The auxiliary verb must can be used to express probability or inference.

She must be about fifty years old.
You must have been mad to do such a thing.
She must have received your letter.

Note that in the sentences given above, must does not express compulsion or obligation, but inference.

Compare:

I suppose he is the oldest man in the village. (= He must be the oldest man
in the village.)

I think she is older than her husband. (= She must be older than her
husband.)

Can be + adjective

Read the following sentences.

He can be very annoying. (= He is not always annoying, but occasionally he is.)
She could be very intrusive. (= She is not always intrusive, but occasionally she is.)
Father can be very stern. (= Father is very stern at times.)

Do a lot of + gerund

This structure is used to emphasize the frequency with which we perform an action.

He does a lot of traveling. (= He travels a lot.)
I don’t do much traveling. (= I don’t travel much.)
I used to do a lot of gardening.
I have no time to do much gardening these days.
This old woman does a lot of talking. (= This old woman talks too much.)

Uses of do

Do is commonly used with the words thing, something, nothing, anything, everything etc.

He did something strange.

I like doing nothing.

He did nothing.

We use do when we talk about work and jobs.

Would you like to do this job?

I don’t like to do any work.

Uses of make

Make is used to talk about constructing or creating.

Let me make some food.

I will make you some coffee.

When we want to sound casual about an activity we often use do instead of make.

‘What shall we eat?’ ‘Well, let me just do an omelette.’

Do is used in the following fixed expressions

Do good

Do harm
Do business
Do one’s best
Do a favor
Do one’s hair
Do one’s duty

Make is used in the following fixed expressions:

Make a journey
Make an offer
Make arrangements
Make a suggestion
Make an attempt
Make an excuse
Make a mistake
Make money
Make a phone call
Make peace
Make war
Make a bed

The anomalous finites do, does and did can be placed before the verb to show emphasis. Note that after do, does and did, we use a verb in its present tense form.

I do want you to come. (More emphatic than I want you to come.)
I did invite them. (More emphatic than I invited them.)
She did accept the invitation. (More emphatic than She accepted the invitation.)

Notes on the anomalous finites

Is, am, are, was, were

These verbs are usually anomalous and their negatives are formed by the simple addition of not or n’t.

She isn’t very intelligent.
You aren’t hard working.
They weren’t expected to come.
She wasn’t anxious about it.

Interrogatives are formed by the simple inversion of subject and verb without the use of do.

Isn’t she very intelligent?
Wasn’t she anxious about it?

Has, have and had

These are anomalous when used as auxiliaries to form the present perfect and past perfect tenses.

I have seen him. Have I seen him? I haven’t seen him.
I had told him. Had I told him? I hadn’t told him.
They have disappeared. Have they disappeared? They haven’t disappeared.

Has, have and had can be used as anomalous when used as a principal verb expressing the idea of possession.

She has a car. Has she a car? She hasn’t a car.
I have a watch. Have I a watch? No, I haven’t a watch.
She has long hair. Has she long hair? No, she hasn’t long hair.

Note that the questions ‘Has she a car?’, ‘Have I a watch?’, etc., are uncommon in American English. Instead, Americans use a structure with got.

I have got a watch. Have I got a watch? No, I haven’t got a watch.

Questions and negatives made with do/does/did are also common.

Do I have a watch? (More common than Have I a watch?)

No, I don’t have a watch. (More common than I haven’t a watch.)

Note that has, have and had aren’t anomalous when they express other ideas. In this case questions and negatives are formed with do and did.

I had (= experienced) an accident.
Did I have an accident? (NOT Had I an accident?)
I didn’t have an accident. (NOT I hadn’t an accident.)
I have (= take) a bath in the morning.
Do I have a bath in the morning?
I don’t have a bath in the morning.

As a principal verb do is used in the sense of perform or act.

I did my duty well.
Do as I do.
Can’t you do it yourself?

As an auxiliary verb

The auxiliary do is used in three ways.

To ask a question

The auxiliary do and its forms does and did are used to ask questions in the simple present and simple past tenses.

Read the sentences given below:

I know where John lives. (Affirmative)
Do you know where John lives? (Interrogative)
They take him for a fool. (Affirmative)
Do they take him for a fool? (Interrogative)

To form a negative statement

The auxiliary do and its forms are used to change an affirmative sentence in the simple present and simple past tense into the negative.

I saw him last week. (Affirmative)
I did not see him last week. (Negative)
They want an answer. (Affirmative)
They do not want an answer. (Negative)
He gave me a gift. (Affirmative)
He did not give me a gift. (Negative)

To emphasize an assertion

The auxiliary be is sometimes used to emphasize an assertion.

I do admit that I was wrong. (More emphatic than I admit that I was wrong.)
Do sit down.
They did say that they would help.
He did come.

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with appropriate forms of be, have and do.

1.    I will leave for Mumbai after I —————– finished my work here.

a)    Am
b)    Have
c)    Do
d)    Did

2.    She ————— playing the piano when I entered the room.

a)    Is
b)    Has
c)    Was
d)    Do

3.    The boy ——————— become unconscious before the doctor came.

a)    Had
b)    Have
c)    Did
d)    Was

4.    ——————– you ever been to Darjeeling?

a)    Do
b)    Have
c)    Were
d)    Had

5.    That is what he —————- not seem to understand.

a)    Do
b)    Does
c)    Has
d)    Had

Answers

1.    Have
2.    Was
3.    Had
4.    Have
5.    Does