Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - do

I. [c red]AUXILIARY VERB USES (does, doing, did, done) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: 'Do' is used as an auxiliary with the simple present tense. 'Did' is used as an auxiliary with the simple past tense. In spoken English, negative forms of 'do' are often shortened, for example 'do not' is shortened to 'don’t' and 'did not' is shortened to 'didn’t'. 1. Do is used to form the negative of main verbs, by putting ‘not’ after ‘do’ and before the main verb in its infinitive form, that is the form without ‘to’. They don’t want to work... I did not know Jamie had a knife... It doesn’t matter if you win or lose. AUX: AUX neg inf, AUX neg inf, AUX neg inf 2. Do is used to form questions, by putting the subject after ‘do’ and before the main verb in its infinitive form, that is the form without ‘to’. Do you like music?... What did he say?... Where does she live? AUX: AUX n v, AUX n v, AUX n v 3. Do is used in question tags. You know about Andy, don’t you?... I’m sure they had some of the same questions last year didn’t they? AUX: cl AUX n, cl AUX n 4. You use do when you are confirming or contradicting a statement containing ‘do’, or giving a negative or positive answer to a question. ‘Did he think there was anything suspicious going on?’—‘Yes, he did.’... ‘Do you have a metal detector?’—‘No, I don’t.’... AUX: AUX, AUX 5. Do is used with a negative to tell someone not to behave in a certain way. Don’t be silly... Don’t touch that! AUX: only imper, AUX neg inf, AUX neg inf 6. Do is used to give emphasis to the main verb when there is no other auxiliary. Veronica, I do understand... You did have a tape recorder with you. AUX: AUX inf, AUX inf c darkgreen]emphasis 7. Do is used as a polite way of inviting or trying to persuade someone to do something. Do sit down... Do help yourself to another drink. AUX: only imper, AUX inf, AUX inf c darkgreen]politeness 8. Do can be used to refer back to another verb group when you are comparing or contrasting two things, or saying that they are the same. I make more money than he does... I had fantasies, as do all mothers, about how life would be when my girls were grown... Girls receive less health care and less education in the developing world than do boys. VERB: V, as V n, than V n 9. You use do after ‘so’ and ‘nor’ to say that the same statement is true for two people or groups. You know that’s true, and so do I... We don’t forget that. Nor does he... VERB: V n, V n II. [c red]OTHER VERB USES (does, doing, did, done) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: 'do' is used in a large number of expressions which are explained under other words in the dictionary. For example, the expression ‘easier said than done’ is explained at ‘easy’. 1. When you do something, you take some action or perform an activity or task. Do is often used instead of a more specific verb, to talk about a common action involving a particular thing. For example you can say ‘do your teeth’ instead of ‘brush your teeth’. I was trying to do some work... After lunch Elizabeth and I did the washing up... Dad does the garden... VERB: V n, V n, V n 2. Do can be used to stand for any verb group, or to refer back to another verb group, including one that was in a previous sentence. What are you doing?... Think twice before doing anything... A lot of people got arrested for looting so they will think before they do it again... I’m glad they gave me my money back, but I think they did this to shut me up... The first thing is to get some more food. When we’ve done that we ought to start again... Brian counted to twenty and lifted his binoculars. Elena did the same... He turned towards the open front door but, as he did so, she pushed past him. VERB: V n, V pron-indef, V it, V this, V that, V the same, V so 3. You can use do in a clause at the beginning of a sentence after words like ‘what’ and ‘all’, to give special emphasis to the information that comes at the end of the sentence. All she does is complain... What I should do is go and see her... VERB: V n, V n c darkgreen]emphasis 4. If you do a particular thing with something, you use it in that particular way. I was allowed to do whatever I wanted with my life... The technology was good, but you couldn’t do much with it. VERB: V n with n, V amount with n 5. If you do something about a problem, you take action to try to solve it. They refuse to do anything about the real cause of crime: poverty... If an engine packs in, there’s not much the engineer can do about it until the plane is back on the ground. VERB: V n about n, V amount about n 6. If an action or event does a particular thing, such as harm or good, it has that result or effect. A few bombs can do a lot of damage... It’ll do you good to take a rest... VERB: V n, V n n 7. You can use do to talk about the degree to which a person, action, or event affects or improves a particular situation. Such incidents do nothing for live music’s reputation... I’d just tried to do what I could for Lou. VERB: V amount for n, V n for n 8. You can talk about what someone or something does to a person to mean that they have a very harmful effect on them. I saw what the liquor was doing to her... VERB: V to n 9. If you ask someone what they do, you want to know what their job or profession is. What does your father do?... VERB: V n 10. If you are doing something, you are busy or active in some way, or have planned an activity for some time in the future. Are you doing anything tomorrow night?... There is nothing to do around here. VERB: V n, V n 11. If you say that someone or something does well or badly, you are talking about how successful or unsuccessful they are. Connie did well at school and graduated with honours... How did I do? VERB: V adv, V adv 12. If a person or organization does a particular service or product, they provide that service or sell that product. (mainly BRIT) They provide design services and do printing and packaging... They do a good range of herbal tea. VERB: V n, V n 13. You can use do when referring to the speed or rate that something or someone achieves or is able to achieve. They were doing 70 miles an hour. VERB: V amount 14. If you do a subject, author, or book, you study them at school or college. (SPOKEN) I’d like to do maths at university. VERB: V n 15. If you do a particular person, accent, or role, you imitate that person or accent, or act that role. Gina does accents extremely well. VERB: V n 16. If someone does drugs, they take illegal drugs. I don’t do drugs. VERB: V n 17. If you say that something will do or will do you, you mean that there is enough of it or that it is of good enough quality to meet your requirements or to satisfy you. Anything to create a scene and attract attention will do... ‘What would you like to eat?’—‘Anything’ll do me, Eva.’ VERB: V, V n 18. If you say that you could do with something, you mean that you need it or would benefit from it. I could do with a cup of tea... The range could do with being extended. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n/-ing 19. You can ask someone what they did with something as another way of asking them where they put it. What did you do with that notebook? PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 20. If you ask what someone or something is doing in a particular place, you are asking why they are there. ‘Dr Campbell,’ he said, clearly surprised. ‘What are you doing here?’ PHRASE: PHR adv/prep 21. If you say that one thing has something to do with or is something to do with another thing, you mean that the two things are connected or that the first thing is about the second thing. Mr Butterfield denies having anything to do with the episode... That’s none of your business, it has nothing to do with you... PHRASE: have/be inflects, PHR n III. [c red]NOUN USES (dos) 1. A do is a party, dinner party, or other social event. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL) A friend of his is having a do in Stoke... N-COUNT 2. If someone tells you the dos and don’ts of a particular situation, they advise you what you should and should not do in that situation. Please advise me on the most suitable colour print film and some dos and don’ts. PHRASE