I didn't went: did already did the work

Objective & content

This Grammar Fix video (about 3 minutes 30) fixes one mistake: marking the past twice, on did and on the verb. Freya (British) and Cody (American) give the rule: did already carries the past, so the verb after it stays plain (I didn't go, Did you see it?). It works for every verb and for short answers (Yes, I did). The video also shows that without did, the verb keeps its own past (I went yesterday). Students repeat phrases with the hosts, then play a three-round game: which sentence is right?

Pedagogical guide

French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish and Dutch speakers all make this mistake. In all their languages the verb carries the past, whatever helper word is next to it. None of them has a helper that takes the whole past and leaves the verb unmarked, so the habit does not switch off when did appears. Expect it in any class.

Watch for the opposite problem. Some students learn "plain verb" and use it for all past sentences. Game round three catches it: no did, so the verb needs its own past. The video says the wrong sentences only once. Do the same: correct them, do not drill them.

Suggested procedure

1. Before (2 min). Ask three students what they did yesterday. Write them on the board.
2. Watch (4 min). Play the video once. Students repeat aloud when the hosts say "Say them with me": Didn't go, Didn't see, Did you play?
3. Game (3 min). Play the game again. Both sentences are on screen and spoken. Pause at each thinking beat ("Have a think", "Hmm... let's see", "Which is it") and ask the class to vote. Warn them that round three is different.
4. After (3 min). In pairs, students ask each other Did you go? and answer with a short answer.

Materials & prerequisites

• The video, a screen and sound for the whole class.
• The examples are at about A2- level. Students need common verbs (go, see, play, buy) and their simple past forms.

Assessment & extensions

Students write three sentences about last weekend with didn't and a verb. They swap with a partner and check that each verb stayed plain.