Hello there! As an expert in the field of English language and linguistics, I'm here to provide you with a comprehensive explanation of the use of "did" in English, particularly in the context of past tense questions.

In English, "did" is the past tense form of the auxiliary verb "do." It's used to form questions, negative statements, and to emphasize statements in the past tense. Let's delve deeper into its usage.

### Formation of Past Tense Questions

When we want to ask a question in the past tense, we use "did" regardless of whether the main verb is regular or irregular. For instance:

- Regular Verb Example: "Did you finish your homework?" (Here, "finish" is a regular verb, and "did" is used to form the past tense question.)
- Irregular Verb Example: "Did she go to the store?" (In this case, "go" is an irregular verb, but "did" is still the correct auxiliary to use.)

### **Use of "Did" with the Base Form of the Main Verb**

When "did" is used, the main verb that follows is always in its base form, which is the same as the infinitive without "to." This is a crucial rule to remember. For example:

- "Did they play football yesterday?" ("play" is the base form of the verb "to play.")
- "Did he see the movie last night?" ("see" is the base form of the verb "to see.")

### Negative Statements in the Past Tense

In negative statements, "did not" (often contracted to "didn't") is used with the base form of the main verb:

- "I did not (didn't) attend the meeting." ("attend" is the base form of the verb "to attend.")
- "She did not (didn't) understand the instructions." ("understand" is the base form of the verb "to understand.")

### Emphasis in the Past Tense

"Did" can also be used for emphasis in the past tense:

- "He did indeed finish the project on time." (Here, "did" is used for emphasis, and "finish" remains in the base form.)

### Contractions with "Did"

It's common to use contractions with "did," especially in spoken English:

- "Did you see it?" can be contracted to "Didja see it?"
- "Did they play well?" can be contracted to "Did they play well?"

### Common Mistakes

One common mistake is using "do" or "does" in past tense questions. Remember, in the past tense, it's always "did." For example, it's incorrect to say "Do you went to the party?" The correct form is "Did you go to the party?"

### Summary

In summary, "did" is the auxiliary verb used to form questions, negative statements, and for emphasis in the past tense. It's always followed by the base form of the main verb, and it's a key component of English grammar that helps us talk about actions and states that occurred in the past.

Now, let's move on to the translation of the above explanation into Chinese.

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DID is used with regular AND irregular verbs in English. Both Do and Does in present tense questions become Did in past tense questions. ... The main verb (live in the example above) is in its base form (of the infinitive). The auxiliary DID shows that the question is in the past tense.read more >>