Did or Did Not???

okay, very silly trivial question here but I am puzzled.

The word didn't is two words joined by the apostrophe. It is not technically a word.

Now, I will put it in a sentence to demonstrate my question.

Why didn't you wash the car?

Now... lets do the sentence again without the apostrophe.

Why did not you wash the car?

It doesnt make sense! In fact it doesnt even gel... so whats that about?

Anyone here good with English grammar?


[edit on 29-7-2006 by NJE777]

Originally posted by NJE777
okay, very silly trivial question here but I am puzzled.

The word didn't is two words joined by the apostrophe. It is not technically a word.

Now, I will put it in a sentence to demonstrate my question.

Why didn't you wash the car?

Now... lets do the sentence again without the apostrophe.

Why did not you wash the car?

It doesnt make sense! In fact it doesnt even gel... so whats that about?

Anyone here good with English grammar?


[edit on 29-7-2006 by NJE777]

hi again NJE....
lol,
my English grammer is just as bad.....
let's, or let US take this quote from you ...

In fact it doesnt even gel... so whats that about?

In fact,(yep, it is a fact....based on what you said!
It does not GEL....hmmmm, i know gel is a lhair product or can be a gluey type substance, but what fact is it that you want to not gel???
lol,
and now let us take..

so whats that about?

What ,what's about?
Ok, as i did say before in your other thread(weight ,kilo,layer, lamb thread,lol,)
I'm bored....or I am bored, and I may not know what it is exactly that I am talking about!
lol,
Hey, this thread could also be about 'Bad grammer' that has sort of creeped into the English Language...
eg/
Hey!, that's MAD.
Meaning.....wow, that is so out of this world....
Told you, i'm not with it.
Or another word.....
Hey, that's SICK!
..meaning, that it is great?
Not quite sure on that one,lol,
there's or there is actually quite alot of words that are being put in the English dictionary as everyday words that don't or do not make sense, and the English language is surely dying.....
hmmm,
so, yeh, I'm or I am puzzled as well......

okay, very silly trivial question here but I am puzzled

see ya ...
helen

ha ha ha

it gets confusing. Perhaps 'didn't' is a word by itself? Since I realised it, I am putting it into a sentence whenever I use the word.
So now, instead of saying didn't I say: did not and it is so funny.
Like it stuffs the whole sentence up.

When did not you
Why did not they
its endless...
lol

think I think too much!

hmm must eat now

Without Contraction With Contraction
did not didn't

In order to change an affirmative statement into a negative Question, did is placed before the subject, not is placed after the subject, and the form of the verb is changed to the bare infinitive. However, when contractions are used, the contracted form of not follows immediately after the auxiliary did. For example:

Without Contractions With Contractions
Did I not work? Didn't I work?
Did you not work? Didn't you work?
Did he not work? Didn't he work?
Did she not work? Didn't she work?
Did it not work? Didn't it work?
Did we not work? Didn't we work?
Did they not work? Didn't they work?

Tag questions are formed using the auxiliary did. In the following examples, the negative tag questions are underlined. Contractions are usually used in negative tag questions.

www.fortunecity.com...#

Whew, makes me glad English was my first language. No wonder American students study English for 12 years!

Hey, Yossarian, could you please translate that CH5 source for me? Just kidding.