Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner12]

Hello, teachers!!

The children 'did' wrong things.
----->
When you read (2), can you think that the children did wrong things such as shoplifting, murder, etc...?

My understanding of "The children 'do' wrong things" is the following:
(a) They behave badly.
(b) Thier manners are bad.

Thank you in advance.

[Eric Thompson]

Dear learner12: Yes, 'doing wrong things' is the same as 'behaving badly' and to a lesser extent 'showing bad manners'. It's more common to hear 'doing bad things'. But, there is nothing wrong in saying 'doing wrong things'. Ok? -- Eric

[learner12]

Dear Eric Thompson:

Thank you so much for your explanations. I understood "The children 'do' wrong things."

The children 'did' wrong things.
----->
When you read the above sentence, can you think that the children did wrong things such as shoplifting, murder, etc...?

Thank you so much.