EXPLANATIONS
“Do” is a common verb that refers to activities. Even more common is its use as an auxiliary verb.
A form of the auxiliary verb “do” is used…
to form questions: “Do you travel a lot?” “Do you?” “What do you do?” “Do you know them?” “Do you enjoy scouting?”
to form negative sentences: “I don’t work there any more.”
to avoid repeating an earlier clause: “My wife would say I do.” (= travel a lot)
to refer back to something another speaker has just said and that is also true of someone else:
“So does my husband.” “So do I!”
in short questions, to keep a conversation going: “Do you?”
in short answers to “yes/no” questions, to sound more polite: “Yes, I do.”
in question tags, to check something or to seek confirmation: “They make books for toddlers, don’t they?” “You work freelance, do you?”
to add emphasis: “It does tend to take over evenings and weekends.” to tell or warn someone not to do something: “Don’t forget your manuscript.”
A form of the verb “do” is used… to refer to activities, studies, jobs, etc.: “What do you do?”, “I did an internship…”, “I rarely have time to do any reading…” in countless set phrases and idiomatic expressions; for example: “Maybe we could do lunch…”, “It wouldn’t do to leave that behind!”
Be careful! When talking about producing something, use “make”, not “do”: “They make books for toddlers.”