Exercises on Do-insertion & Do-support with Explanation

1. Which of the following is a correct sentence?

I not need money.	I don’t need money.
Money I not need	Not I need money?
Correct Answer: I don’t need money.
Explanation: In a negative sentence, if there is no auxiliary or copula present, it requires the introduction of an auxiliary in the form of ‘do-support’.

2. Which is the correct interrogative form of “He came home.”?

Was he come home?	Came he home?
Did he come home?	If he come home?
Correct Answer: Did he come home?
Explanation: If there is no auxiliary or copula present in an Interrogative sentence, it requires the introduction of an auxiliary in the form of ‘do-support’.

3. Choose the correct sentence.

Who helped you to come to the USA?	Who you helped to come to the USA?
Who had you help to come to the USA?	Who did help you to come to the USA?
Correct Answer: Who did help you to come to the USA?
Explanation: An auxiliary verb is needed in open questions unless the question word functions as the subject or part of the subject. When there is no auxiliary, we add ‘do/did/does’.

4. Which of the following is a correct sentence?

Where you get a ten-meter blade sharpened, anyway?	Where do you get a ten-meter blade sharpened, anyway?
Where you do get a ten-meter blade sharpened, anyway?	Where you had got a ten-meter blade sharpened, anyway?
Correct Answer: Where do you get a ten-meter blade sharpened, anyway?
Explanation: In 4b, the auxiliary verb is ‘do’. In other sentences, there are no auxiliary verbs. But as the sentence is in open question form, it must need an auxiliary verb to complete the sentence.

5. The correct question form of the sentence ‘They like pizza?’ is:

They like what?	They do like what?
What they like?	What do they like?
Correct Answer: What do they like?
Explanation: If the question word replaces a Noun Phrase, then usually the Noun Phrase becomes who/what/which. If there’s no auxiliary verb, ‘do’ is added in front of the main phrase and the subject and the auxiliary verb switch places.

6. Which of the following is an incorrect sentence?

Do you not want to play?	Don’t you want to play?
Don’t you not want to play?	Why are you not playing?
Correct Answer: Don’t you not want to play?
Explanation: According to the rules of ‘do-support’, the negating word may appear either following the subject, or attached to the auxiliary in the contracted form “n’t”.

7. Choose the incorrect sentence.

Do you have any idea what is going on there?	Have you any idea what is going on there?
Have you got any idea what is going on there?	Have you do any idea what is going on there?
Correct Answer: Have you do any idea what is going on there?
Explanation: In the sense of possession, the verb ‘have’ is sometimes used without ‘do-support’ then it is used as an auxiliary, but this is deemed dated. The variety with ‘do-support’ is also correct.

8. Which of the following is correct?

Who do they like?	Do they like what?
Who they like?	They do like what?
Correct Answer: Who do they like?
Explanation: When the question word replaces a Noun Phrase, then usually the Noun Phrase becomes who/what/which. If there’s no auxiliary verb, ‘do’ is added in front of the main phrase and the subject and the auxiliary verb switch places.

9. Which of the following does need a ‘do-support’?

It would be a crime not to help them.	She laughs not when they say something funny.
She laughs not when they say something funny.	Not taking protein can harm your health.
Correct Answer: She laughs not when they say something funny.
Explanation: There is no need to use ‘do-support’ with non-finite, as they are negated by a preceding ‘not’

10. Identity the incorrect sentence of the following.

I did not try to laugh.	I did try not to laugh.
I tried not to laugh.	They do not want to go.
Correct Answer: I did try not to laugh.
Explanation: ‘Do-support’ is needed when the higher of the two is negated; it is not needed to negate the lower nonfinite predicate.

11. Choose the correctly written sentence.

Did Jason eat his breakfast? Yes, he did ate his breakfast.	Jason doesn’t play, then. No, he does play.
Jason isn’t singing, then. No he does singing.	Does Jason like golfing? No, he not.
Correct Answer: Jason doesn’t play, then. No, he does play.
Explanation: As with typical ‘do-support’, that usage of ‘do’ does not occur with other auxiliaries or a copular verb. Then, emphasis can be obtained by adding stress to the auxiliary or ‘copular’.

12. Which of the following does need a ‘do-support’?

I suggest that he not receive any more funding.	It is important that he not be there.
I wish that he not know it.	I wish that he were not here.
Correct Answer: I wish that he not know it.
Explanation: With subjunctive verb forms, ‘do’ is ambiguously or incorrectly used for negation because it resembles the indicative. To negate the present subjunctive, we need to precede the verb with a ‘not’, especially if the verb is ‘be’.

13. Which of the following doesn’t need a ‘do-support’?

I can cook pasta.	I went to the party.
I like pasta.	He looks smart.
Correct Answer: I can cook pasta.
Explanation: Based on the principal cases of ‘do-support’, ‘do’ does not normally appear when there is already an auxiliary or copula present. Rather, the auxiliary or copula is retained in the elliptical sentence.

14. In which sentence ‘do’ is used as the main verb?

What does he love?	They don’t have any money.
You don’t mess with Abraham.	What are you doing?
Correct Answer: What are you doing?
Explanation: In 14d, ‘doing’ is used as the main verb where ‘are’ is the auxiliary verb.

15. Choose the correct sentence.

They didn’t do the laundry on Friday.	Why you do karate?
How you do?	What do you doing?
Correct Answer: They didn’t do the laundry on Friday.
Explanation: Like other main verbs, ‘do’ cannot be directly negated with ‘not’ and cannot participate in inversion. So it may itself necessitate ‘do-support’.

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