Learn English – Use of did + two verbs

past-tense

When making a question in the past tense using did and two verbs do you write the second verb in the past or present tense?

Example:
Did you call and cancel the appointment yesterday?

or:
Did you call and canceled the appointment yesterday?

Does did apply only to the first verb, in this case call, or does it also apply to cancel and I do not have to write the second verb in past tense?

Best Answer

The auxiliary verb "do" is the only part that needs to be conjugated. The rest of the linked verbs are all bare infinitives.

Did you feed and water the horses this morning?

Did you wash, dry, and wax the car like I asked?

You can think of this as a shortened form, rather than needing to ask separate questions, removing any repeated words:

Did you call and did you cancel the appointment?
Did you call and cancel the appointment?

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