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Anonymous Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Should I apply Past Tense when making questions?

My teacher says I shouldn't apply the past tense when I'm making questions. I'm in doubt If I should apply it or not.
  

Top answer

You need to ask your teacher for more information. I walked the dog. Did you walk the dog?

— BarbaraPA

  • You need to ask your teacher for more information.
  • I walked the dog.
  • Did you walk the dog?
  • The word "walk" is still the main verb, and it doesn't look like it's in the past tense, because the helping verb "to do" is in the past tense: did.
  • Could this be what the teacher meant?
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3 Answers
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You need to ask your teacher for more information.

I walked the dog.
Did you walk the dog?

The word "walk" is still the main verb, and it doesn't look like it's in the past tense, because the helping verb "to do" is in the past tense: did.

Could this be what the teacher meant?
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If the question is about the past, then of course we use the past tense: Was John here yesterday?

Your teacher may have been referring to the fact that the question form of lexical verbs is constructed with DO. It is this auxiliary verb that has a past tense form, not the lexical verb: Did he went go to school yesterday?
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AnonymousMy teacher says I shouldn't apply the past tense when I'm making questions. I'm in doubt If I should apply it or not.
I don't remember now where I spot this sort of explanation (I'm even not quite sure if it is true) about usage of the operator "do" when expressing questions and negatives, but it works, as far as I'm concerned (I'm non-native), in be
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