Do for Emphasis
Learn how to use the verb do for emphasis in English.
Special Lesson Activities for This Grammar Point
Do / Does / Did for Emphasis
When we want to emphasis a statement we can use do, does, and did with stress to add meaning.
For negative sentences, extra stress is added to don't, doesn't and didn't to emphasis.
Point 1: In present simple sentences, you can use 'do' to show emphasis.
- (Q) Do you have a car?
(A) I do have a car.
(N) I don’t have a car. - (Q) Do they serve bagels?
(A) They do serve bagels.
(N) They don’t serve bagels.
Point 2: If the subject is third person singular, then you use 'does' to show emphasis.
- (Q) Does he work here?
(A) He does work here.
(N) He doesn’t work here. - (Q) Does it cost a lot to live there?
(A) It does cost a lot.
(N) It doesn’t cost a lot.
Point 3: If the action happens in the simple past tense, use 'did' to show emphasis.
- (Q) Did he come to work today?
(A) He did come to work today.
(N) He didn’t come to work today. - (Q) Did they find an apartment?
(A) They did find an apartment.
(N) They didn’t find one.
Point 4: We can add 'do/does/did' and 'though' to a sentence to show contrast between two actions
- I hate math. I do like science though.
- He does not have much money. He does have a nice house though.
- I got sick on vacation. We did have a good time though.
Answer the following questions about the interview.
About the Teacher
My name is Todd Beuckens and I am an ESL teacher in Thailand. I created this site to provide teachers and students free audio lessons and learning materials not usually found in commercial textbooks.