2. FOCUS ON: phrasal verbs and do, does, and did

Like ordinary verbs, phrasal verbs form negatives and questions with do, does, and did.

Present tense questions

In the present tense, questions are formed with do (except when the subject is he, she, it, or the name of one person or thing):

Why do. I always fall for losers?

Do you sometimes doze off in class?

 Do we ever give in to pressure?

 How do these bottle tops come off?

When the subject is he, she, it, or the name of one person or thing, does is used. Remember that the -s form of the verb is not used in questions:

Does this welding torch throw sparks up into the air?

Present tense negatives

In the present tense, negatives are formed with do not or don't (except when the subject is he, she, it, or the name of one person or thing):

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/ used to doze off while driving, but I don't anymore.

 I think he has the flu because you don't usually throw up when you

have a cold.

We don't usually fall for crazy stories like that.

 If his dogs do not stay off our lawn, I'm going to call the dogcatcher.

When the subject is he, she, it, or the name of one person or thing, does not or doesn't is used. Remember that the -s form of the verb is not used in negatives:

If Mark doesn't pull through, five children will be without a father.

Past tense questions

In the past tense, questions are formed with did. Remember to use the infinitive form of the verb:

I'm so embarrassed. Why did I fall for his lies?

Did the patient pull through?

How many times did he throw up?

Did we give in to their demands?

Did they hear about the explorer who was eaten by piranhas?

Past tense negatives

In the past tense, negatives are formed with did not or didn't. Remember to use the infinitive form of the verb:

/ was really sick, but I didn't. throw up.

You didn't fall for that nonsense, I hope.

He pulled and pulled, but the bowling ball did not come off.

We didn't hear about the half-price sale until it was too late.

I'm sorry. We tried everything, but she didn't pull through.

Infinitive
	present tense	-ing form	past tense	past participle
come off	come off & comes off	coming off	came off	come off

 

1. come off p.v. When something comes off, it becomes detached from what it was attached or fastened to.

Be careful with this old book. The cover's coming off.

That paint won't come off your hands unless you use turpentine[S1] .

2. come off p.v. When an event comes off, it is successful.

The party came off well. Everyone had a lot of fun.

The attack didn't come off the way the general planned it.

3. come off p.v. When you say "Come off it" to people, you are saying that you think something they have said is untrue or foolish.

It's 2:00 a.m., you come home smelling like beer, and you say you were working late at the office? Oh, come off it!

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Infinitive
	present tense	-ing form	past tense	past participle
doze off	doze off & dozes off	dozing off	dozed off	dozed off

 

1. doze off p.v. When you fall into a light sleep, you doze off.

I went to a movie last night, but it was so boring I dozed off.

 If I have a drink at lunch, I'm sure to doze off at my desk.

fall for

1. fall for p.v. When someone successfully tricks[S2]  or deceives[S3]  you, you fall for the trick or deception[S4]  or you fall for it.

I feel like an idiot. The salesman promised me it was a real diamond, not glass, and I fell for it.

Your girlfriend told you that guy she was dancing with at the party was her brother? How could you fall for a story like that?

2. fall for p.v. When you suddenly feel a strong attraction to someone or something, you fall for that person or thing.

Jim met Sam's sister last week, and now he calls her every day. I guess he really fell for her in a big way.

When  I saw this house, I fell for it immediately, and I made an offer the same day.

give in
	give in & gives in	giving In	gave in	given in

 

1. give in (to) p.v. When someone pressures or forces you to do something or allow something even though you do not want to, you give in.

My son drove me crazy asking me to buy him a new bicycle, and I finally gave in.

The strike lasted[S5]  for eight months, but the company never gave in to the workers' demands[S6] .

hear about
hear about & hears about	hearing about	heard about	heard about

 

1. hear about p.v. When you hear and learn information about someone or some­thing, you hear about it.

Have you heard about the new Thai restaurant downtown?

 I heard about the earthquake on CNN.

pull through
pull through & pulls through	pulling through	pulled through	pulled through

 

1. pull through p.v. When you recover[S7]  from a serious illness or injury[S8] , you pull through.

The doctor didn't think his chances were very good, but he pulled through.

Erik is very sick, but he's young and strong, so I'm sure he'll pull through.

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