Tricky English: Wonders that ‘do’ does!
By Dr Birbal Jha*
Let’s peep into what wonders ‘do’ does! One of the most common verbs in the English language is ‘do’ which is used to carry out an action. However, it has many other usages too, including phrasal and idiomatic expressions. That is to say, this leads to ‘do’ being used in many other ways.
To be precise enough, this lesson aims to deal with two specific patterns—one is do + the + V4, and the other is do + certain noun. The moment I say I do the writing; I do a lot of writing; I mean to say that I write a lot. In other words, I do the job of writing, whether professionally, casually or as a hobby.
Further, if you want to improve communicative English, all you need to do is do a lot of listening, a lot of reading, a lot of writing, and a lot of speaking. Note that you can’t do away with any of them. They are all interconnected and interpolated. The linguistic advice is just to do each of them. You have no option but to practise doing all of them. The simple question is whether you can do without English in today’s era. Take it from me, you can’t do away with it. You can’t do without it. You have to do a lot with it. Hence, get going.
In colloquial English, the verb ‘do’ is often used with a gerundial noun—a verb in an -ing form. It refers to a job associated with the gerund. In other words, it is so used to perform the action, activity or task mentioned in the gerundial noun. For example, Mohan does all the shopping while his wife does the cooking. The moment you say that your job involves travelling, the meaning is crystal clear that you have to do a lot of travelling, maybe despite yourself. Thus, you carry the action of the verb implied in the gerund mentioned.
In conversational English, do is often used instead of more specific verbs. For example, if you do your teeth, you brush your teeth. You must them twice a day, once in the morning and the second time once you are done with your dinner. If you do your hair, you comb and arrange your hair to look well-groomed and more appealing. If you do your face, you apply cosmetics on your face to enhance your facial texture and beauty. If you are supposed to do the dishes, it means the onus is on you to clean them. So, you can’t grumble about it.
Then what to do could be your question. In this direction, let’s do a lot of learning by following the patterns and framing sentences for the linguistic goal. However, it is more advisable for you to use specific verbs in your written communications. That’s a go. For example, I’ll do the living room. Here ‘do’ has to be replaced by ‘tidy’ to be more formal. Similarly, if you do the laundry, you wash it.
All you need to do is practise. Practice makes perfect. It goes well with a learning process. What British Lingua does is hold a practice session for such a thing to enable you to do your own thing when it comes to speaking or writing English with ease. It is easy-peasy. Come on, do your part and have fun with English.
*The writer is a noted author, accredited with having created a revolution in English training In India with the slogan ‘English for all’.
