# What did worry me was the part about...



## segogo27

Hello,

I don't know why in this sentece: "What did worry me was the part about...", extracted from "The catcher in the Rye", the author writes down "did worry" instead of "worried".

Could you help me?

Thanks


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## blasita

Hello segogo27.

I suppose it´s just to give emphasis (it´s more emphatic with the auxiliary verb ´do´- in the past ´did´). But wait for the other foreros, please.

Un saludo.


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## segogo27

This is what I figured out too. Let see if someone corroborates.

Thank you Blasita.


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## blasita

> This is what I figured out too. Let see if someone corroborates.
> 
> Thank you Blasita.



No problem!  Sure some forero will give you a better explanation, and I´m a non-native speaker so please wait for confirmation .

Un saludo, segogo.


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## irish223

I agree with Blasita. 

Example:
I wasn't worried about that, but what I *did* worry about was....


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## segogo27

Thank you Irish!


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## capitas

irish223 said:


> I agree with Blasita.
> 
> Example:
> I wasn't worried about that, but what I *did* worry about was....


I was going to agree, so I did, so I'm doing: worried=did worry.


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## blasita

> I agree with Blasita.
> Example:
> I wasn't worried about that, but what I did worry about was....



Thank you, Irish223. So, would it be the most emphatic form of the below examples?  

_It worried me... vs  It did worry me...  vs   *What I did worry about*...  vs  What worried me..._

Un saludo a todos.


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## donbill

segogo27 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I don't know why in this sentece: "What did worry me was the part about...", extracted from "The catcher in the Rye", the author writes down "did worry" instead of "worried".
> 
> Could you help me?
> 
> Thanks



No conozco el contexto ya que hace más de cuarenta años que leí la novela, pero ofrecería estas posibilidades:

lo que *sí* me preocupaba era lo de.....
lo que* sí* me preocupó fue lo de...

lo* realmente* preocupante era/fue lo de.... Did es para expresar énfasis.


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## segogo27

capitas said:


> I was going to agree, so I did, so I'm doing: worried=did worry.



Uy Capitas, creo que no he entendido el juego de palagras...


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## capitas

segogo27 said:


> Uy Capitas, creo que no he entendido el juego de palagras...


 Don't worry! Even I myself didn't know what I meant .
I just was going to agree with "worried=did worry", when some other foreros also agreed. That's all.


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## gringomejicano

"That part didn't worry me much.  But what did worry me was the part about how..."

A fuller reading of the text provides the contrast.


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## blasita

Thanks, gringomejicano. I see that irish and you explain it as a way of showing a contrast.

And, anyway, trying to answer my own question (and just taking the sentence of the title), I´d say that _What did worry me ..._ is more emphatic than _I did worry about ..._ because of the ´what´ at the beginning of the sentence, and even somewhat more emphatic than _What worried me ..._

Un saludo a todos.


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## k-in-sc

It's making a contrast with something that did not worry him.


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## segogo27

Blasita,

I realised now I should have post the previous sentence too as Gringo mejicano have done:

"That part didn't worry me much.  But what did worry me was the part about how..."

Becaus the important thing, as K-in-sc posted, is the contrast between both sentences. The first one didn't worry him, but the second one _did_ worry him (and so he put the emphasis here).

So then, it would have the same meaning if you say "what did worry" or "the economy did worry" or "my health did worry" or anything else. 

Isn't it?


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## k-in-sc

(*Wouldn't* it?)
Yes.


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## blasita

I´m very happy now you´ve got your answer, segogo. Because, for some reason, they tend to ignore my questions and answers .

Un saludo.


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## segogo27

k-in-sc said:


> (*Wouldn't* it?)
> Yes.




Thanks K-in-sc.

But now I have another doubt: It is necessary that you constrast the sentence you want to put emphasis in, with another that you don't?

I guess you can always just say: "I knew a girl last summer and did I like her"

On the other hand, can you use it in present tense too?: "She is so pretty, I do like her"


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## k-in-sc

That construction almost always implies a "but," some kind of contrast or contradiction.
I don't like any of these girls around here, but I met a girl last summer I did like.
She's so pretty, I do like her ... but I just don't think we're ever going to get together.
Blasita, what did you ask that you didn't get an answer to?


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## segogo27

segogo27 said:


> Blasita,
> 
> I realised now I should have post the previous sentence too as Gringo mejicano have done:
> 
> "That part didn't worry me much.  But what did worry me was the part about how..."
> 
> Becaus the important thing, as K-in-sc posted, is the contrast between both sentences. The first one didn't worry him, but the second one _did_ worry him (and so he put the emphasis here).
> 
> *So then, it would have the same meaning if you say "what did worry" or "the economy did worry" or "my health did worry" or anything else. *
> 
> Isn't it?





k-in-sc said:


> (*Wouldn't* it?)
> Yes.



Blasita, It's esay to lose the thread in forums, but I think you alredy have the answer.


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## blasita

> Blasita, It's esay to lose the thread in forums, but I think you alredy have the answer.


 I respectfully disagree with the second (I haven´t got the answer to my question).

And about _do, did,_ I think (but again it´s just what I think because I´m a non-native speaker) that they are *also* often used only in order to emphasize a verb/something we say, without any ´buts´; e.g. I *do* love him. But , in this case, as k-in-sc, gringomejicano and irish have told us it seems to be more like a contrast.

Un saludo.


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## segogo27

k-in-sc said:


> *That construction almost always implies a "but," some kind of contrast or contradiction.
> I don't like any of these girls around here, but I met a girl last summer I did like.
> She's so pretty, I do like her ... but I just don't think we're ever going to get together.*
> Blasita, what did you ask that you didn't get an answer to?



Thanks Kinsc. So clear now.


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## segogo27

blasita said:


> I respectfully disagree with the second (I haven´t got the answer to my question).
> 
> *And about do, did, I think (but again it´s just what I think because I´m a non-native speaker) that they are **also often used only in order to emphasize a verb/something we say, without any ´buts´; e.g. I **do love him. But , in this case, as k-in-sc, gringomejicano and irish have told us it seems to be more like a contrast.*
> 
> Un saludo.



I agree about that, but then I can't see what are you asking?. I say it respectfully too. Maybe it's me who losed your thread...


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## blasita

My question:





> So, would it be the most emphatic form of the below examples?
> It worried me... vs It did worry me... vs What I did worry about... vs What worried me...



My own answer: 





> I´d say that What did worry me ... is more emphatic than I did worry about ... because of the ´what´ at the beginning of the sentence, and even somewhat more emphatic than What worried me ...



Don´t worry, it must be just me.  I understood that k-in-sc said that some of them are exactly the same, but I think you haven´t talked about the last one.  I was trying to compare all the possible ways of emphasis taking the one from the title of this post.

Sorry if I was rude.  Estoy un poco ´torpe y espesita´.  Un saludo.


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## segogo27

No te preocupes,

Lo que aporta el énfasis es el do/did.

El "What" es irrelevante en cuanto al énfasis. De hecho podrías no ponerlo: 

"That part didn't worry me much.  But what did worry me was the other part."
Esa parte no me preocupó demasiado, lo que sí me preocupo fue la otra parte.

O

"That part didn't worry me much. But the other part did worry me"
Esa parte no me preocupó demasiado, pero la otra parte sí.

El sentido es el mismo. Espero habértelo aclarado.


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## blasita

> "That part didn't worry me much. But what did worry me was the other part."
> Esa parte no me preocupó, lo que sí me preocupo fue la otra parte
> 
> "That part didn't worry me much. But other part did worry me"
> Esa parte no me preocupó, pero la otra parte sí.



¡Muchas gracias, segogo! Pero lo que yo no estaba intentando era hacer ningún contraste (p.ej. con ´but´) porque para enfatizar no creo que sea necesario. Intentaba ver la frase de tu título aisladamente, y así ver que si con ´what´ era más enfática si cabe. No es necesario, en mi opinión, tener un contraste anterior para expresar algo con un _aux vb+ main vb/what+main vb/what+aux vb+main vb_. Pero seguramente no me estoy explicando/es una estupidez lo que digo.

Bueno, que siento todo esto, en el contexto tuyo creo que ya todo está claro, y no sabes lo que me alegro .

Gracias y un saludo.


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## irish223

So sorry Blasita! I think we felt that you already had a good understanding of the nuances, and was just offering an additional explanation for Segogo. I agree that the contrast is important in order to use the "What I did worry about..." construction, but I also think that "I did worry about..." can be just as emphatic in certain contexts.

Again, sorry....


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## irish223

Oh, I didn't see the second page of the thread.   Blasita, I agree with your post #23. That is correct.


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## blasita

Please irish, don´t say sorry!  *It´s my fault!*  I´m a bit slow, you know?

I was just trying to see the sentence itself, and because I thought that sentences which start with ´What...´ are more emphatic, I was insisting on something that I shouldn´t have. Thanks, but I don´t think I  have such good understanding (you have!), it´s not my mother tongue. I just want to understand the nuances and try to improve my English as well as helping others. What (especially) I can´t see clear is _What worried me_ vs _What did worry me_.

Muchas gracias por tu respuesta, irish.


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## donbill

blasita said:


> What (especially) I can´t see clear is _What worried me_ vs _What did worry me_.
> 
> Muchas gracias por tu respuesta, irish.



Blasita, maybe you don't want to hear more on this issue, but I'll add something anyway!

I don't see a lot of difference in the two sentences quoted above. I do find the second, however, to be more emphatic, or at least to have the potential for emphasis. If I wanted to be even more emphatic, I would add _indeed, in fact, etc._ to it.

What did indeed worry me....
What indeed did worry me...
What did, in fact, worry me...
What did, after all, worry me...

Much depends on context and on what may have preceded the sentences in question.

Saludos


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## blasita

> Blasita, maybe you don't want to hear more on this issue,  *But I do! * but I'll add something anyway! *Great, great, great! *
> 
> I don't see a lot of difference in the two sentences quoted above.* (That´s what I wanted to know.)* I do find the second, however, to be more emphatic, or at least to have the potential for emphasis *(That´s what I thought...)*. If I wanted to be even more emphatic, I would add indeed, in fact, etc. to it.
> What did indeed worry me....
> What indeed did worry me...
> What did, in fact, worry me...
> What did, after all, worry me...
> 
> Much depends on context and on what may have preceded the sentences in question. * As usual (thanks)!*



Thank you so much again, donbill. You´re great .

Gracias a todos por vuestra paciencia conmigo y por todas vuestras aportaciones.  Un saludo.


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## k-in-sc

"I do love him" implies a contrast: "in spite of all his faults" or "even if you don't believe me" or "even though I treat him badly" or whatever else you're suggesting with that "do." But it can also mean "How I love him!" Context is key ...


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## blasita

> "I do love him" implies a contrast: "in spite of all his faults" or "even if you don't believe me" or "even though I treat him badly" or whatever else you're suggesting with that "do." But it can also mean "How I love him!" Context is key ...



This last bit is what I was trying to say! I just couldn´t see that it´s often used to express a contrast because I´d always thought of it as just an emphasizer. I agree that context is always essential. I´d like to thank you, k-in-sc, for your patience and always great answers .

Ah! Y a los demás también por vuestra ayuda y por aguantarme . Un saludo.


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## k-in-sc

Glad we could help!
I'm not often accused of being patient, though


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