Phraseswith a main verb, that verb is in its base (V) form, represented by the formu-
la DO + V. Second, do cannot occur with any of the other auxiliaries, either
before or after them. Third, do may occur when the main verb is negated by
not or nāt (62a), in a question (62b), or in an emphatic sentence (62c).
Fourth, the auxiliary do differs from the Pro-Verb Phrase do. Consider
sentence (63).
(63) Did^1 she do^2 so too?In this example, Did^1 is an auxiliary, while do^2 so acts as a Pro-Verb Phrase,
an expression that substitutes for a verb phrase.
Auxiliary do and main verb do also differ, as the fact that they can co-
occur shows: [AuxDid] you [MV do] the dishes?
One handy test for identifying VPs is the Do-So Test. One simple ap-
plication of this test is to substitute do so for the VP (ensuring that the tense
of do matches that of the original VP):
(64) a. The zombies did so. (= 51a)
b. Hector is doing so. (= 51b)
c. Hector has never done so. (= 51c)
d. Hector does not do so. (= 51d)
e. Hector has been doing so. (= 51e)
In another version of this test, the sentence in question is coordinated with
one similar to it; in this case the elements reverse to form so do:
(65) a. Hector juggles and so does Zenobia.
b. All the employees agree and so does their supervisor.
c. The lemmings jumped and so did the zoologists.
In short, the expressions do so and so do replace a VP, including its objects,
complements, and modifiers, but excluding negation and auxiliaries.
Exercise
In the sentences below, draw brackets around the main verb. Draw for-
mulas or trees similar to those used in the preceding section to describe
the structure of the auxiliaries + main verb.
a. I have bought all my textbooks for next semester.
b. I have a few dollars for fun.