Do vs Does: Difference and Comparison

‘Do’ and its conjugation ‘Does’ play a significant role in the English dialect. It is the second most crucial verb after BE.

The proper knowledge about the verb forms of ‘Do’ and ‘Does’ is beneficial for a student to use them correctly while creating sentences. Do is primarily used as an auxiliary verb, and its primary function is the formulation of questions as well as negative corrections.

Key Takeaways

1. “Do” and “does” are auxiliary verbs used to form questions, negations, and other grammatical structures in English.
2. “Do” is used with the pronouns “I,” “you,” “we,” and “they,” as well as plural nouns, while “do” is used with the pronouns “he,” “she,” and “it,” as well as singular nouns.
3. Both auxiliary verbs are essential for proper grammar in English, and their correct usage depends on the sentence’s subject and the desired meaning.

Do vs Does

Do is one of three auxiliary verbs in English that has different forms depending on the tense and subject it is being used with. It is used in present tense. Does is also used in present tense, it is only used with third person singular subjects, such as the pronouns he, she, and it.

In a sentence, do is used with first-person singular, first-person plural, second-person singular and second-person plural, and third-person plural nouns. Does it only use third-person singular nouns?

The usage of do as a main verb in a sentence in the simple present tense is significantly less. Its primary function is to show what or who performs a task or a habitual action.

The word ‘do’ can be used as an auxiliary verb for making a contradiction in specific affirmative sentences.

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Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	Do	Does
Meaning	Do is an action verb mainly used to formulate interrogative and negative sentences.	Does is the third person singular form of the verb ‘do’ in the simple present tense.
Usage with nouns	‘Do’ can use with plural nouns	‘Does’ can use only with singular nouns
Usage with pronouns	‘Do’ can use along with I, we, you, they, those, etc.,	‘Does’ can use with he, she, it, this, that, etc.
Imperative sentences	‘Do’ is used to form imperative sentences	‘Does’ is not used to create imperative sentences.
Example	Do you go to the shop every day?	Meera does run daily.

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When to Use Do?

Do is one of the prominent transitive verbs in English used extensively to convey the meanings “to perform”, “to carry out”, “to execute”, etc. The transitive verb ‘do’ is used when one needs to refer to something to indicate the action of an individual as a response to another individual’s demand or by his/her initiative.

When included in a sentence, the transitive verb ‘do’ requires a direct subject and an object. In the example, “can you do this job?”, ‘you’ is the subject, and ‘job’ is the direct object that clarifies what is to be done.

Do is also used to avoid repetition in specific contexts as a helping verb. “The assignment gives them the freedom to run and play as kids do”.

Do is widely used in law-related statements and documents, as given in the example: “I do at this moment declare that my statement is true”.

 

When to Use Does?

Does’ can be defined as the conjugation of the verb ‘do’. The verb ‘does’ means to act, undertake or perform any activity or task, either by the will of another person or by her/his own will.

Does can be used to form interrogative sentences to make the sentence appear correct and meaningful.

Examples:

1. Does he go to school?
2. Does the machine work well?

Does can be used in the formation of negative sentences to give a little more emphasis on the negative factor of the sentence.

Examples:

• Marie doesn’t want to go to Manali on her vacation.
• She doesn’t care much about the food she eats.

Does can provide some extra force on the main verb used in a sentence.

Examples:

1. She does study hard.
2. She goes go to the temple every day.

Does is used in the formation of tag questions to provide a little more emphasis to the verb.

Examples:

1. She dances well, doesn’t she?
2. He paints beautifully, doesn’t he?

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Main Differences Between Do and Does

1. The main difference between Do and Does is ‘do’ is one of the essential transitive verbs with a subject and an object. It is also an action verb meaning to act, perform, or fulfil an action.
2. When we use ‘do’ with plural nouns like parents, teachers, friends, doctors, dogs, horses, elephants, etc., we use ‘does’ with my dad, teacher, friend, dog, horse, and horse elephant, etc.
3. When ‘do’ is used with first-person singular and plural nouns, second-person singular and plural nouns, and third-person plural nouns, ‘does’ is only used with third-person singular nouns.
4. ‘Do’ can be used with demonstrative pronouns’ this, and those can only be used with demonstrative pronouns’ this and that.
5. ‘Do’ is used in the formation of imperative sentences but ‘does’ cannot be used to form imperative sentences.

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References

1. https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/easy-learning/do
2. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/does