predicates, objects and complements

Predicates

A predicate is the completer of a sentence. The subject names the "do-er" or "be-er" of the sentence; the predicate does the rest of the work. A simple predicate consists of only a verb, verb string, or compound verb:

• The glacier melted.
• The glacier has been melting.
• The glacier melted, broke apart, and slipped into the sea.

A compound predicate consists of two (or more) such predicates connected:

• The glacier began to slip down the mountainside and eventually crushed some of the village's outlying buildings.

A complete predicate consists of the verb and all accompanying modifiers and other words that receive the action of a transitive verb or complete its meaning. The following description of predicates comes from The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers (examples our own):

With an intransitive verb, objects and complements are included in the predicate. (The glacier is melting.) With a transitive verb, objects and object complements are said to be part of the predicate. (The slow moving glacier wiped out an entire forest. It gave the villagers a lot of problems.) With a linking verb, the subject is connected to a subject complement. (The mayor doesn't feel good.)

A predicate adjective follows a linking verb and tells us something about the subject:

• Ramonita is beautiful.
• His behavior has been outrageous.
• That garbage on the street smells bad.

A predicate nominative follows a linking verb and tells us what the subject is:

• Dr. Couchworthy is acting president of the university.
• She used to be the tallest girl on the team.

Direct and Indirect Objects

A direct object is the receiver of action within a sentence, as in "He hit the ball." Be careful to distinguish between a direct object and an object complement:

• They named their daughter Natasha.

In that sentence, "daughter" is the direct object and "Natasha" is the object complement, which renames or describes the direct object.

The indirect object identifies to or for whom or what the action of the verb is performed. The direct object and indirect object are different people or places or things. The direct objects in the sentences below are in boldface; the indirect objects are in italics.

• The instructor gave his students A's.
• Grandfather left Rosalita and Raoul all his money.
• Jo-Bob sold me her boat.

Incidentally, the word me (and similar object-form pronouns such as him, us, them) is not always an indirect object; it will also serve, sometimes, as a direct object.

• Bless me/her/us!
• Call me/him/them if you have questions.

In English, nouns and their accompanying modifiers (articles and adjectives) do not change form when they are used as objects or indirect objects, as they do in many other languages. "The radio is on the desk" and "I borrowed the radio" contain exactly the same word form used for quite different functions. This is not true of pronouns, however, which use different forms for different functions. (He [subject] loves his grandmother. His grandmother loves him [object].) (See, also, pronoun cases.)

Complements

Since this page is about the completers of thoughts, it is appropriate to include a brief description of complements. A complement (notice the spelling of the word) is any word or phrase that completes the sense of a subject, an object, or a verb. As you will see, the terminology describing predicates and complements can overlap and be a bit confusing. Students are probably wise to learn one set of terms, not both.

• A subject complement follows a linking verb; it is normally an adjective or a noun that renames or defines in some way the subject.
  • A glacier is a huge body of ice.
  • Glaciers are beautiful and potentially dangerous at the same time.
  • This glacier is not yet fully formed. (verb form acting as an adjective, a participle)
  Adjective complements are also called predicate adjectives; noun complements are also called predicate nouns or predicate nominatives. See predicates, above.
• An object complement follows and modifies or refers to a direct object. It can be a noun or adjective or any word acting as a noun or adjective.
  • The convention named Dogbreath Vice President to keep him happy. (The noun "Vice President" complements the direct object "Dogbreath"; the adjective "happy" complements the object "him.")
  • The clown got the children too excited. (The participle "excited" complements the object "children.")
• A verb complement is a direct or indirect object of a verb. (See above.)
  • Granny left Raoul all her money. (Both "money" [the direct object] and "Raoul" [the indirect object] are said to be the verb complements of this sentence.)

subject verb agreement

The subject and verb must agree in number: both must be singular, or both must be plural. Problems occur in the present tense because one must add an -s or -es at the end of the verb when the subjects or the entity performing the action is a singular third person: he, she, it, or words for which these pronouns could substitute.
Notice the difference between singular and plural forms in the following examples:

Singular	Plural
The student sings. (He or she sings)	Your children sing. (They sing)
The bird does migrate. (It does)	Those birds do migrate. (They do)

In order to find out if your subject and verb agree, you need to be able to identify the subject of your sentence. Here are some helpful hints that will help you to decipher where your subject is and where it is not.

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Where is my subject?

• Most likely, your verb will agree with the first noun to the left of the verb:

  The Supreme Court judge decides the appropriate penalty.
  Subject: judge	Verb: decides

  The committee members were satisfied with the resolution.
  Subject: members	Verb: were

• Occasionally, a sentence has the subject after the verb instead of before it. This strategy is often used for poetic effect.

  Over the ripples glides a small canoe.
  Subject: a small canoe	Verb: glides

  There was a well-known writer at the meeting.
  Subject: a well-known writer	Verb: was

• You will not find the subject in a modifying phrase (MP), a phrase that starts with a preposition, a gerund, or a relative pronoun and that modifies the meaning of the noun or subject under discussion.

  The group of students is going on a field trip.
  Subject: the group	MP: of students	Verb: is

  The survey covering seven colleges reveals a growth in enrollment.
  Subject: the survey	MP: covering seven colleges	Verb: reveals

  The speaker whom you saw at the lecture is one of the state senators from Minnesota.
  Subject: the speaker	MP: whom you saw at the lecture	Verb: is

• If subjects are joined by and, they are considered plural.

  The quarterback and the coach are having a conference.
  Subject: the quarterback and the coach	Verb: are having

• If subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the closer subject.

  Either the actors or the director is at fault.
  Subjects: actors, director	Verb: is

  Either the director or the actors are at fault.
  Subjects: director, actors	Verb: are

• The relative pronouns (who, whom, which, and that) are either singular or plural, depending on the words they refer to.

  The sales manager is a good researcher who spends a great amount of time surfing the Web for information.
  Subject: the sales manager	Verbs: is, spends

  Sales managers are good researchers who spend a great amount of time surfing the Web for information.
  Subject: sales managers	Verbs: are, spend

• Indefinite pronouns (someone, somebody, each, either one, everyone, or anyone) are considered singular and need singular verbs although they convey plural meaning.

  Anyone who wants to pursue higher education has to pass entrance exams.
  Subject: anyone	Verbs: wants, has

  Everyone on the committee is welcome to express his/her ideas.
  Subject: everyone	Verb: is

• A few nouns can be either plural or singular, depending on whether they mean a group or separate individuals. These words are rarely used as plurals in modern writing.

  The jury is sequestered.
  Subject: jury	Verb: is

  The jury are having an argument.
  Subject: jury	Verb: are having

• A few subjects look plural but are really singular or vice versa.

  The news of the discovery is spreading.
  Subject: news	Verb: is

  The mass media have publicized the facts.
  Subject: mass media	Verb: have publicized

  The data amaze everyone.
  Subject: data	Verb: amaze

subject verb agreement

Basic Principle: Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs. My brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are mathematicians.
See the section on Plurals for additional help with subject-verb agreement.

The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and, therefore, require singular verbs.

• Everyone has done his or her homework.
• Somebody has left her purse.

Some indefinite pronouns — such as all, some — are singular or plural depending on what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns.

• Some of the beads are missing.
• Some of the water is gone.

On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb — unless something else in the sentence determines its number. (Writers generally think of none as meaning not any and will choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines are working," but when something else makes us regard none as meaning not one, we want a singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")

• None of you claims responsibility for this incident?
• None of you claim responsibility for this incident?
• None of the students have done their homework. (In this last example, the word their precludes the use of the singular verb.

Some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome Everyone and everybody (listed above, also) certainly feel like more than one person and, therefore, students are sometimes tempted to use a plural verb with them. They are always singular, though. Each is often followed by a prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus confusing the verb choice. Each, too, is always singular and requires a singular verb.

Everyone has finished his or her homework.

You would always say, "Everybody is here." This means that the word is singular and nothing will change that.

Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.

Don't let the word "students" confuse you; the subject is each and each is always singular — Each is responsible.

Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and. The phrase introduced by as well as or along with will modify the earlier word (mayor in this case), but it does not compound the subjects (as the word and would do).

• The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.
• The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things.

• Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
• Which shirt do you want for Christmas?
  Either is fine with me.

In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly true of interrogative constructions: "Have either of you two clowns read the assignment?" "Are either of you taking this seriously?" Burchfield calls this "a clash between notional and actual agreement."*

The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does): when nor or or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb doesn't matter; the proximity determines the number.

• Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
• Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.
• Are either my brothers or my father responsible?
• Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

Because a sentence like "Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house" sounds peculiar, it is probably a good idea to put the plural subject closer to the verb whenever that is possible.

The words there and here are never subjects.

• There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.
• There is no reason for this.
• Here are two apples.

With these constructions (called expletive constructions), the subject follows the verb but still determines the number of the verb.

Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it and anything those words can stand for) have s-endings. Other verbs do not add s-endings.

He loves and she loves and they love_ and . . . .

Sometimes modifiers will get betwen a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb.

The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several political lives, is finally going to jail.

Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when they're really singular and vice-versa. Consult the section on the Plural Forms of Nouns and the section on Collective Nouns for additional help. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).

• My glasses were on the bed.
• My pants were torn.
• A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular and require singular verbs.

• The news from the front is bad.
• Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless plural and require a plural verb.

• My assets were wiped out in the depression.
• The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.
• Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

The names of sports teams that do not end in "s" will take a plural verb: the Miami Heat have been looking … , The Connecticut Sun are hoping that new talent … . See the section on plurals for help with this problem.

Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is true, of course, when all, any, more, most and some act as subjects.) Sums and products of mathematical processes are expressed as singular and require singular verbs. The expression "more than one" (oddly enough) takes a singular verb: "More than one student has tried this."

• Some of the voters are still angry.
• A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.
• Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.
• Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.
• Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy.
• Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy.
• Two and two is four.
• Four times four divided by two is eight.

If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.

• The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on Valentine's Day.
• It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.
• It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.

Verbs - To Have

The Verb To Have

Forms of To Have
	Present	Past	Continuous
I / you / we / they	have	had	having
he / she / it	has	had	having

Have is one of the most common verbs in the English language. It functions in various ways.

To have as a main verb

As a main verb “to have” implies the meaning of possession.
For example: “I have a job.” “I have a car.“ "I don't have any time."
When it is used to indicate possession you can say "I have..." or you might see/ hear "I have got...".
When you are talking about actions, you only use "have".
For example:
Possession:-
I have a shower in my bathroom, I don't have a bath. = I have got a shower in my bathroom. I haven't got a bath.

The action:-
I have a shower every day. - I'm having a shower now.

!Note - it does not take the continuous form "I having" - for that you have to use the auxiliary verb be.
For example: “I am having a shower.” “Are you having a good time?"
The forms of the verb “to have” are have and has for the present and had for the past.

Question	Positive Statement (spoken)	Negative Statement (spoken)
Singular
Do I have ...? Have I got ...?	I have (I've)	I have not (I haven't/I've not)
Does he / she / it have...? Has he/she/it got ...?	He/she/it has (He/she/it 's)	He/she/it has not (He/she/it hasn't)
Do you have ...? Have you got ...?	You have (You've)	You have not (You haven't/You've not)
Did I / he / she / it have ...? Had I / he / she / it / you got...?	I / He / She / It / You had (I'd / He'd / She'd / You'd)	I / He / She / It / You had not (I / He / She / It / You hadn't)
Plural
Do we / you / they have ...? Have we / you / they got ...?	We / You / They have (We've / You've / They've)	We / You / They have not (We / You / They haven't // We've nof / You've not They've not)
Do you have ...? Have you got ...?	You have (You've)	You have not (You haven't/You've not)
Do they have ...? Have they got ...?	They have (They've)	They have not (They haven't/They've not)
Did we / you / they have ...? Had we / you / they got ... ?	We / You / They had (We'd / You'd / They'd)	I / He / She / It / You had not (I / He / She / It / You hadn't)

Examples

	Have	Have got
Question - ?	"Do you have a car?"	"Have you got a car?"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes, I have a car."	"Yes I've got a car."
Negative Answer - No	"No, I don't have a car."	"No I haven't got a car."

To have as an auxiliary verb

The verb “to have” is used as an auxiliary verb to help other verbs create the perfect tense - auxiliary verb have [+ past participle].
For example, “I have read a lot of books,” or “I have never been to America,” or "I have already eaten."

Present Perfect
I have been a teacher for over 11 years.	You have been a student for ...	He / She has been a student for ...	It has been nice today.	We have been students for ....	They have been students for ...
Past Perfect
I had been a teacher for several years.	You had been a student for several years.	He / She had been a student for several years.	It had been nice for several hours.	We had been students for several years.	They had been students for several years.
Future Perfect
I will have been a teacher for several years.	You will have been a student for several years.	He / She will have been a student for several years.	It will have been nice for several years.	We will have been students for several years.	They will have been students for several years.

Question	Positive Statement	Negative Statement (possible short forms)
Singular
Have you been ...?	You have been ... (You've been ...)	You have not been ... (You haven't been ... // You've not been ...)
Plural
Have we / you / they been ...?	We / You / They have been ... (We've / You've They've been ...)	We / You / They have not been ... (We / You / They haven't been ... // We've / You've They've not been ...)

For example:

Question - ?	"Have you washed your face today?"
Positive Answer - Yes	" Yes, I have."
Negative Answer - No	" No, I haven't."
Question - ?	"Have you ever had a heart attack?"
Positive Answer - Yes	" Yes, I'm afraid I have."
Negative Answer - No	" No, thank goodness, I haven't."

The use of have to

In addition to the two forms, there is another use for have as a modal verb; have to or have got to. This, of course, must be followed by another verb "We have to do something".

	Have to	Have got to
Question - ?	"Do you have to leave early?"	"Have you got to leave early?"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes I have to." or "Yes I do"	"Yes I've got to."
Negative Answer - No	"No I don't have to."	"No I haven't got to."

To have something done

If something is done for you, in other words you haven't actually done it yourself, we use the structure "to have something done".
For example:-
"I have my hair cut once every six weeks." (I don't cut my own hair, my hairdresser cuts it for me.)
"My husband has the car serviced once a year." (He wouldn't have a clue how to service a modern car so, he takes it to the garage and they service it for us.)

Verbs - To Be

The Verb To Be

Probably the best known verb in the world: "To be or not to be..."

Forms of To Be
	Present	Past	Perfect Form	Continuous Form
I	am	was	have / had been	am / was being
he / she / it	is	was	has / had been	is / was being
you / we / they	are	were	have / had been	are / were being

Normally we use the verb to be to show the status or characteristics of something or someone (as a stative verb). It says what I am, what you are or what something is.

Present Simple (stative)
I am a teacher.	You are a student.	He /She is a student.	It is a car.	We are all teachers.	They are students.
Past Simple (stative)
I was a student.	You were a student.	He /She was a student.	It was a nice day yesterday.	We were all students once.	They were students.
Future Simple (stative)
I will be a student.	You will be a teacher.	He / She will be a teacher.	It will be nice later.	We will be teachers.	They will be students.

When used with the present participle of other verbs it describes actions that are or were still continuing - auxiliary verb be [+ ing form of the main verb].

Present Continuous (active)
I am being silly.	You are being silly.	He /She is being silly.	It is being silly.	We are being silly.	They are being silly.
Past Continuous (active)
I was being silly.	You were being silly.	He /She was being silly.	It was being silly.	We were being silly.	They were being silly.

Am/Is/Are
The verb to be is used to create simple yes/no questions by simply inverting the order of subject and the “To be” verb.
For example:-
I am a teacher. (Statement)
Am I a teacher? (Question)

Question	Positive Statement	Negative Statement (possible short forms)
Singular
Am I ...?	I am ... (I'm ...)	I am not ... (I'm not ...)
Is he / she / it ...?	He / She / It is ...(He's/She's/It's ...)	He / She / It is not (He / She / It isn't... // He's / She's / It's not ...)
Are you ...?	You are ...(You're...)	You are not (You're not ...// You aren't...)
Am I being ...?	I am being ...	I am not being ... (I'm not being...)
Is he / she / it being...?	He / She / It is being ... (He's/She's/It's being ...)	He / She / It is not being ... (He / She / It isn't being...// He/she/it's not being...)
Are you being ...?	You are being ... (You're being ...)	You are not being ... (You're not being ... // You aren't being...)
Was I ...?	I was ...	I was not. ..
Was he / she / it ...?	He / She / It was ...	He / She / It was not ... (He / She / It wasn't)
Were you ...?	You were ...	You were not ... (You weren't ...)
Was I being ...?	I was being ...	I was not being (I wasn't being...)
Was he / she / it being...?	He / She / It was being ...	He / She / It was not being ... (He / She / It wasn't being... )
Were you being ...?	You were being ...	You were not being ... (You weren't being ...)
Will I be ...?	I will be ... (I'll be ...)	I will not be ... (I'll not be ...)
Will he / she / it be ...?	He / She / It will be ...(He'll / She'll / It'll be ...)	He / She / It will not be (He / She / It won't be ... // He'll not be / She'll not be / It'll not be ...)
Will you be ...?	You will be ...(You'll be ...)	You will not be (You won't be ... // You'll not be ...)
Plural
Are we / you / they?	We / You / They are (We're / You're / They're)	We / You /They are not (We're / You're / They're not // We / You / They aren't)
Are we / you / they being ...?	We / You / They are being ... (We're / You're / They're)	We / You /They are not being (We're / You're / They're not being // We / You / They aren't being)
Were we / you / they ...?	We / You / They were ...	We / You / They were not ... (We / You / They weren't ...)
Were we / you / they being ...?	We / You / They were being ...	We / You / They were not being ... (We / You / They weren't being ...)
Will we / you / they be ...?	We / You / They will be ...(We'll / You'll They'll be ...)	We / You / They will not be (We / You / They won't be ... // We'll / You'll They'll not be ...)

Examples

	Am/Are	Is
Question - ?	"Am I disturbing you?"	"Is this your coat"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes you are."	"Yes it is"
Negative Answer - No	"No you're not."	"No it isn't"
	Was / Were	Was
Question - ?	"Was I disturbing you?"	"Was that your old house?"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes you were ."	"Yes it was "
Negative Answer - No	"No you weren't."	"No it wasn't."

!Note - The verb to be is also used when forming the passive voice

The verb do - auxiliary and main verb

The verb do can be an auxiliary verb or a main verb in English.

do as a main verb in the Simple Present (do, does, don't, doesn't)

affirmative	negative
I, we, you, they:
I do my homework in the evenings.	I don't do my homework in the evenings.*
he, she, it:
He does his homework in the evenings.	He doesn't do his homework in the evenings.*

*Note: Here we use do in the negative sentence as an auxiliary and as a main verb.

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do as a main verb in the Simple Past (did, didn't)

affirmative	negative
I did my homework in the evenings.	I didn't do my homework in the evenings.**

**Note: Here we use did in the negative sentence as an auxiliary and do as a main verb.

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do as a main verb - past participle (done)

affirmative	negative
I have done my homework.	I haven't done my homework.

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do as a main verb (Present Progressive, Gerund, present participle) - (doing)

affirmative	negative
I am doing my homework.	I am not doing my homework.
Doing my homework is not always fun.	Not doing my homework is not clever.
I saw Jane doing her homework.	I didn't see Jane doing her homework.

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do as an auxiliary verb in negative sentences in the Simple Present:

I don't do my homework in the evenings.

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do as an auxiliary verb in negative sentences in the Simple Past:

I didn't do my homework yesterday evening.

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do as an auxiliary verb in questions in the Simple Present:

Do you like rugby? - Does he like rugby?

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do as an auxiliary verb in questions in the Simple Past:

Did you see Peggy yesterday?
When did you get up this morning?

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do with negative imperatives:

Don't sing under the shower.

Verbs - To Do

The Verb To Do

The verb to do is another common verb in English. It can be used as an auxiliary and a main verb. It is often used in questions.

Forms of To Do
	Present	Past	Perfect Form	Continuous Form
I / you / we / they	do	did	have / had done	are / were doing
he / she / it	does	did	has / had done	is / was doing

As an auxiliary verb do is used with a main verb when forming interrogative or negative sentences, or for adding emphasis. It is also called the dummy operator or dummy auxiliary.

Question	Positive Statement (spoken)	Negative Statement (spoken)
Singular
Do I?	I do	I do not (I don't)
Do you?	You do	You do not (You don't)
Does he/she/it?	He/she/it does	He/she/it does not (He/she/it doesn't)
Plural
Do we?	We do	We do not (We don't)
Do you?	You do	You do not (You don't)
Do they?	They do	They do not (They don't)

Examples

	Do	Does
Question - ?	"Do you always take the bus to work?"	"Does she ever do her homework on time?"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes, I do."	"Yes, she does."
Negative Answer - No	"No, I don't."	"No, she doesn't."

The most common question using "do" that you will probably hear whilst learning English is "What do you do?" The person asking simply wants to know what you do for a living.

Question	Possible answers
What do you do?	I'm a student.
	I'm an architect. I'm a trainee architect.
	I'm looking for work.
	I'm on a career break.
	I'm a volunteer.
	I'm a housewife. / I'm a househusband.
	I'm a pensioner. / I'm retired.
What does he / she do?	He / She's a student.
	He / She's an architect. He / She's a trainee architect.
	He / She's looking for work.
	He / She's on a career break.
	He / She's a volunteer.
	He / She's a housewife. / He / She's a househusband.
	He / She's a pensioner. / He / She's retired.
What do we / they do?	We / They are students.
	We / They are architects. We / They are trainee architects.
	We / They are looking for work.
	We / They areon a career break.
	We / They are volunteers.
	We / They are housewives. / We / They are househusbands.
	We / They are pensioners. / We / They are retired.

When using the continuous tense do becomes doing and it doesn't change.

	Doing
Question - ?	"What are you doing? Are you doing your homework?"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes, I am ."
Negative Answer - No	"No, I'm not."

When using the simple past tense do becomes did and it doesn't change.

	Did
Question - ?	"Did you always take the bus to school?"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes, I did ."
Negative Answer - No	"No, I didn't ."

When using the perfect tense do becomes done and it doesn't change.

	Done
Question - ?	"Have you done your homework?"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes I have ."
Negative Answer - No	"No I haven't."

More functions for the verb “to do”
The verb “to do” works as a main verb.
For example:-
YT - My husband does the dishes.
ST - Gosh! Did he do them yesterday?
YT - Yes he did.
Do is used as an auxiliary verb (dummy auxiliary) in the question form.
For example: I know the way. Do you know the way?
Do is used for emphasis in positive statements.
For example: I do like this beer!
!Note - As an auxiliary verb 'do' is always followed by the base form of the main verb (infinitive)