didn't + inf

[ElvisFannetjeh]

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A pupil in my class asked me why you can't say:
It didn't happened every morning.

I know you have to use didn't + infinitive. But is there something else I could have answered?

[Esl_Expert]

Hello Elvis

As to your original question, you might also mention that using "happened" with "didn't" is not only wrong, but also completely unnecessary because the word "did" is already in the past tense. In the simple present and simple past, the verb "do" is the word that reflects the tense and person in negative and interrogative forms. Thus, you might also draw their attention to the fact that they cannot say "He doesn't plays" either. That's because the S is already present in "does".

Sometimes pointing that out helps.
_____________________________
"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." ~ Thomas Jefferson[/s]

[ElvisFannetjeh]

"He doesn't plays" I had to point that out later on in my lesson. I explained it to them in Dutch (their mothertongue) and they seem to understand it now. It's not a very strong class actually.