Grammar What Does vs. What Do |
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

What Does vs. What Do

Should we say, “What does Gloria and I have in common?” or “What do Gloria and I have in common?”

If you turn the question around to place the subjects first, you would say, “Gloria and I does/do have what in common.”

Gloria and I are the subjects so we need a plural verb. Which verb is plural? We would say she does but we would say they do. So do is the plural verb. Therefore, the answer is, “What do Gloria and I have in common?”

Try this example: “What does/do the children look like in their costumes?”

If you turn the question around to place the subjects first, you would say, “The children does/do look like what in their costumes.”

Because children is a plural subject, we again need the plural verb do.

Try this example: “What does/do the coach expect from the team?

Turning the question around, we realize that our subject is coach, which is singular. Therefore, we would say, “What does the coach expect from the team?”

 

Pop Quiz

1. What does/do she look like without makeup?
2. What does/do you and your husband think of the movie?
3. What does/do the team uniform look like?
4. What does/do the team members think of the new coach?

 

Pop Quiz Answers

1. What does she look like without makeup?
2. What do you and your husband think of the movie?
3. What does the team uniform look like?
4. What do the team members think of the new coach?

If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.

360 responses to “What Does vs. What Do

  1. Greg says:

    Would like to know the rules of ‘ does and do’
    Example: Question 1. HOw much does it cost?
    Question 2. How much does food leave in a pan?

    I realise the last question is incorrect but would kindly like to know the rules of when to use Does & Do

    Kind regards.

    • Fippi says:

      For this case, shouldn’t it be in passive form “how much food is left in the pan?” ?
      So it doesn’t require the verb do/does.

      • GrammarBook.com says:

        Yes, your sentence is correct. Greg’s incorrect sentence is not an example of the use of Does vs. Do.

  2. Jane says:

    “Does” is singular.
    Example: How much does it cost? It does cost how much.
    “It” is the singular subject so “does” follows.
    “Do” is plural.
    Example: How do camels walk so far without drinking water? Camels do walk so far without drinking water.
    “Camels” is the plural subject so “do” follows.

    • Douglas MacQueen says:

      You restrict do and does to singular or plural but what about “Do you want a car?” or “I do my work at night, but she does her work in the morning.” So should I be considering person plus singular or plural. e.g. 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person? Your answer will be very helpful for me and thank you. I use your information a lot. Thank you.

      • Jane says:

        The verb do has two forms in the present indicative: does for the third person singular (he, she, and it) and do for the other subject pronouns (I, you, we, they).

        • Ersallan says:

          But ma’am I heard sometimes people say in movies, It do no harm, He do not know about this so why do they use do with he she or it please can you explain

          • GrammarBook.com says:

            Characters in movies and fictional characters in books do not always use proper English.

        • Jen says:

          How about in this question, “What does your husband do exactly?”
          Husband is singular but the verb used is Do. Is it because of the possessive pronoun Your? Can you provide me with a simple explanation to that?
          Thank you.

          • GrammarBook.com says:

            Verbs may be classified as principal or auxiliary (the latter also called helping verbs). A principal verb is one that can stand alone to express an act or state. An auxiliary verb is used with a principal verb to form a verb phrase that indicates mood, tense, or voice. In the question, “What does your husband do exactly?” do is the main verb and does is the auxiliary. As an auxiliary verb, does in your sentence is followed by the base form of the main verb, which in this case is do.

  3. Lindsay says:

    Captivates or captivate? Orchards is the closest noun to the verb, but it seems like array is the subject and “luscious orchards” is just an additional phrase.

    “Our array of luscious orchards captivates you.”

    After looking at your examples of subject-verb agreement, it seems that the plural form of the verb is needed, but I just wanted to double check b/c it still does not sound right.

    Thanks!

  4. Jane says:

    Our array of luscious orchards captivates you.
    “Array” is the subject and is singular. “Captivates” is also singular because you’d say “he captivates, they captivate.”

  5. ravi bedi says:

    Now if we remove array from this example; will the following be correct:

    Luscious orchards captivate you.

  6. Jane says:

    “Luscious orchards captivate you” works.
    However, “Luscious orchards will captivate you” or “Let our luscious orchards captivate you” would be even better.

  7. Kevin says:

    I always find the case of sports teams interesting. Take the New York Yankees as a great example. Because Yankee is pluralised, people will often use “Do the Yankees” play tonight, when grammatically, it should unquestionable be “Does the Yankees play tonight”. It sounds awkward, but it’s definitely correct! The example I always cite is “Does the orchestra play tonight”, rather than “Do the orchestra play tonight?”

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Those are interesting examples of how collective nouns can be considered to be either singular or plural. We consider an orchestra to be a singular unit, but we consider a sports team to be acting as individuals.

  8. Patty says:

    In this case, should we use “does” or “do”?

    Body movements and posture: Are arms and legs crossed and closed? Are people fidgety or relaxed? DOES/DO their posture indicate interest or boredom?

  9. abhi says:

    If do is plural…..why do we say I will do this and not I does it?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The pronouns I, you, we, and they are always used with the word do. The pronouns he, she, and it are used with does.

  10. Russ says:

    What about “Do anyone vs. does anyone (have/know/etc.)”?

    Anyone or any one is the subject, but is it then plural subject or…?
    And if plural, I guess it is DO.

  11. Russ says:

    So … Is anyone plural or singular? And is there a difference if you write anyone or any one?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Anyone is singular. Anyone means “anybody” or “any person,” while any one refers to “any one person” or “any one thing.”

  12. Jalal says:

    Thank you very much. I like your website.
    Can you answer this question.
    Which is correct:
    (1) What time does the movie start?
    (2) What time does the movie starts?

  13. David says:

    When I say “What do you think?” I interpret “you” to be singular. Why isn’t it “What does you think”?

    • Jane says:

      The word “you” always takes a plural verb.

      • Seb says:

        ‘What do I think’ is surely better than ‘what does I think’ right? But this goes agains the rules as I is always singular

  14. Judy says:

    Which of these are correct:

    Jesus loves me and so does my teachers!

    Jesus loves me and so do my teachers!

  15. Kim Knox says:

    Which is correct “do the special teams even have a coach?” I think it is does

  16. Sophie says:

    Which is correct “Why do the good die young?” or “Why does the good die young?” I believe it’s the first b/c “the good” is referring to a plural group of people however is it even correct to do this?

  17. Shiela says:

    What’s the difference between will and would and shall and should?

    • Jane says:

      Because I don’t teach English as a Foreign Language, please use another site, such as The Chicago Manual of Style for this information.

  18. Jan says:

    Please tell me which is correct:

    What don’t the data tell us?

    What doesn’t the data tell us?

    • Jane says:

      “What don’t the data tell us?” is correct if the word data is being used in the plural sense as facts or pieces of information.
      “What doesn’t the data tell us?” is correct if the word data is being used in the singular sense as a body of facts.

      • Fippi says:

        Data is plural
        Datum is singular

        • GrammarBook.com says:

          That is not necessarily the case. The following usage discussion from Webster’s says it best:

          Data leads a life of its own quite independent of datum, of which it was originally the plural. It occurs in two constructions: as a plural noun (like earnings), taking a plural verb and plural modifiers (as these, many, a few) but not cardinal numbers, and serving as a referent for plural pronouns (as they, them); and as an abstract mass noun (like information), taking a singular verb and singular modifiers (as this, much, little), and being referred to by a singular pronoun (it). Both constructions are standard. The plural construction is more common in print, evidently because the house style of several publishers mandates it.”

  19. Crystal says:

    Which one is correct:

    How much do two bags of apples cost?
    How much does two bags of apples cost?

    • Jane says:

      The correct answer is, “How much do two bags of apples cost?” The bags are plural, which means you need a plural form. Perhaps it is easier to understand if you realize that you would say, “Two bags of apples do cost $5.00,” rather than “Two bags of apples does cost $5.00.”

  20. Kathy says:

    What is correct:
    What does each of the details of the passage have in common?
    What do each of the details of the passage have in common?

    I say does because the subject is each.

  21. diana says:

    Which is correct:

    Do your patients’ blood look like this?

    Does your patients’ blood look like this?

    According to MS Word the second is correct.

  22. GrammarBook.com says:

    The word “blood” is a mass noun just like “water” and “milk.” These nouns cannot be pluralized so the correct usage would be “Does your patients’ blood look like this?”

    • ander says:

      what is more correct?
      Does your family play tennis?
      or
      Do your family play tennis?

      • GrammarBook.com says:

        If you turn the question around to place the subject first, you would say “Your family does play tennis.” Family is a singular subject; therefore, use the singular verb does.

  23. Kate says:

    My question is about how the difference between “and” and “or” figures into this.
    I already know the correct form is “Do next Monday and Tuesday work for you?”
    However, is it “do” or “does” in front of “…next Monday or Tuesday work for you?”

    Thank you.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Rule 1 of Subject and Verb Agreement is: Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb. Therefore, “Does next Monday or Tuesday work for you?”

  24. Xc says:

    Thanks Jane your explanation is simple and very easy to understand, by the way how about “did” when do we suppose to use it?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The word “did” is the past tense of the verb “do.” The good thing is that it is the same for any subject:

      I did
      You did
      We did
      He/She did
      They did

  25. Melanie says:

    I am correcting a published websites grammar and have got a bit confused is it

    What problems do the government investigate?

    or
    What problems does the government investigate?

    I would have thought do but just checking! Thanks

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The “government” is considered a collective noun, which denotes a unit. AP Stylebook recommends the use of only a singular verb. The Chicago Manual of Style says that these nouns can take either a singular or plural verb, depending on the emphasis. “A singular verb emphasizes the group; a plural verb emphasizes the individual members.” (5.8) In this case, the government is considered a single unit, so “What problems does the government investigate?” would be correct.

  26. Yang says:

    i would like to ask you about this.
    “Jack blames the teachers for everything”
    or
    “Jack blame the teachers for everything”
    Thank you very much!

  27. meke says:

    Could you explain me the differences of do/does in questions with are/is questions? thanks. ^_^

  28. Chris L says:

    Please help me resolve a debate between my wife and I (well, in part Microsoft Word and I). Which of the following sentences is correct:

    What implications does this have for their communities?

    What implications do this have for their communities?

    The first seems right to my ears. But isn’t “implications” a plural, thus requiring use of “do?”

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The correct sentence would be “What implications does this have for their communities?” The word “implications” is plural, but it is not the subject of the sentence, so the verb does not have to agree with it. If you turn the question around to place the subject first, you would say, “This does have what implications for their communities?”

      Since we are talking about grammar, we also need to point out that your first sentence should read, “Please help me resolve a debate between my wife and me (well, in part Microsoft and me).”

      • Andy says:

        What implications does this have to their communities?

        as a rejoinder, I think the questions should be phrased as such:

        What implications do these have to their communities? These referring to implications.

        • GrammarBook.com says:

          Since the author of the original inquiry of August 10, 2011, used the word this, we must infer that he was referring to one factor with implications for the community—the opening of a shopping mall or the closing of a post office, for instance. This or these does not refer to implications but to the factor or factors causing implications.

  29. srikanth says:

    Thank you Jane for this valuable piece of information…it helped me a lot in understanding the difference between ‘do’ and ‘does’….

  30. anne says:

    thanks for the info, but still need your help, which is right
    Does your parents allows you to join or Do your parents allows you to join?
    thanks again

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If you turn the question around to place the subjects first, you would say, “Your parents do allow you to join.” Parents is plural, so you use the plural verb do allow, therefore the correct usage is “Do your parents allow you to join?”

  31. peter says:

    what would the correct sentnce.
    ” other offices does it ” or ”other offices do it”. This has caused an argument btw my wife and myself.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since offices is a plural subject, you need to use the plural verb do. We’re going to take the liberty of correcting the last part of your comment: “This has caused an argument between my wife and me.”

      • TANGEE says:

        When did we start using you and me or my wife and me instead of you and I and my wife and I? Thank you

        • GrammarBook.com says:

          Our blog “I vs. Me” addresses this in detail. The first rule states, “Use one of the subject pronouns when it is the subject of the sentence.” The subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. The second rule states, “Use a subject pronoun following state of being verbs such as am, are, is, was, were.” The last rule says, “Use one of the object pronouns when the pronoun is not a subject and it doesn’t follow a state of being verb.” The object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. Examples:

          You and I need to stay late to finish this project.
          Sam brought in a treat for you and me.
          My wife and I are going on vacation next week.
          Tom gave the tickets to my wife and me.

  32. titay aranza says:

    I’m having a tough time with the use of “do” vs “does” in the possessive “yours”. Do you say “what does yours say?” or “what do yours say?” or would the usage depend on what the “reference” was like “These are my posters. What do yours say?” and “This is my poster. What does yours say?”

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Yes, you are correct that the usage depends on whether the subject of the sentence is singular or plural. Your two sentence pairs are correct.

  33. arturo says:

    What is correct:

    a) Does the trainee understand that anything…?
    or
    b) Does the trainee understood that anything…?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since the verb “does” is present tense, you need to match it with the present tense word “understand.” Therefore, a) is correct.

  34. Belen says:

    cuando usas How much does y cuando how much do

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If the subject noun is singular, “how much does” is used.
      Example: How much does one loaf of bread cost?

      If the subject noun is plural, “how much do” is used.
      Example: How much do two loaves of bread cost?

  35. Julie says:

    How do you explain do VS does with relation to “I”. For example, you say “I do” and not “I does” yet I is singular.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Sometimes the correct usage just has to be memorized. The verb do has two forms in the present indicative: does for the third person singular (he, she, and it) and do for the other subject pronouns (I, you, we, they).

  36. Jack says:

    It’s crazy, but something that I was so dead certain about only a few minutes ago appears confusing now.

    What do the dog and THE cat have in common?

    Or

    What does the dog and the cat have in common? (this sounds wrong, and I’m sure it is wrong)

    Because we’d say ” What does the dog have in common with the cat?”

    The “the” would make a difference.

    For eg,
    The poet and writer has arrived(same person)

    The poet and the writer have arrived.

    Okay, I think I’ve got this clear, but it’d be nice if you can confirm!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      In your first example, there are two subjects, dog and cat. Therefore, use the plural verb do.

      What do the dog and the cat have in common?

      In the second example, What does the dog have in common with the cat, there is a singular subject, dog. The singular form does is used. If poet and writer describes only one person, then use the singular verb has.

      The poet and writer has arrived.

  37. joe says:

    How often (does/do?) hot rock and clouds of smoke pour from volcanoes?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since there are two subjects in your sentence connected by and (hot rock and clouds of smoke), use the plural form do.

      How often do hot rock and clouds of smoke pour from volcanoes?

  38. Stacy says:

    These days, I see alot of “go green” campaigns in malls. And behind each toilet doors, it says “When the trees disappear, so DO your toilet papers.” It keeps me wondering is it do/does your toilet papers?

  39. Phil says:

    Then how can you explain this to me:

    Every little thing she does is magic
    Everything she do just turns me on
    Even though my life before was tragic
    Now I know my love for her goes on

    (By the way lyrics of ‘Everything she does is magic’ from The Police)

    Everything is the subject? I’m confused.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Many songs have bad grammar. The line “Everything she do just turns me on” is an error in subject-verb agreement. In this case, the complete subject is Everything she do. The simple subject is everything, and the verb turns agrees with it, which is fine. The verb do, however, does not agree with she. Therefore, the sentence should be written “Everything she does just turns me on.”

  40. Dan says:

    When a subject list is connected by ‘or’, is it a singular or plural subject? I’m sure ‘and’ makes it plural, just not positive about ‘or’. Both ‘do’ and does’ sound right to me in this situation.

    Also, if ONE of the items in the list is plural does that make the whole subject plural? This is moot if all lists are plural, just wanted to ask in case they weren’t.

    Correct/incorrect?: Do Bob or Betty care?

    Correct/incorrect?: Do Bob or the managers care?

    So glad you’re out here answering these questions!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Our “Subject and Verb Agreement” section of GrammarBook.com’s grammar rules addresses this issue. Rule 1 says, “Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.” Therefore, “Does Bob or Betty care?”
      Rule 4 says, “When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.” Therefore, “Do Bob or the managers care?”

  41. Trilia says:

    Question: Do Travelers have good life insurance policy? or Does Travelers have good life insurance?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since Travelers is the name of an insurance company, it is a singular proper noun, not the plural of the word traveler. Therefore, use the singular verb does.
      Does Travelers have good life insurance? Or, more properly, “Does Travelers offer a good life insurance policy?”

  42. Erch says:

    Q: In the question: “What does it do?” Why do we say do instead of does?

  43. Erch says:

    I know that “What does it does” is wrong but I can’t seem to figure out how to explain why.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Verbs may be classified as principal or auxiliary. A principal verb is one that can stand alone to express an act or state. An auxiliary verb is used with a principal verb to form a verb phrase that indicates mood, tense, or voice. In the question, “What does it do?” do is the main verb and does is the auxiliary. As an auxiliary verb, does is followed by the base form of the main verb, which in this case is do.

      • G.Kannapiran says:

        Your explanations fine. I admire

        I have a doubt

        Which is right?

        When do the children do their home work?

        OR

        When the children do their home work?

        (Is double ‘do’ necessary?
        The anrwer i have is “The children do their home work at night”)

        • GrammarBook.com says:

          You need to add the auxiliary verb do in addition to the main verb do in order to form the question. Also, the word homework is one word.
          When do the children do their homework?

          • G.Kannapiran says:

            Thanks a lot
            A teacher (perhaps in a hurry) corrected “when do the children do the homework?” as “when the children do the homework?” for framing a question..
            I was sure that the latter would be a subordinate clause, the meaning of which could be completed by addition of a main clause (Example: “When the children do the homework, they are disturbed by radio and TV programmes). Anyhow I had a doubt and your clarifications has given me the right position. Thank you very much.

  44. Peter Hinson says:

    Your explanation about the use of ‘does’ and ‘do’ is not correct. The correct explanation is as follows:

    Use “Does” if the subject is third-person singular (he, she, it, John, Sally, the cat, etc.). Use “Do” everywhere else. Did for past tense.

    Regards.

  45. Jimmy Chen says:

    Which one is correct?
    1. What “do” she and her family do on the weekend?
    2. What “does” she and her family do on the weekend?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since there are multiple subjects (she and her family), use the plural form do.
      What do she and her family do on the weekend?

  46. Serenity says:

    I need help with the following:
    1. I don’t want to see her fail and don’t know why.
    2. I don’t want to see her fail and doesn’t know why.
    Can you let me know which one is correct and why? Many thanks.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The first sentence is correct. The subject I agrees with the verb don’t. You would not say “I doesn’t.” You could also write the compound sentence I don’t want to see her fail, and I don’t know why.

  47. kim says:

    which is correct?

    What does she want?
    or
    What does she wants?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      This sentence has the auxiliary verb does, so you need to use the verb want.
      What does she want?

  48. SNF says:

    what about these sentences? i don’t know which one is correct:
    a) She does has a fair skin.
    b) She does have a fair skin.

    c) Does she have a fair skin?
    d) Does she has a fair skin?

    e) She does drinks a plenty of water.
    f) She does drink a plenty of water.

    it is true that b, c and f are correct? why?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The word a is unnecessary in all of your sentences. If you omit the word a, then b, c, and f are correct. You used the auxiliary verb does, therefore, you need to use the verbs have and drink.

      She does have fair skin.
      Does she have fair skin?
      She does drink plenty of water.

  49. confused says:

    Which is correct?

    He does things strangely
    He do things strangely

    The things he do are so strange
    The things he does are so strange

    Thanks.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The singular subject, he, takes the singular verb, does.
      He does things strangely.
      The things he does are so strange.

  50. Kim says:

    Do exercise allow for patients readiness for discharge?

    Does exercise allow for patients readiness for discharge?

    Which one is correct?

    Thanks

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since the word exercise is a singular noun, use the verb does. Also, the word patients’ is a possessive plural noun (readiness of the patients) and requires an apostrophe. Therefore, to be grammatically correct, the sentence would be, “Does exercise allow for patients’ readiness for discharge?” While grammatically correct, this is an odd sentence as the notion that “exercise allows readiness” does not seem to have much meaning. Perhaps you mean something like, “Does exercise hasten patients’ readiness for discharge?” or “Does exercise facilitate patients’ readiness for discharge?”

  51. FRED. says:

    Which one is correct?Does anyone of you have an account here or does anyone of you has an account.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Neither is correct. Anyone and any one often get confused. Anyone means “anybody.”
      Example: Anyone can learn to play the game.
      Any one means “any single member of a group of people or things.”
      Example: Can any one of you tell me the answer to my question?

      You could write any of the following:

      Does any one of you have an account here? OR
      Does anyone have an account here? OR
      Do any of you have an account here?

  52. Jim says:

    Do any of your family know about me. or
    Does any of your family know about me.

    Do any of your friends know about me. or
    Does any of your friends know about me.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The word any is an indefinite pronoun. It can be either singular or plural depending on what it is referring to. In your sentences, any refers to family and friends. Family is a collective noun, which in this case is not acting like a single unit (some family members may know you, some may not) and is therefore plural. The word friends is plural. Both words take the plural verb do. Also, your examples are questions and require a question mark at the end.

      Do any of your family know about me?
      Do any of your friends know about me?

  53. HOTEAcher says:

    Do or Does yoga and sport psychology concepts effect the cognitive development?

    Do or Does??

    Thanks.

  54. jerry says:

    First of all I love all your info. It has been a great help for me. I do have a question on this topic. You have stated that “does” is singular and “do” is for plural. My question is as follows:
    Which one is correct?

    Who better do the bed? John better do bed!
    who better does the bed? John better does the bed!

    Thank you.

  55. jerry says:

    sorry I did not proofread Jane. I meant to say

    Who better do the bed? John better do the bed!
    who better does the bed? John better does the bed!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      I would not recommend use of the word better without using had in formal writing, even though Merriam Webster’s Dictionary recognizes it as such (had better better hurry> ). Also, the word make is a better verb choice than do when referring to preparing a bed. We recommend rewording to the following:

      Who had better make the bed? John had better make the bed. OR
      Who should make the bed? John should make the bed.

      Regarding the verb do, when it is used with an auxiliary, the following is correct:
      Who had better do the dishes? John had better do the dishes.

      Without the auxiliary verb:
      Who does the dishes today? John does the dishes today.

  56. Line says:

    Am confused about ‘What does/do your friends do at weekends’ – I know friends are plural but since there are two ‘dos’ do they both relate to friends or ?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Yes, they both relate to friends. Also, we recommend the phrase on weekends instead of at weekends. Since it is a question, a question mark is required at the end.

      What do your friends do on weekends? OR
      Your friends do what on weekends?

  57. Seb says:

    Oh wait, I can find the answer to my question by applying another comment above based on the third person singular. Very helpful

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      We are glad you found your answer by looking back through the previous comments.

  58. Ome says:

    Aside from computer courses, what courses do/does Harvard University offer/offers?

    do/does?
    offer/offers?

    thanks!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The subject Harvard University is singular, and you would use the singular form does offer in the following example:
      Harvard University does offer computer courses.

      Aside from computer courses, what courses does Harvard University offer?

  59. gabrielle says:

    i´m a little bit confused with this sentence, so i need your help please.

    is it correct to say “These little details does not go unnoticeable”?

    i thought the right way to say it was ” these little details do not go ….”

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since the subject is the plural noun details, use the plural verb do. Also, you need to use the adjective unnoticed meaning “without being noticed,” rather than unnoticeable, which means “not easily seen.”

      These little details do not go unnoticed.

  60. Sreehari says:

    What about the usage of Do and Does with I? Please quote some examples.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The pronouns I, you, we, and they are always used with the word do. The pronouns he, she, and it are used with does. Examples:

      I do think it might rain tomorrow.
      You do not have enough gasoline.
      We do not want to attend the concert.
      They do like yoga.
      She does not drive at night.
      He does enjoy playing golf.
      It does not need to be painted yet.

  61. Julie says:

    Should we write:
    (1) Which of these bands do your weekly allowance fall into?
    (2) Which of these bands does your weekly allowance fall into?

    I think it is (2) but would appreciate your advice. Thanks so much!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      You are correct. The subject of the sentence is allowance, so the verb must agree with that word. If you turn the question around to place the subject first, you would say, “Your weekly allowance does fall into which of these bands?”

  62. Hamanth says:

    Which one is right?

    do he still writes PANQUIN ?
    Or
    does he still writes PANQUIN ?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Use the singular verb does with the singular pronoun he. Also, do not use all capital letters in formal writing. Assuming that Panquin is the name of a person, the sentence should be:
      Does he still write to Panquin?

  63. Mark says:

    First of all I would like to thank you for providing such a valuable information.. I’ve also noticed that you have been answering all our queries since last three years.. It really helped me to understand the use of “do and does” . All I wanted to know is, how can I improve my grammar as well as speaking power ??
    Pardon me for the grammatical error. :-)

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Thank you for your kind words. We’ve actually been answering readers’ inquiries for almost six years. You are already on the right track to improving your language skills by visiting our website. To improve your grammar and punctuation skills, we recommend reviewing all of the rules and taking the online quizzes. Then read the blogs as well as the questions and answers that go with them. You may also wish to take an English class offered in your community or at a local college.

  64. jojes says:

    I always confuse when a sentence starts with “does”, the verb always follows with plural or single. Thank you.

    “does she likes me”
    or does she like me.

    does he play basketball
    or does he plays basketball

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Does is an auxiliary verb that is used with the principal verb to form a verb phrase. It does not matter whether does comes at the beginning of the sentence or not. If you turn the question around to form a statement, you would say “She does like me,” or “He does play basketball.”
      Therefore:
      Does she like me?
      Does he play basketball?

      Perhaps you are confusing the verb forms for the situations where the word does is or is not present at all. For comparison:
      “She does like me.” vs. “She likes me.”
      “He does play basketball.” vs. “He plays basketball.”

  65. John says:

    Which is correct? The media does not always follow his advice, or the media do not always his advice?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Both The Chicago Manual of Style and The AP Stylebook consider the word media plural.
      The media do not always follow his advice.

  66. john says:

    my question is out of topic, but i’m wondering if you can help me explaining why “almost forgot” should be used instead of “almost forget”?

    i was really impressed on how you were able to explain the use of do/does. i would really appreciate it if you can help me

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The word almost is of secondary importance. Forget is present tense and forgot is past tense. For example, When I left my house, I almost forgot my keys. Using the word forget with almost is going to occur more rarely, but, for example, you could use the term if you were asking the question, Did you almost forget your keys?

  67. Bill Doak says:

    Always amusing when people make a big to-do over usage.

  68. Prerna says:

    I was quite clear on the rules of do/does. However, I saw an English expert quote at some website:

    “if you observe this language it take its own form, if that language is widely used and so does the grammar rules.”

    – now “grammar rules” is plural then why the expert has not used “do”.

    Is the expert wrong here?

    Your comment is highly appreciated.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      There are other problems with that sentence but that may be due to typos. Let’s focus on your question. You are correct that the verb in the second part of the sentence should be do instead of does to agree with the noun rules.

  69. Jay says:

    “What kind of books do Patrick need to bring?”
    “What kind of books does Patrick need to bring?”

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If you turn the sentence around to place the subject first, you would say, “Patrick does need to bring what kind of books?” The subject Patrick is singular, so you need the singular verb does.
      What kind of books does Patrick need to bring?

  70. EB says:

    Which is correct?

    If your dinner or drink does not come, contact the waiter.

    If your dinner or drink do not come, contact the waiter.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Our Rule 1 of Subject and Verb Agreement says, “Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.” Therefore, write “If your dinner or drink does not come, contact the waiter.”

  71. Csa says:

    This came up in a conversation I had last night. Which is correct in this case?

    She better do it.
    She better does it.

    I’m wondering if there is an even better way to phrase this, like “She had better do it.” Or “She had better complete it.” omitting do or does.

    Thanks

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      In formal writing, using the auxiliary verb had with better in a sentence such as this is preferred. Regarding the verb do, when it is used with an auxiliary, the following is correct:
      She had better do it.

  72. majapiri says:

    I would like to know what to use in this sentense and why

    Do/does her parents know about it?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since the word parents is plural, use the plural verb do.
      Do her parents know about it?

  73. Richa says:

    which one is correct:
    i don’t know. doesn’t even want to know.
    or
    i don’t know. don’t even want to know.

    please let me know the correct sentence.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Formal writing:
      I do not know and do not even want to know. OR
      I do not know. I do not even want to know.

      Informal or spoken:
      I don’t know and don’t even want to know. OR
      I don’t know. I don’t even want to know.

  74. Lola says:

    Which one is correct.

    What do these dogs do on the farm?
    what do these dogs does on the farm?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since the noun dogs is plural, the verb must also be plural. The plural form is do.
      What do these dogs do on the farm?

  75. Angus says:

    I’m hoping you can answer my question. Which is correct…

    What does water and EcoStruxure have in common?

    or

    What do water and EcoStruxure have in common?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since you have two subjects, use the plural verb do.
      What do water and EcoStruxure have in common?

  76. Perry says:

    How would I explain “do vs does” in this example;

    What does your girlfriend do exactly?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Verbs may be classified as principal or auxiliary. A principal verb is one that can stand alone to express an act or state. An auxiliary verb is used with a principal verb to form a verb phrase that indicates mood, tense, or voice. In the question, “What does your girlfriend do?” do is the main verb and does is the auxiliary. If you turn the question around and say, “Your girlfriend does do what?” you will notice that does acts as an auxiliary. As an auxiliary verb, do or does is always followed by the base form of the main verb, which in this case is do.

  77. John says:

    It should be recognized up front that the administration and School Board does not recommend early admission.

    Would I use do or does?

    Thanks.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Our Rule 6 of Subject and Verb Agreement says, “As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.” The plural form for the auxiliary verb in this case is do. Also, The Chicago Manual of Style’s Rule 8.62 states, “The full names of administrative bodies are capitalized. Adjectives derived from them are usually lowercased, as are many of the generic names for such bodies when used alone…
      the Illinois State Board of Education; the board of education
      the Ithaca City School District; the school district; the district”

      It should be recognized up front that the administration and school board do not recommend early admission.

  78. Marco says:

    Is this right..
    I don’t know about her
    I don’t see any fees

    I still confuse with do/does. If I read the theory the right sentences are

    I doesn’t know about her
    I doesn’t see any fees

    How?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The word don’t is a contraction for do not. Doesn’t is a contraction for does not.The pronouns I, you, we, and they are always used with the word do. The pronouns he, she, and it are used with does. Therefore, write the following:
      I don’t know about her.
      I don’t see any fees.

  79. Terrence says:

    Which one is correct?

    Do not exist.
    Does not exist.

    and
    It do not exist
    It does not exist.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Your first two examples can both be correct depending on whether the subject of the sentence is singular or plural. Examples:
      Unicorns do not exist.
      A purple zebra does not exist.

      Since the subject of your last sentence is the singular pronoun it, the correct verb is does.
      It does not exist.

      • Balaco says:

        Do not exist.
        Does not exist.

        Both will be correct in different situations, as said above. This is true even if the subjects are left implied in the sentences?

        • GrammarBook.com says:

          Your examples are not grammatically correct because they require stated, not implied, subjects, such as “Unicorns” or “A purple zebra.”

  80. ehab says:

    1- i don’t know what does she do
    2- i don’t know what she does

    thanks

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Your sentences could both be correct with the proper punctuation. The first example is correct as two closely linked sentences using a semicolon.

      I don’t know; what does she do?

      The second sentence is correct as a statement with a period at the end.

      I don’t know what she does.

  81. VLAD says:

    Sorry? can you help me?
    which sentence is correct:
    Who do comes here at morning
    who does comes here in the morning

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The words do and does are unnecessary in your sentences. Also, the term is “in the morning” rather than “at morning.”
      Who comes here in the morning?

  82. VLAD says:

    oh without -s in verbs

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Not all verbs are written without an s. A verb must agree with the subject. Generally, a singular noun goes with a singular verb that does end in s and a plural noun goes with a plural verb that does not end in s. However, the verb do has two forms in the present indicative: does for the third person singular (he, she, and it) and do for the other subject pronouns (I, you, we, they).

  83. sree says:

    which one is correct?

    Tina and Mike don’t play tennis.
    Tina and mike doesn’t play tennis.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since you have two subjects in your sentence, Tina and Mike, you need the plural form do not. The contraction for do not is don’t.

      Tina and Mike do not play tennis. OR
      Tina and Mike don’t play tennis.

  84. sree says:

    Since its plural i believe it would be Tina and Mike don’t play tennis.Will the same be applicable when you ask a question ?
    Does John and Natasha watch movies on weekends?
    Do John and Natasha watch movies on weekends?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      You are right that don’t is correct. Yes, the same is true for a question.

      Do John and Natasha watch movies on weekends?

  85. Inga says:

    I have a question.

    Does Linda and her friend or Do Linda and her friend?

    I know the rule says it’s ‘do’, yet the former sounds more right. Is there a rule about named subjects vs unnamed? Like, when we say Do name and name, we mean two people doing together and when we say Does name and noname, then we mean that the person with a name does something with the person with no name?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      It does not matter whether the subjects are named or unnamed, if there are two subjects the verb must be plural. There is not a specific rule for unnamed subjects.

      Do Linda and her friend want to join us for dinner?
      Do Linda and Sandy want to join us for dinner?
      Do you and she want to join us for dinner?

  86. hana says:

    in the sentence ” When does your family have dinner together?” why do we use does instead of do? isnt do the proper word to use for the pronoun “they”

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The word family is a collective noun that is used as a singular unit in your sentence. It requires the singular form does.

  87. Luciano says:

    I’ve a question.

    in comments, my friend asked me “your teddy loves me, but what about Luciano (me)”

    so, can I reply in that way?

    “So Does He” ?
    or there should be something else?
    thanks.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If you want to answer by referring to yourself in the third person, you could also reply by saying, “He does too.” Otherwise you could say, “I do too,” or “So do I.”

  88. Keefern says:

    Great page for a foreigner learning english.

    Why don’t/doesn’t my chest and biceps grow with the same apparent ease as my stomach?
    Doesn’t sound better, but don’t seem to be correct. What do you think?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      We are glad you find our website helpful. Your sentence has two subjects, chest and biceps. The contraction don’t is a shortened form for do not, and the contraction doesn’t means does not. If you make your question a statement, you would say “My chest and biceps don’t (do not) grow with the same apparent ease as my stomach.” Therefore, the same is true of your question.

  89. Chad Martin says:

    I’m trying to figure out which of these two sentences is correct. The “yours” refers to someone’s individual rate rather than multiple rates.

    “If our rates go up, yours does too.” or “If our rates go up, yours do too.”

    Any advice? Appreciate any insight you can give.

    Thanks!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The subject of your sentence is rates. You need the plural verb do to agree with the plural noun rates. Since you would say “Your rates do go up,” the correct word to use is do.
      “If our rates go up, yours do too.”

  90. Alan says:

    Which Holidays does the employer recognize?

    Which Holidays do the employer recognize?

    Which one??

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If you turn the question around to place the subject first, you would say “The employer does recognize which holidays?” The word holidays should not be capitalized.

      Which holidays does the employer recognize?

  91. K Dean says:

    Which is correct here?

    “Which Estimates do/does the Investment Community rely on.”

    Tricky one for me. appreciate feedback!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The correct choice is does. If you turn the question around to place the subject first, you would say “The investment community does rely on which estimates?” Note that estimates and investment community are not capitalized and there is a question mark at the end of the sentence.

      Which estimates does the investment community rely on?

  92. ridwan says:

    Thanks for your lessons. I would like to ask which is correct in an exam hall.
    Who has a pen? Or
    Who have a pen?
    But I guess it’s the first one because of its singular subject.
    Thanks

    • Grammarbook.com says:

      The word who is most likely a singular interrogative pronoun in your sentence. Most of the time (but not always), we use the third person singular form has when asking a question with who.

  93. ridwan says:

    Please,which one is correct and why?
    I thought I knew him OR
    I think I know him.
    Thanks.

    • Grammarbook.com says:

      Both sentences are grammatically correct. “I thought I knew him” is correct when referring to a past tense event. “I think I know him” is correct in the present tense.

  94. Cherry Lim Diola says:

    an English teacher taught Thai students this
    Where do you go for this weekend ? / Where do you go for the weekend ?
    Is this correct?
    How about ,,, Where are you going for the weekend?
    Thanks !

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The following sentences are grammatically correct, but they mean different things:

      Where do you go for the weekend? (This means: Where do you usually go on a typical weekend?)
      Where are you going for the weekend? (This means: Where do you intend to go for this upcoming weekend?)

      Rather than writing “Where do you go for this weekend?” it would be better to write “Where will you go this weekend?” or “Where are you going this weekend?”

  95. Marina says:

    Please help my marriage by settling this dispute between my husband and myself. I am reading a book by Gregg Braden and a sentence reads:

    The increase in the brain capacity of modern humans is one of the anomalies that don’t fit well into the template of evolutionary theory.

    The subject that “don’t” modifies is “one” I believe, so shouldn’t it be “doesn’t” since it is singular?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      We understand how a tricky sentence like that one can lead to disputes. In situations like this, you must look closely at what the sentence really means. We find it helpful to rearrange the sentence:

      Of the anomalies that don’t/doesn’t fit well into the template of evolutionary theory, the increase in the brain capacity of modern humans is one. We can see from this that the verb must agree with the plural noun “anomalies.” Therefore “don’t” is correct.

  96. chris says:

    which is correct?

    what does she do after doing her homework? or what does she do after she does her homework?

    thanks…

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Both sentences are correct as long as the first letter in each sentence is capitalized.

  97. Gavelind says:

    Thank you for a great site! My question may have been answered before, but I could not find it.
    What is the correct form?
    (context: the boss had given instructions, the workers…
    – They did what he wanted
    or
    – They did as he wanted
    considering that they acted upon what he had told them to do, both the way they did it, and the things they did.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      It seems that a better choice of wording here might be “They did what he asked.” If you insist on using the word wanted, use the word what. “What he wanted” implies “that which he wanted.” To be completely clear, you could write the following:

      They did what he asked them to do. OR

      They did what he wanted them to do.

  98. ridwan says:

    Please which one is correct.
    When will John come out and speak the truth? OR
    When will John comes out and speak the truth?
    Thanks.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Your sentence contains the auxiliary verb will. With the auxiliary verb, use the base form of the verb come.

      When will John come out and speak the truth?

  99. Dee says:

    What about this?
    How does your grandma & mom make coffee?

    Something doesn’t sound right. Hmmm. I wonder what the proper way to write this would be?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Your sentence has two subjects, “grandma” and “mom.” The verb must be plural. The correct verb choice is do. Also, an ampersand is not recommended in formal writing.
      How do your grandma and mom make coffee?

  100. Nya says:

    I’m a bit confused;So if I asked,

    ‘What does Anna, Bella, Catherine and Delia have in common?’

    …would I be grammatically correct?

    Or is it ‘What do Anna, Bella, Catherine and Delia have in common?’

    Thank you for your time!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Your sentence has four subjects. Therefore, the verb must be plural. The correct verb choice is do.

  101. Rasmus says:

    I’ve been arguing with my teacher about a this. could you try and clarify it for us.

    “Do the prime minister and her husband arrive together?”

    I’m saying that there must be missing a word in front of “do” or that it should be a does.

    regards

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since the sentence has two subjects, the auxiliary verb do is correct, and there is no missing word in a question like this. If you turn the question around to make a statement, it would read “The prime minister and her husband do arrive together.”

  102. Abhimanyu says:

    In the sentence “How long does it take you?”, how come ‘does’ is used with ‘you’ when plural form of the verb is always used with ‘you’?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      In this sentence, “it” is the subject of “does take” and “you” is an object.

  103. sg says:

    do our mother cook?
    or
    does our mother cook?

    i guess it should be the second one but need to clarify with it.

    thanks

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The auxiliary verb does is correct in your sentence. If you turn the question around to make a statement, it reads “Our mother does cook.” The first word in the sentence should be capitalized.

  104. ashi says:

    Which is the correct sentence

    who don’t want to study or

    who doesn’t want to study

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Since there are no capital letters at the beginning or punctuation at the end, we assume these are clauses, not sentences. The word who may be singular or plural, depending on the person or persons it refers to. Therefore, both of your clauses could be correct.

      If you really mean sentence, then only “Who doesn’t want to study?” can be a correct sentence.

  105. Grace Laverdiere says:

    Can you please tell me if I would use do or does in this sentence? Why do/does Mary’s doctors give her that medicine?

    Thank you.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The auxiliary verb do is correct since it agrees with the plural subject “doctors.”

  106. ridwan says:

    Please which one is correct? No Arsenal players have ever tweeted he won a trophy. OR. No Arsenal player has ever tweeted he won a trophy.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Assuming you are speaking about a men’s team, you could write “No Arsenal player has ever tweeted he won a trophy.”

  107. Jean says:

    Please tell me if i’m right!

    What does a butterfly eat?
    Where do butterflies come from?

  108. Yolonda says:

    Which is correct?

    Do your company pay workers by the hour?

    Does your company pay workers by the hour?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The auxiliary verb does is correct since it agrees with the singular subject “company.”

  109. ridwan says:

    Could you please elaborate more on why do people use article ‘An’ for words starting with ‘H’. Thanks

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The only time the article an is used before a word starting with the letter “H” is when the “H” is not pronounced, such as “an herb” or “an hour.” If the “H” is pronounced, the article a is used, such as “a horse” or “a hotel.”

  110. ridwan says:

    Are the following sentences correct? Who has not gotten his/her book? I hope everyone has a gift. Who has a pen?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Yes, they are correct, but we strongly discourage using the slash in most cases. Make it “his or her book.”

  111. ridwan says:

    Could you please explain the following. Lend Vs Borrow. Lender Vs Borrower.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Lend and borrow are verbs. Lend means “to give (something) to (someone) to be used for a period of time and then returned.” The definition of borrow is “to take and use (something that belongs to someone else) for a period of time before returning it.” Lender and borrower are nouns meaning “one who lends” and “one who borrows.”

  112. Ridwan says:

    Is this statement correct? He does what he does best.

  113. Nathaniel says:

    Hey I have a quick question. When comparing two things and what they have in common, would it be proper to say:

    1) What does a penguin and a chicken have in common?

    or:

    2) What do a penguin and a chicken have in common?

  114. Zen says:

    Do I use

    a) Where does all the poison go?

    or

    b) Where do all the poison go?

    My line of thinking:

    ‘All’ is innumerable and ‘poison’ intangible (because I’m using it as a metaphor, somewhat).

    Hence the confusion.

    Thanks in advance!

    • Zen says:

      *Reading the comments, I’m inclined to think ‘does’ is correct. Am I wrong?

      • GrammarBook.com says:

        With words that indicate portions, e.g., a lot, a majority, some, all, we are guided by the noun after of. If the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

        In the sentence “Where does all [of] the poison go?” the noun poison is singular. Therefore use the singular verb does.

  115. gigi says:

    I want to ask how to use the phrase “What…is that…”. I find it a bit difficult to make such sentences.

  116. Janice says:

    Please help.

    How do I structure these questions?

    1. “Does the Mining Act have retrospective effect?” OR “Do the Mining Act have retrospective effect?”

    2. “Do the State owe any obligation to the Claimants?” or “Does the State owe any obligation to the Claimants?”

    Been sticking to the singular “does” for days but need confirmation!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Use the singular verb does with the singular subjects in both sentences. Also, you may wish to examine whether it is correct to say “retrospective effect” or “a retroactive effect.”

  117. Cathy says:

    what about “the dos and don’ts” of …

    I always see it spelled Do’s but it seems “do” is plural and shouldn’t have an apostrophe.

    thanks!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      As we stated in our blog Apostrophes: Not Always Possessive, “Making words plural with ’s is usually a big mistake, but some writers, as a courtesy to readers, will add ’s to words that don’t ordinarily become plural, as in no if’s, and’s, or but’s, or here are some do’s and don’t’s.”

  118. Kennedy says:

    Should we say : The talented student always ask questions OR The talented student always asks questions?

  119. June says:

    If I was to say. my friends do not believe in global warming or my friends does not believe in global warming What is the answer thank you

  120. Kate says:

    How should I ask the following:

    What standards do/does your program utilize?

    Thanks!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The subject of your sentence is the singular noun program. Therefore, use the singular verb does.

  121. Colette says:

    I am writing a thank you note for a job interview. My questionable sentence is, “It was a pleasure to learn about the valuable behind-the-scenes work that you and your team do at XYZ Company.”

    The “…you and your team do” is throwing me off.

    Thank you very much!

  122. rob williams says:

    I have a question for you:

    Which of the following sentences is correct?

    “What do this man and these men have in common?”

    OR

    “What does this man and these men have in common?”

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Use the plural verb do have because the subject (“this man and these men”) is plural.

  123. Pepper says:

    I have some problems with creating English questions, referring to do/does/did. So, why we use sometimes these 3 forms, and why we dont sometimes use these. It has sth. to do with object and subject.
    e.g. -> How many people came to the party?
    and -> How many people did you see?

    Can someone explain it to me, thanks!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Choosing the correct verb depends on whether the sentence is present or past tense. Also, the verb must agree with the subject. Use do and does for present tense, use did for past tense. Use do with a plural noun and the pronouns I, you, we, and they. Use does with a singular noun and the pronouns he, she, and it. In your example, if you turn the question around you have “You did see how many people?”

      Here are some examples of present and past tense:
      Brandon does play soccer. Brandon did play soccer.
      He does play soccer. He did play soccer.
      She does play soccer. She did play soccer.
      I do play soccer. I did play soccer.
      You do play soccer. You did play soccer.
      We do play soccer. We did play soccer.
      They do play soccer. They did play soccer.

  124. KHOKHAR says:

    I am really confused in using the word “do and does” with I and you”, and I and you refer to single person, and according to present indefinite tense, we should use “Does” with “I and You”(as are single persons), instead of “Do”
    Please give a comprehensive answer.
    Thanks!

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      As we responded to Sreehari on July 10, 2012:

      The pronouns I, you, we, and they are always used with the word do. The pronouns he, she, and it are used with does. Examples:
      I do think it might rain tomorrow.
      You do not have enough gasoline.
      We do not want to attend the concert.
      They do like yoga.
      She does not drive at night.
      He does enjoy playing golf.
      It does not need to be painted yet.

  125. John says:

    Grammarbook:

    With regard to “does” versus “do”, could you tell me whether the following sentence is correct?

    Does policy and procedure require that if an employee works at two companies, the employee receives two paychecks?

    My belief is that the sentence is incorrect and should read, “Do policy and procedure require…” because the subject (i.e, policy and procedure) is plural.

    If you could let me know your thoughts I would greatly appreciate it.

    Thanks.

  126. Yvonne says:

    Does or Do

    You will never be able to wrap your head around whatever he says and does.

    or

    You will never be able to wrap your head around whatever he say and do.

  127. Sanja-Rika says:

    Which one is correct?
    What does your father and mother do?
    OR
    What do your father and mother do?

  128. Pat Chan says:

    Please explain what is the guiding rule when we write:
    DID YOU BOOK YOUR TICKET (YET)?
    My husband insists it should be – DO YOU BOOK YOUR TICKET? because the person might not have booked the ticket yet.
    I think if it is about a habitual action (or something that will not become past tense), we use DO. Ex. DO YOU EAT CEREALS? But if it is about a one-time action, I should use DID.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The word did indicates past tense, whereas do implies present tense or something that is ongoing. Therefore, “Did you book your ticket?” is correct.

  129. darakhshan says:

    what should i use for the word ‘your’? Do or does?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The word your is a possessive pronoun and is usually followed by a noun. If the noun is singular, use does. Plural nouns use the verb do.
      Examples:
      Your brother does enjoy swimming.
      Your brothers do enjoy swimming.

  130. ES says:

    Which ones are correct?

    Andrew has a place in her heart, as do Timothy.
    Andrew has a place in her heart, as does Timothy.

    Chocolate has a place in her heart, as do sugary candies.
    Chocolate has a place in her heart, as does sugary candies.

    Thank you.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The singular verb does agrees with the word Timothy and the plural verb do agrees with the word candies.

  131. curiuosenglish says:

    Is it okay to use does with went? Like “Does he went home?” instead of “Did he go home?”

  132. James says:

    IS it: Do ‘or’ Does Tim and Sally ride their bikes to school?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If you turn the question around to place the subjects first, you would say, “Tim and Sally do ride their bikes to school.”
      Because your sentence has a plural subject, Tim and Sally, the plural verb do is used.
      Do Tim and Sally ride their bikes to school?

  133. sam says:

    which one is correct?
    what all do the clouds do?
    OR
    what do all the clouds do?

    Thanks !

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Both sentences could be correct. What do all the clouds do? is a straightforward question about clouds. The informal expression “what all” in What all do the clouds do? is common in the Southern United States. “What all” refers to something in all its ramifications. The sentence roughly means “Give me a full explanation of what the clouds do.”

      • Amisha raj says:

        how do we recognise noun in a sentence? Is subject always a noun?

        Which statement is correct?
        She doesn’t uses or
        she doesn’t use

        please reply

        regards!

        • GrammarBook.com says:

          A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. A subject is always a noun or pronoun. The phrase “she doesn’t use” is grammatically correct.

  134. Amisha raj says:

    I need a help from you..please make me clear the phrases and clauses

    and
    difference between
    waiting and awaiting
    wake and awake
    rise and arise

    i’m waiting for your reply

    reply soon

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Please see the Clauses and Phrases section under the Grammar Rules tab on our website. This section defines these two words and gives examples.
      There are many differences between the words you are asking about. Rather than provide you with simplified answers, we recommend that you visit the online version of Merriam Webster Learner’s Dictionary (https://www.learnersdictionary.com/) and type in each word for a comprehensive explanation. Also, doing an online search of “waiting vs. awaiting,” “wake vs. awake,” and “rise vs. arise” will provide you with some websites that discuss the differences in detail.

  135. gonzalo says:

    please help, is it always correct to say sth like:

    Who plays the pianno? They do it

    My question is, does the interrogative pronoun WHO always take third person singular form regardless of the answer? Are there any circumstances under which this pronoun as a subject-question could take the plural form?

    e.g: Who play the pianno? they do it

    Thx in advance

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The interrogative pronoun who can be plural. Examples:
      Who are your new friends?
      Who are the main characters in Star Wars?
      Who plays the piano? They do.

  136. sharis says:

    Is it:
    What do the class think of the new teacher?
    or
    What does the class think of the new teacher?

    My english teacher says do because it’s plural. But that just doesn’t sound right.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Your teacher has a point. The word class is a collective noun that can be singular or plural, depending on whether it is acting as a unit or emphasizing the individuals. In your sentence, the word class could be interpreted as emphasizing the individuals. Therefore the plural verb do is acceptable. We agree with you that the sentence is awkward. It might be better written “What do the class members think of the new teacher?” Our post Subject and Verb Agreement with Collective Nouns has more information.

  137. sara says:

    please help me.should i write that race or nationality does not play an essential role in presenting human’s identity,or
    race or nationality do not….

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Our Rule 2 of Subject-Verb Agreement says, “Two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb.” We recommend adding the article a before the word human’s.
      Therefore, write “Race or nationality does not play an essential role in presenting a human’s identity.”

      • JOhn says:

        Taking it a step further, why wouldn’t it be:
        “Neither race nor nationality plays an essential role in presenting a human’s identity.” ?

        • GrammarBook.com says:

          Our sentence of May 2, 2016, and your sentence are both grammatically correct.

  138. Tim Greensgod says:

    Here’s a fun one:

    (1) What color does red and blue make?
    (2) What color do red and blue make?

  139. Tomisin says:

    In asking question, please which is correct? Does she have or does she has?

  140. chirag says:

    ‘does anybody have’ or ‘does anybody has’?
    please tell the reason also

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Write “does anybody have.”
      The verb have is used in conjunction with the helping verb does. When the helping verb is used, the word have does not change no matter what the subject is.

  141. Arshi says:

    will it be like…then do you have any reason why we may bot talk ,, or does as reason is singular do in that case it should be does?

  142. Yvonne says:

    I have people arguing with me on this statement
    Can you please help
    I say this is correct

    How does the changes in the ISAE 3000 impact the Attorneys’ Trust Account Probe Template?

    everyone argues and says it is do

    8 different sites says it is does, Grammarly says it is do, which is correct?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The subject of the sentence is the plural noun changes. Therefore, the verb must be plural. As the post states, do is the plural form of the verb.

  143. chris says:

    Please help.

    Do/Does either of you have a pen?

    While the rule states that the third person singular should be used, the fact that the people are being addressed directly (you) makes me want to use ‘do’.

  144. Mark says:

    What is correction among this questions ?

    How Does music make you feel ?
    How do music make you feel

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Does is correct, however the word should not be capitalized. You also have an extra space before your question mark.
      How does music make you feel?

  145. Cha says:

    Does Jess and Tess have pets?

    Or

    Do Jess and Tess have pets?

    I totally understand that does is for singular but they “Jess and Tess” are two individuals. It’s kinda tricky. “Does” sounds right to me though. But is “Do” the right answer?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The plural verb do is correct. If you turn the sentence around, you would not say, “Jess and Tess does have pets.”

  146. Helena says:

    “What time does the shops close?” or “What time do the shops close?”

  147. Lisa says:

    Please which of these questions is correct?

    1. Does Hulda knows?
    2. Does Hulda know??

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If you turn the question around to place the subject first, you would say, “Hulda does know.” Therefore, write “Does Hulda know?”

  148. hossein says:

    please do me a favor and advise me which sentence is correct:

    what do we do at school?
    what we do at school?

    thank you very much.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Remember to capitalize the first word of a sentence. If you’re asking a question, What do we do at school? is correct.

  149. miriam says:

    does Mary and Jean talk swedish?
    or
    do Mary and jean talk swedish

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If you turn the question around to place the subjects first, you would have, “Mary and Jean do/does talk Swedish.”
      Mary and Jean are the subjects so use the plural verb do. Note that the first word of a sentence and proper nouns are capitalized.
      Do Mary and Jean talk Swedish?

  150. Michelle says:

    Is this sentence correct by stating “do not require” vs “does not require”

    Metal framing channel systems used for conduit/raceway or other equipment support do not require additional bonding jumpers between individual assembly components.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The subject of the sentence is the plural noun systems. Therefore, the plural verb do is correct.

  151. Moolah says:

    Should I use DO or DOES in this sentence:

    There are some things you do that DO/DOES annoy me.

    Thank you in advance.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The plural noun things agrees with the plural verb do; however, it is not necessary to repeat the word do in your sentence. You could simplify by writing “There are some things you do that annoy me.”

  152. jk says:

    Could you help me clear my doubt on this?
    What we perceive with our eyes and interpret with our minds do/does not necessarily …

  153. khan says:

    1-we know that “I” is singular and “He” is also singular, but why we use “Do” with “I” and “Does” with “He”?
    2- Why do we use “have” with “I”, however we know that “I” is singular and with Singular we use”has”?

  154. Adegoke Olusola says:

    Help me with this grammatical construction
    1. He has to sign before he leaves
    Or
    He has to sign before he leave

  155. Ease says:

    Which is correct?
    When she does her own
    When she do her own

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Our post When to Add s to a Verb explains that verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun (such as she) as a subject have an added s (or es) on the end. Therefore, does is correct.

  156. Zainab Iftikhar says:

    I have a question. Which of these sentences are correct according to the English rule? Do your sister speak English? or Does your sister speak English?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If you turn the question around to place the subject first, you would say “Your sister does speak English.” Sister is a singular subject; therefore, use the singular verb does. See our post When to Add s to a Verb for more information.

  157. Abigail Volcy says:

    Are these sentences correct?
    What does my friend expect from me?
    What does her mother expect from her children?
    What does her mother expect from her daughter?
    What do your friend expect you to do?
    What does her mother expect her to do?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The following are grammatically correct:
      What does my friend expect from me?
      What does her mother expect from her children?
      What does her mother expect from her daughter?
      What does her mother expect her to do?

      We recommend the following changes to the other sentence:
      What does your friend expect you to do? OR What do your friends expect you to do?

  158. Natalia says:

    Which one of these sentences is correct? Does your father play tennis on holidays?
    Or
    Does your father play tennis on holiday?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      Either term can be correct. In American English, the plural noun holidays is grammatically correct. A holiday is a specifically designated day such as New Year’s Day or Presidents’ Day.
      The term on holiday is used in British English to refer to a time away for relaxation or recreation.

  159. Shindara Olatunji SOL says:

    Do I use does or do?
    It is you or your company does or do…

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      We are unable to understand your intent, so we will take the liberty of rewriting your sentence as a question: Is it you or your company that …?

      Our Rule 3 of Subject-Verb Agreement is “The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.” Since company is a singular noun, use the singular verb does:
      Is it you or your company that does [plumbing repairs]?

  160. Yashfa says:

    What do we use in these blanks (do or does)?

    1) ____ Sana and Sara walk together to school?
    2) Tariq and Aman _____ clean their room every day.

  161. Jittra Wanchai says:

    Today I had a discussion with a non-native English teacher at my son’s school. The topic of the lesson was the auxiliary verbs do and does. The teacher wrote some questions on the whiteboard that students had to copy in their notebooks and answer for homework. The question was, the teacher wrote, ”What does your mother work?” As I never heard such a question, I asked the teacher why she didn’t write “What does your mother DO FOR work?” instead. She said because in English it is correct to say it like that! I wasn’t sure about her answer. So, I would like to know your opinion, please. Thanks a lot for your kind answer.

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      We agree that “What does your mother work?” is grammatically incorrect. Your sentence or “Where does your mother work?” would be better choices.

  162. Ebenezer says:

    What do Business Cards & Stationery, Print Design, and Social Media Kit include?

    What does Business Cards & Stationery, Print Design, and Social Media Kit include?

    Which is correct?

  163. Nono says:

    Not only she but also him …. the homework.
    Does or do?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      You correctly used the subject pronoun “she” as the subject of the sentence; therefore, you need to be consistent: Not only she, but also he does the homework.

  164. Al Thompson says:

    May the word “do” be omitted when asking a question to provide emphasis?

    (Do) YOU watch television?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      While asking “You watch television?” in an informal conversation might be acceptable, in formal writing we typically would not omit the Do. The difference in the treatments becomes more pronounced when we consider their inflections (voice modulations). Depending on how it is spoken, “You watch television?” can be either inquisitive or incredulous. “Do you watch television?” in most cases will be inquisitive, even with an emphasis on Do.

  165. Kate says:

    Would it be:
    How does the language and structure of the essay contribute…?
    Or
    How do the language and structure of the essay contribute…?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      The sentence has two subjects (language and structure); therefore, use the plural verb do.

  166. Emma says:

    Is it:
    What does your brother and sister do? Or
    What do your brother and sister do?

    • GrammarBook.com says:

      If you turn the question around to place the subjects first, you would say, “Your brother and sister do what?”
      You have two subjects, which are “brother” and “sister.” Therefore, use the plural verb do.

Leave a Comment or Question:

Please ensure that your question or comment relates to the topic of the blog post. Unrelated comments may be deleted. If necessary, use the "Search" box on the right side of the page to find a post closely related to your question or comment.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *