One of the ways to point something out in English is by adding an auxiliary verb.
Let’s look at it with some examples.
– You don’t seem to like living in this city.
– But I like living in this city!
It’s a perfectly normal answer, but the person who thought I don’t like living in the city was wrong and if I’d like to point that out, I can do that by adding do.
– But I DO like living in this city.
When I say this, I pronounce DO with a stress to indicate that he is wrong to think so.
We can also use did if we’re talking about the past:
– You said you would call me when you got back to your hotel!
– But I DID call you! You just didn’t pick up the phone!
But this is just one case where we use these verbs and we only looked at do and did.
Let’s look at other cases when we use them:
1) In tag questions and when giving a short answer.
– You ARE tired, aren’t you?
– Yes, I AM.
You don’t like pizza, DO you?
– No, I don’t.
He IS happy to see me, isn’t he?
– Yes, he IS.
2) When we want to point out our strong feelings about something:
He DOES look good in that suit.
Your English really HAS improved a lot.
(I’m sure that’s how all students react when they hear these words) 🙂
You MUST check out this new racing game!
3) When we want to contrast two different ideas or things.
I can’t play basketball, but I CAN play tennis.
I don’t like milk, but I DO like cheese.
She didn’t study computer science at university, but she DID study informatics.
Take note that when you emphasize things in positive sentences, you don’t use contractions (I’m, I’ve, He’s)
We’ve just had a quick look at the following verbs which we can use to add emphasis:
| Do | Did | Am | Have | Can | Must |
Now, let’s put them to the test (And no, you don’t have to write them IN CAPS) 😉
I hope you enjoyed the exercises and my short video. 🙂