Does vs Did
Do is the most common action verb in English language and it has many different forms depending upon the tense of the sentence. Do is the verb that is used with pronouns such as I, you, we, and they. On the other hand, does and did are two of the forms of the verb do that are confusing for some as they do not know which one to use in spoken as well as written English. This article attempts to make clear the usage of the present tense form does and the past tense form did of the action verb do.
Does
Does is the present tense form of do that is used with singular pronouns like he and she. Does is used for third person while do is preferred for the first person like I. Another point to note is that does is used only in the context of a single person whereas it is do that is used for several persons as is the case with ‘we and they’. Take a look at the following examples.
• He does the job perfectly
• She does not come to his office
Does is also used to emphasize a point in a sentence. Look at the following example.
• Jenny does dance like an angel
• Helen does need encouragement now
Does is also used to ask a question as in these examples.
• Does he play cricket?
• Does it rain here in this part of the year?
Did
Did is a past tense form of the action verb do. It can be used with both singular and plural pronouns such as I, we, they, she, and it. This means that it can be used with both a single person as well as several persons. Take a look at the following examples.
• I did the job given to me
• They did it perfectly
Did is also used to ask questions.
• Did you get a chance to play?
• Did you violate the norms?
Did is also used to emphasize a point.
• He did mesmerize the audience with his dazzling dance moves
• He did not play like a champion
What is the difference between Does and Did?
• Does is the present tense form of do whereas did is the past tense form of do.
• Does is used with singular pronouns whereas did is used with both singular as well as plural pronouns.
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