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Some of the many uses of “do” can be problematic even for advanced learners of English
THE DIFFICULTY OF “do”
Small, common verbs like do tend to become familiar early in the learning of English, but because they have numerous meanings and uses, their mastery usually remains elusive until very late. My aim here (and in the post after this) is to consider in some depth a few uses of do that readers of this blog might still be finding problematic. Although these could also be found in a dictionary, the necessarily brief descriptions there can make understanding and memorisation of the large amounts of information quite difficult.
In keeping with the general aims of this blog, I do not propose to say much about conversational uses of do or the basic grammar of the verb DO, such as its role as an “auxiliary” before other verbs to make them interrogative, negative or emphatic (though for something on the latter, see 125. Stress and Emphasis, #2). The approach is thus similar to that elsewhere in this blog with HAVE, MAKE, GO, GIVE, TAKE, COME and SEE.
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USING “do” TO REPEAT A PREVIOUS VERB
Just as pronouns facilitate repetition of a noun meaning without repeating the noun itself, so DO can facilitate repetition of a verb meaning:
(a) When the brain stops living, its owner does too.
Most readers will know that the verbs DO repeats are single-word ones (except BE) or multi-word ones starting with DO. Single-word occurrences of BE are just repeated unchanged, while multi-word verbs starting with a different “auxiliary” (BE, HAVE or “modals” like will or can) are usually repeated with that (see 237. Auxiliary Verbs in Professional Communication, #1).
Even when repetition needs DO, variations are possible. A second auxiliary can be added, for example will do in (a) instead of does to emphasize inevitability. We could even drop do and just say will.
When DO is the sole repeating verb, it sometimes needs so, it, that or the same after it. Many such uses are outside the scope of this blog through being conversational and/or described in mainstream English coursebooks. However, a few suggestions for differentiating DO, DO SO, DO IT and DO THAT seem justified.
DO Used Alone
Situations where DO without so or similar repeats a verb include the following:
1. Repetition with a Different Object
DO often repeats the meaning of a verb possessing no or the same object. For numerous examples, see below. DO with a different object is often associated with comparisons:
(b) Heat seeks cooler places the way water does lower ones.
Here, does repeats seeks but replaces its object cooler places with the different object lower ones. So cannot be added. For another example, see 288. Grammatical Subtleties, #1.
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2. Repetition of State Verbs
(c) Few plants live where rhododendrons do.
(d) Children often dislike something because their parents do.
(e) It is beneficial to know a foreign language, and many do.
All of the underlined verbs here express a state rather than an action, and would sound strange followed by do so. Yet if they are replaced by action verbs, do so becomes acceptable. This happens, for example, if dislike something in (d) becomes swear regularly, and know in (e) becomes learn.
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3. Repetition within Comparisons
Many comparisons make parallel statements with the same verb (see 149. Saying How Things are Similar and 216. Indicating Differences). Often, the second verb mention is simply omitted. However, if an auxiliary is felt to be necessary, any use of DO is usually without so:
(f) Wages rose as much in the North as (they did) in the South.
A major reason for not omitting an auxiliary is to prevent a misunderstanding or double meaning (see 233. Structures with a Double Meaning 3, #5).
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4. Repetition with “too” or similar
Sentence (a) above illustrates this use. Too and some of its synonyms (also, as well and not…either) allow both DO and DO SO, but others necessitate DO alone. DO SO inside not…either also needs an earlier do:
(g) Chickens do not fly and penguins do not (or do not do so) either.
One synonym of too that allows only DO is the same: one says do the same, not *do so the same. Others are as, and so, neither and nor:
(h) Bees build colonies, … ants.
Here, as or and so combine with do, not do so. So before DO is a different type of so from that used after. It could also start a new sentence, dropping and. For more about as do, see 159. Exotic Grammar Structures 2, #1.
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5. Emphatic Repetition
DO can repeat an action verb instead of DO SO in order to show emphasis:
(i) Few people eat insects but some do.
(j) If you wish to ask a question, please do.
Here do would probably be pronounced strongly. In (i), it highlights the surprise of some after its earlier opposite few. In (j), where please introduces an invitational imperative verb typical of oral presentations (see 186. Language in Oral Presentations), do instead of do so makes the invitation more insistent.
DO before SO, IT or THAT
Like DO, DO SO is compulsory in certain situations. In general, these seem to be repetitions of an action verb outside of situations 2, 3 and 4 above. Examples are:
(k) Drivers should not park here. Those who do so will be fined.
(l) Many people like to shop but it is difficult to do so when disabled.
(m) Please ask questions if you wish to do so.
Sentence (k) could actually have do alone, but with a more emphatic meaning, highlighting its oppositeness to should not park and perhaps thereby making it sound a defiant action.
DO SO may differ in meaning from DO IT and DO THAT. It is usually preferred with everyday actions carried out or experienced without detailed thought or purpose, such as STOP LIVING in (a), SHOP in (l) and ASK QUESTIONS in (m).
DO SO can additionally refer to actions that are more a special event or task or achievement, such as contact a journal editor, learn Chinese or measure air pollution levels. DO IT and DO THAT mostly refer only to these. DO THAT suggests the event has special extraordinariness (often negative) for the speaker – in keeping with the general use of that to distance its user from something (see 234. Adjective and Pronoun Uses of “that”).
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USING “do” TO ANTICIPATE A LATER VERB
Do can as easily refer forward to a later verb as backward to an earlier one. One common use is with a following this + a colon. Another is in statements beginning with What…:
(n) What the system does is MEASURE SPEED.
Here, what is linked to the capitalised words at the end, not something outside the sentence, by is just before them, this indicating that they carry the main information. DO is not always possible in such sentences: the first of the words after is must be a verb like measure. If it is not, another verb will already be where does is above. For a full analysis, see 145. Highlighting with “What” Sentences.
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MEANINGS OF “do” WITH AN OBJECT
DO is typically a “transitive” verb – requiring a following noun or equivalent as its “object”. Its fundamental meaning might be described as action applied to its object. However, that is not much help in deciding where it can and cannot be used – recognising actions is very subjective. Here are some sub-meanings – often with fairly predictable objects (see 273. Verb-Object Collocations) – that may prove helpful.
6. Engage in
With this meaning the object represents an extended activity, often without a clear beginning and end. The meaning is “perform (the object activity) without necessarily completing it”. Typical objects include various -ing verbs like ironing, shopping, washing, data-gathering and writing, plus “action” nouns like an activity, calculations, (one’s) duty, an experiment, exercise, research, study, a survey, a task and (home)work.
Action nouns that do not clearly represent an extended activity tend to need other verbs than DO, e.g. MAKE progress, GIVE service and PUT IN effort (or MAKE an effort) (see 173. “Do Research” or “Make Research”?).
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7. Accomplish
Here, the object often again represents an activity, but all of it from beginning to end. Frequently the activity is recognisably brief and the noun representing it is countable. Typical objects include -ing nouns with the in front, e.g. do the ironing (see 240. Nouns that End with “-ing”), plus business, a calculation, a deed, an exercise, the hard part, an imitation, a job, (one’s) rounds, a study, a survey, a test (= test something) and a tour.
It will be seen that some nouns able to follow DO with the “engage in” meaning can also follow it with this “accomplish” meaning. In addition there is do a walk meaning “accomplish a walk along a fixed extended route” (as opposed to go for a walk, which involves casual, more leisurely walking), and one can also use nouns representing a quantity like 10 minutes or five km.
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8. Achieve
Objects here again tend to represent either complete activities or quantities. The meaning of “achieve” implies both the completion of the activity/quantity and difficulty in doing so. Unfortunately, there is usually an ambiguity between this sense of DO and that of “accomplish”. For example, did a marathon might indicate its achievement or just finishing it. Note that after completion of a task, did it suggests achievement, have done it mere accomplishment.
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9. Work on in the Typical Way
Here, objects are not activities but activity recipients. The usage tends to be informal. Thus, doing equations means working to solve them. Other common objects are the garden, one’s hair and a test (= answering questions). The verb WORK ON can be used with such objects too, usually suggesting future completion.
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10. Produce/Create
DO with this meaning often accompanies items of food or drink, as in do a cocktail or do a meal. MAKE is usually possible too, the difference perhaps being that MAKE clearly suggests transformation of some kind while DO is vaguer about the manner of production – it could just involve pouring from a bottle or heating in an oven.
Some abstract ideas also follow DO with this meaning, e.g. damage, emails, good, harm, justice, magic and make-up.
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In addition to all the above uses, DO is the likely choice when the nature of the activity is not clarified by the object. Very often, this will happen with all-referring objects like all, everything, little or nothing, with or without a following except phrase (see 215. Naming Exceptions):
(o) Injured athletes can DO LITTLE except rest.
Finally, there are some very informal meanings, such as “cheat” (e.g. Customers have been done), “suffice for” (e.g. $100 will do me) and “offer for sale” (e.g. The canteen does Ethiopian coffee).
For more about do, see 213. Special Uses of “Do” 2.
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