Is it grammatically correct to use "did" like this?
On June 18th, I did experience my first earthquake in Japan.
I'm an ALT in Japan and on our exam for our students they had to write the statement above but without “did" but the teachers are wondering if it’s ok because they think it puts emphasis on experience. But, I dont think it is right and I cannot explain why. Any help would be appreciated.
Answer
The emphasis would be used if you are contradicting someone, or giving information that is the opposite of what is believed.
{two people are describing their trip to Japan}
We were in Japan for all of June, but we didn't feel any earthquakes
I did experience an earthquake on June 18th.
The first person states that neither person felt an earthquake. The second person contradicts the first, and uses the emphatic form.
In your situation you are just stating a fact. There is no need for emphasis.
On June 18th, I experienced my first earthquake in Japan. I did enjoy it!
The second sentence here uses the emphatic form, as it contradicts the expectation that earthquakes are scary and bad. (I was excited about my first earthquake, but I came to hate them after a few years.)
No comments:
Post a Comment