Do vs. Due – How to Use Each Correctly

/ October 15, 2019/ Usage

What’s the Difference Between Do and Due?

Do and due are homophones, which means that they share the same pronunciations but different definitions and spellings.

Do is a verb which usually means to perform an action. It also acts as an auxiliary verb to form questions and make sentences negative.

• I do my homework every night. (perform the act of doing homework)
• Do you want any help with that? (auxiliary verb for a question)
• Many Americans don’t believe in any gods. (auxiliary verb to make the sentence negative)

Due can act as an adjective, noun, or adverb. Usually it is an adjective that means the time when something must be completed.

• Your essays will be due on December 15th. The professor will not accept late work so make sure you finish on time.

Let’s look at how to use each of these words in context.

Using Do in a Sentence

When to use do: Do can act as a main verb with multiple meanings, most of which involve performing or completing a task. It is also frequently a helping verb, which is used in addition to a main verb to form a question or negative statement. It is only a helping verb in sentences in which the main verb is not be or a modal verb.

For example:

• I always try to do a good job at school. (perform a task meaning)
• Do you know for whom the bell tolls? (helping verb to form a question meaning)
• They don’t know what they do. (helping verb to form a negative statement meaning, perform an action meaning)
• Do they be happy? (incorrect use, say Are they happy instead)

There are many idioms and expressions that use do. Some of these include the following:

• do as I say, not as I do: Follow my instructions, not my actions, since I don’t always make the right decisions, but I am always right when I tell you what to do.
  • I know that I got suspended when I was in high school for fighting, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to fight too! Do as I say, not as I do.
• Don’t believe everything you hear: Not everything that people say is true.
  • I know your friend told you that the moon landing was fake, but don’t believe everything you hear.
• do or die: Accomplish something or die trying.
  • In a war, it’s do or die. If you don’t fight, you will certainly be killed by the enemy troops.

Another common error is to mix up do and make, so be careful with those two words as well.

Using Due in a Sentence

When to use due: When due is an adjective, it means owed at a certain time or expected to be complete. It can also mean proper or adequate. As a noun, it can mean something that one owes. As an adverb, it is not common. It only appears in the sense of heading a certain direction, and means directly.

For example:

• Your final project is due on the last day of the semester. (expected to be complete meaning)
• The wise woman will reveal the answer in due time. (proper meaning)
• The subjects must pay the king his due. (something owed meaning)
• The captain steered the ship due North, following the North Star. (directly meaning)

Nowadays, due most often appears in the context of a time when schoolwork or projects for work must be complete.

Remembering Do vs. Due

You can use the spelling of these words as a mnemonic device.

Due starts with du, just like the word duty. It is a student’s duty to complete his work by the time it is due.

Do contains an o, just like its synonyms complete, perform, and produce. Interrogative statement also has an o, and means question. Since do is commonly used in questions, this can also help you remember the relationship. Finally, if it is easy for you to remember the spelling of don’t, you can remember that do is a helping verb for negative statements as well.

Outside Examples

• “They just throw you out here and make you take questions from the audience.” But he found out they do invite your collaborators to come heckle you: Enter Seth Rogen, who entered the SNL ticket lottery and luckily, this is the week he drew. –USA Today
• His slick shot slid past three Sabres, the last of which was goalie Robin Lehner, who could do nothing to stop the puck from going between his legs. –Chicago Tribune
• When the plane landed in Dakar, Senegal, on the west coast of Africa, ICE “was notified that the relief crew was unable to get sufficient crew rest due to issues with their hotel in Dakar,” according to a statement issued by the agency. –New York Daily News
• “As we battle for change, we must remember that due process exists for a reason,” he wrote. –LA Times

Quiz: Do vs. Due

Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either do or due.

1. What ____ you ______? What’s your profession?
2. If we want to find our way out of this forest, we should head ____ South.
3. I __________ not believe in ghosts.

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use do or due? Despite sharing the same pronunciation, these words have no overlap in meaning.

• Do is always a verb. It can be a main verb, meaning to complete or perform a task or a helping verb used to form questions or negative statements.
• Due can act as an adjective, noun, or adverb that means owed at a certain time, something which is owed, or directly.

Do is much more common than due, so if you aren’t sure which to use, do is the best guess.

Answers

1. do, do
2. due
3. do