Two types of living things

Dear Dr English,

I would like to know the difference between a ÒrobberÓ and a ÒthiefÓ and a ÒtreeÓ and ÒplantÓ. Please accept my thanks in advance.

Nudjaree Kawampi

A thief is a person who steals from the others especially without using violence.
A passerby saw a thief taking the purse left in the unlocked car.

A robber also steals but he usually robs a place such as a bank.
A robber broke into the pawnshop yesterday.

A tree is a high plant with a long trunk that lives for many years, while a plant is a vine, shrub or herb that does not live very long.
Our mango trees yield a lot of fruit every year.
What do you call that plant, the one with the broad leaves?

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Tenses and meanings in questions

Dear Dr English,

I would like to know the difference between the following questions: ÒWhat did you do?Ó and ÒWhat do you done?Ó. Thank you.

Nattaya Sukching

The question ÒWhat did you do?Ó has a context; a story it refers to because the simple past tense refers to a point in the past, usually a specific circumstance. For example, ÒWhat did you do when you were on holiday in France?Ó
ÒWhat do you done?Ó is grammatically not possible.

If you ask ÒWhat do you do?Ó you ask about somebodyÕs occupation or job. To find out about what somebody is doing at present, you would have to ask: ÒWhat are you doing?Ó
If you ask ÒWhat have you done?Ó, it is a reprimand, an expression of your disapproval of the action of the person you are talking to.

Americans like to use the past tense in such situations. The British use the present perfect tense. An American would say ÒWhat did you do?Ó However, if a specific context is used, it is not a reprimand but a simple query. For example, ÒWhat have you done about BJÕs complaint in connection with short delivery?Ó

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