Trouble with Did and Had

Trouble with Did and Had Trouble with Did and Had Trouble with Did and Had By Maeve Maddox Ive begun to notice the use of did in contexts that call for had. In an episode of CSI New York, the Sinese character remarks: If I didnt do it, he would have killed me. Hes referring to something bad he did earlier in the episode. He wasnt killed, so the act hes referring to is both contrary to fact and in the past. The statement is an example of the contrary-to-fact past conditional. Because the if clause refers to a contrary-to-fact past event, it requires the past perfect form of the verb. If I hadnt done it, he would have killed me. Heres another example of using did when had was called for: Did you bring any beer? I wish I did. The speaker has arrived at a gathering of friends. Its clear from the context that hes wishing hed thought to bring some beer. The main verb in the first sentence is bring. The second sentence conveys a regret that the speaker did not carry out an act in the past. Since the bringing of the beer remained undone in the past, the past tense of bring is called for in the second sentence: Did you bring any beer? I wish I had (brought some is understood). What do you think? Do errors like these portend a further erosion of the past perfect? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comma After i.e. and e.g.Expanded and ExtendedMay Have vs. Might Have