So, if you're waiting for Mark, and you know what? Yeah, he did say that he was going to be late. So you're clarifying and you're emphasizing what he said. Okay? So, just as a reminder, "do" and "did" are not only for questions, not only for negatives, not only for short answers, but they can also be used to show contrast and to show emphasis. All right? So, now, you do need to do the quiz to make sure that you understood this material. So check out that quiz on www.engvid.com. And don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. See you guys.