Did the tool worked previously?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

I have question about the usage of this - did +worked - combination.
Is this correct:

Did the tool worked previously?

Thanks!
Suresh

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2

No. The correct question is “Has the tool worked before?” or “Did the tool work previously?”

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3

Thanks Torsten for your help, and I also doubted it (my usage).

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4

Most people would say

Did it work before?
Did it used to work?

The word ‘previously’ is rarely used in normal conversation. The word ‘before’ is probably used hundreds of times for each time someone uses ‘previously’. The word ‘previously’ sounds overly formal.

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5

Note that after do, does, did and modals (except ought) you can have only the bare infinitive form of a verb as in the following examples:

  1. Did the tool work earlier?
  2. Does the tool work now?
  3. Do you use the tool always?
  4. Can you work with the tool?
  5. Would you return the tool after use?

(To me, in the first three cases, the first component of the verbal indicates the tense, and so they may be called tense carriers. In the last two, the modals indicate the speaker’s mood relating to his enquiry about the ability and the probability respectively).

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6

Thanks for your help and time, appreciate it!
Thanks!

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