Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[el7jake]

I know that we use do/does as auxilliary verbs in the present tense with questions and negative sentences:

How do you make falafel?

But why doesn't this sentence have do?

What makes you angry?

Thank you!

eljake

[redset]

If what, which, when or whose is the subject of the question then we usually drop the do.

'Who called earlier?' - who is the subject.
'Who did you call earlier?' - who is the object, you is the subject.

We can add do for emphasis though:

'What does make you angry?' - OK most things don't make you angry, but what does?