Where you live? The missing do

Objective & content

This Grammar Fix video (about 4 minutes) fixes one mistake: a question without do or does. Freya (British) and Cody (American) explain that English needs a helper word that means nothing, so the real verb stays in statement order: question word, do or does, the person, the plain verb (Where do you live? What does she want?). Does is for one person or thing, do for everyone else. Yes/no questions need it too. One exception: Who likes chocolate? has no do. Students repeat questions with the hosts, then play a three-round game.

Pedagogical guide

French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish and Dutch speakers all make this mistake. Their languages move words around or change the tune of the voice. German and Dutch swap subject and verb, French inverts, and Polish uses a question word with the normal verb. None adds a helper word. Expect it in any class.

Watch for the opposite problem: once students learn "always add do", some add it when who or what is the subject (Who does like chocolate?). Game round one catches it. The video says the wrong question only once. Do the same: correct it, do not drill it.

Suggested procedure

1. Before (2 min). Students ask a partner where they live. Listen. Do not correct yet.
2. Watch (4 min). Play the video once. Students repeat aloud when the hosts say "Say them with me": Where do you live? What does she want? Why do they laugh?
3. Game (3 min). Play the game again. Both options are on screen and spoken. Pause at each thinking beat ("Hmm... let's see", "Have a think", "Which is it") and ask the class to vote. Warn them that round one is different.
4. After (3 min). In pairs, students say each question again and name the person: does or do?

Materials & prerequisites

• The video, a screen and sound for the whole class.
• The examples are at A1 level. Students need where, what, why and common verbs (live, want, like).

Assessment & extensions

Pairs write three questions to a partner about hobbies or family with do or does. They swap, answer aloud and check together which one was needed.