Can I use an emphatic “did” in the passive past tense?












1















Can I use the emphatic did in the past passive, or is it only for the active tense? For example:




"The Romans did build the bridges!" (active voice)




How would I say that in the passive voice?



I was thinking:




"The bridges did used to be built by the Romans!" (passive? with emphatic did? I am not sure)




Any suggestions?










share|improve this question





























    1















    Can I use the emphatic did in the past passive, or is it only for the active tense? For example:




    "The Romans did build the bridges!" (active voice)




    How would I say that in the passive voice?



    I was thinking:




    "The bridges did used to be built by the Romans!" (passive? with emphatic did? I am not sure)




    Any suggestions?










    share|improve this question



























      1












      1








      1








      Can I use the emphatic did in the past passive, or is it only for the active tense? For example:




      "The Romans did build the bridges!" (active voice)




      How would I say that in the passive voice?



      I was thinking:




      "The bridges did used to be built by the Romans!" (passive? with emphatic did? I am not sure)




      Any suggestions?










      share|improve this question
















      Can I use the emphatic did in the past passive, or is it only for the active tense? For example:




      "The Romans did build the bridges!" (active voice)




      How would I say that in the passive voice?



      I was thinking:




      "The bridges did used to be built by the Romans!" (passive? with emphatic did? I am not sure)




      Any suggestions?







      past-tense passive-voice






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited Nov 21 '15 at 0:35









      Nonnal

      3,8421929




      3,8421929










      asked Nov 21 '15 at 0:28









      lokilindolokilindo

      1082




      1082






















          3 Answers
          3






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          4














          Let me walk you through it.



          What bridges? Certain specific bridges? Or all the bridges we know of? Hmm. Okay, we do know know that the Romans built some bridges. They had the know-how, and their engineering was top-notch.



          Now let's imagine we're standing on a riverbank, taking in the sights. We can see two bridges of unmistakably Roman design. Someone standing beside us questions Roman engineering.



          Our response is:




          The Romans did build those bridges.




          Now let's change the scenario a little bit. Suppose that instead of having doubts about Roman ingenuity our companion should question the Roman's willingness to use it too far from home (we're in Germany right now). He or she says that while, say, Rome and Florence are awash with Roman stuff, very little of it can be found north of the Alps. Now it's time for you to point at the bridges and say:




          Those bridges did get built by the Romans.




          So, I guess, the trick is to introduce the word "get" somewhere in there.



          I hope this helps.






          share|improve this answer
























          • Your answer is better than mine. Use of "get" makes all the difference. +1

            – Nonnal
            Nov 21 '15 at 21:39



















          1














          You would emphasize a form of the verb be, such as:




          The bridges were built by the Romans!




          Alternatively, you could insert another word for emphasis, such as:




          The bridges were indeed built by the Romans!




          As far as I can tell, did is only ever used in the active voice.






          share|improve this answer































            -1














            Can we to change this sentence in passive voice.
            I do do my homework.






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            Noorwali is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





















            • This does not answer the question.

              – Janus Bahs Jacquet
              8 hours ago











            • New questions need to be asked on their own page, using the "ask question" button at the top of the page. However, this question is better suited to our sister site English Language Learners so you should ask it there, instead.

              – David Richerby
              5 hours ago











            • If you have a new question, please ask it by clicking the Ask Question button. Include a link to this question if it helps provide context. - From Review

              – Chappo
              4 hours ago











            Your Answer








            StackExchange.ready(function() {
            var channelOptions = {
            tags: "".split(" "),
            id: "97"
            };
            initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

            StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
            // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
            if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
            StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
            createEditor();
            });
            }
            else {
            createEditor();
            }
            });

            function createEditor() {
            StackExchange.prepareEditor({
            heartbeatType: 'answer',
            autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
            convertImagesToLinks: false,
            noModals: true,
            showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
            reputationToPostImages: null,
            bindNavPrevention: true,
            postfix: "",
            imageUploader: {
            brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
            contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
            allowUrls: true
            },
            noCode: true, onDemand: true,
            discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
            ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
            });


            }
            });














            draft saved

            draft discarded


















            StackExchange.ready(
            function () {
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f288649%2fcan-i-use-an-emphatic-did-in-the-passive-past-tense%23new-answer', 'question_page');
            }
            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown

























            3 Answers
            3






            active

            oldest

            votes








            3 Answers
            3






            active

            oldest

            votes









            active

            oldest

            votes






            active

            oldest

            votes









            4














            Let me walk you through it.



            What bridges? Certain specific bridges? Or all the bridges we know of? Hmm. Okay, we do know know that the Romans built some bridges. They had the know-how, and their engineering was top-notch.



            Now let's imagine we're standing on a riverbank, taking in the sights. We can see two bridges of unmistakably Roman design. Someone standing beside us questions Roman engineering.



            Our response is:




            The Romans did build those bridges.




            Now let's change the scenario a little bit. Suppose that instead of having doubts about Roman ingenuity our companion should question the Roman's willingness to use it too far from home (we're in Germany right now). He or she says that while, say, Rome and Florence are awash with Roman stuff, very little of it can be found north of the Alps. Now it's time for you to point at the bridges and say:




            Those bridges did get built by the Romans.




            So, I guess, the trick is to introduce the word "get" somewhere in there.



            I hope this helps.






            share|improve this answer
























            • Your answer is better than mine. Use of "get" makes all the difference. +1

              – Nonnal
              Nov 21 '15 at 21:39
















            4














            Let me walk you through it.



            What bridges? Certain specific bridges? Or all the bridges we know of? Hmm. Okay, we do know know that the Romans built some bridges. They had the know-how, and their engineering was top-notch.



            Now let's imagine we're standing on a riverbank, taking in the sights. We can see two bridges of unmistakably Roman design. Someone standing beside us questions Roman engineering.



            Our response is:




            The Romans did build those bridges.




            Now let's change the scenario a little bit. Suppose that instead of having doubts about Roman ingenuity our companion should question the Roman's willingness to use it too far from home (we're in Germany right now). He or she says that while, say, Rome and Florence are awash with Roman stuff, very little of it can be found north of the Alps. Now it's time for you to point at the bridges and say:




            Those bridges did get built by the Romans.




            So, I guess, the trick is to introduce the word "get" somewhere in there.



            I hope this helps.






            share|improve this answer
























            • Your answer is better than mine. Use of "get" makes all the difference. +1

              – Nonnal
              Nov 21 '15 at 21:39














            4












            4








            4







            Let me walk you through it.



            What bridges? Certain specific bridges? Or all the bridges we know of? Hmm. Okay, we do know know that the Romans built some bridges. They had the know-how, and their engineering was top-notch.



            Now let's imagine we're standing on a riverbank, taking in the sights. We can see two bridges of unmistakably Roman design. Someone standing beside us questions Roman engineering.



            Our response is:




            The Romans did build those bridges.




            Now let's change the scenario a little bit. Suppose that instead of having doubts about Roman ingenuity our companion should question the Roman's willingness to use it too far from home (we're in Germany right now). He or she says that while, say, Rome and Florence are awash with Roman stuff, very little of it can be found north of the Alps. Now it's time for you to point at the bridges and say:




            Those bridges did get built by the Romans.




            So, I guess, the trick is to introduce the word "get" somewhere in there.



            I hope this helps.






            share|improve this answer













            Let me walk you through it.



            What bridges? Certain specific bridges? Or all the bridges we know of? Hmm. Okay, we do know know that the Romans built some bridges. They had the know-how, and their engineering was top-notch.



            Now let's imagine we're standing on a riverbank, taking in the sights. We can see two bridges of unmistakably Roman design. Someone standing beside us questions Roman engineering.



            Our response is:




            The Romans did build those bridges.




            Now let's change the scenario a little bit. Suppose that instead of having doubts about Roman ingenuity our companion should question the Roman's willingness to use it too far from home (we're in Germany right now). He or she says that while, say, Rome and Florence are awash with Roman stuff, very little of it can be found north of the Alps. Now it's time for you to point at the bridges and say:




            Those bridges did get built by the Romans.




            So, I guess, the trick is to introduce the word "get" somewhere in there.



            I hope this helps.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Nov 21 '15 at 1:10









            RickyRicky

            14.4k53580




            14.4k53580













            • Your answer is better than mine. Use of "get" makes all the difference. +1

              – Nonnal
              Nov 21 '15 at 21:39



















            • Your answer is better than mine. Use of "get" makes all the difference. +1

              – Nonnal
              Nov 21 '15 at 21:39

















            Your answer is better than mine. Use of "get" makes all the difference. +1

            – Nonnal
            Nov 21 '15 at 21:39





            Your answer is better than mine. Use of "get" makes all the difference. +1

            – Nonnal
            Nov 21 '15 at 21:39













            1














            You would emphasize a form of the verb be, such as:




            The bridges were built by the Romans!




            Alternatively, you could insert another word for emphasis, such as:




            The bridges were indeed built by the Romans!




            As far as I can tell, did is only ever used in the active voice.






            share|improve this answer




























              1














              You would emphasize a form of the verb be, such as:




              The bridges were built by the Romans!




              Alternatively, you could insert another word for emphasis, such as:




              The bridges were indeed built by the Romans!




              As far as I can tell, did is only ever used in the active voice.






              share|improve this answer


























                1












                1








                1







                You would emphasize a form of the verb be, such as:




                The bridges were built by the Romans!




                Alternatively, you could insert another word for emphasis, such as:




                The bridges were indeed built by the Romans!




                As far as I can tell, did is only ever used in the active voice.






                share|improve this answer













                You would emphasize a form of the verb be, such as:




                The bridges were built by the Romans!




                Alternatively, you could insert another word for emphasis, such as:




                The bridges were indeed built by the Romans!




                As far as I can tell, did is only ever used in the active voice.







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered Nov 21 '15 at 0:37









                NonnalNonnal

                3,8421929




                3,8421929























                    -1














                    Can we to change this sentence in passive voice.
                    I do do my homework.






                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Noorwali is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.





















                    • This does not answer the question.

                      – Janus Bahs Jacquet
                      8 hours ago











                    • New questions need to be asked on their own page, using the "ask question" button at the top of the page. However, this question is better suited to our sister site English Language Learners so you should ask it there, instead.

                      – David Richerby
                      5 hours ago











                    • If you have a new question, please ask it by clicking the Ask Question button. Include a link to this question if it helps provide context. - From Review

                      – Chappo
                      4 hours ago
















                    -1














                    Can we to change this sentence in passive voice.
                    I do do my homework.






                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Noorwali is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.





















                    • This does not answer the question.

                      – Janus Bahs Jacquet
                      8 hours ago











                    • New questions need to be asked on their own page, using the "ask question" button at the top of the page. However, this question is better suited to our sister site English Language Learners so you should ask it there, instead.

                      – David Richerby
                      5 hours ago











                    • If you have a new question, please ask it by clicking the Ask Question button. Include a link to this question if it helps provide context. - From Review

                      – Chappo
                      4 hours ago














                    -1












                    -1








                    -1







                    Can we to change this sentence in passive voice.
                    I do do my homework.






                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Noorwali is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.










                    Can we to change this sentence in passive voice.
                    I do do my homework.







                    share|improve this answer








                    New contributor




                    Noorwali is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer






                    New contributor




                    Noorwali is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.









                    answered 9 hours ago









                    NoorwaliNoorwali

                    1




                    1




                    New contributor




                    Noorwali is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.





                    New contributor





                    Noorwali is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.






                    Noorwali is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                    Check out our Code of Conduct.













                    • This does not answer the question.

                      – Janus Bahs Jacquet
                      8 hours ago











                    • New questions need to be asked on their own page, using the "ask question" button at the top of the page. However, this question is better suited to our sister site English Language Learners so you should ask it there, instead.

                      – David Richerby
                      5 hours ago











                    • If you have a new question, please ask it by clicking the Ask Question button. Include a link to this question if it helps provide context. - From Review

                      – Chappo
                      4 hours ago



















                    • This does not answer the question.

                      – Janus Bahs Jacquet
                      8 hours ago











                    • New questions need to be asked on their own page, using the "ask question" button at the top of the page. However, this question is better suited to our sister site English Language Learners so you should ask it there, instead.

                      – David Richerby
                      5 hours ago











                    • If you have a new question, please ask it by clicking the Ask Question button. Include a link to this question if it helps provide context. - From Review

                      – Chappo
                      4 hours ago

















                    This does not answer the question.

                    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
                    8 hours ago





                    This does not answer the question.

                    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
                    8 hours ago













                    New questions need to be asked on their own page, using the "ask question" button at the top of the page. However, this question is better suited to our sister site English Language Learners so you should ask it there, instead.

                    – David Richerby
                    5 hours ago





                    New questions need to be asked on their own page, using the "ask question" button at the top of the page. However, this question is better suited to our sister site English Language Learners so you should ask it there, instead.

                    – David Richerby
                    5 hours ago













                    If you have a new question, please ask it by clicking the Ask Question button. Include a link to this question if it helps provide context. - From Review

                    – Chappo
                    4 hours ago





                    If you have a new question, please ask it by clicking the Ask Question button. Include a link to this question if it helps provide context. - From Review

                    – Chappo
                    4 hours ago


















                    draft saved

                    draft discarded




















































                    Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange!


                    • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                    But avoid



                    • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                    • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                    To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                    draft saved


                    draft discarded














                    StackExchange.ready(
                    function () {
                    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f288649%2fcan-i-use-an-emphatic-did-in-the-passive-past-tense%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                    }
                    );

                    Post as a guest















                    Required, but never shown





















































                    Required, but never shown














                    Required, but never shown












                    Required, but never shown







                    Required, but never shown

































                    Required, but never shown














                    Required, but never shown












                    Required, but never shown







                    Required, but never shown







                    Popular posts from this blog

                    "Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'ON'. (on update cascade, on delete cascade,)

                    Alcedinidae

                    RAC Tourist Trophy