Do 등을 통하여, 앞선 VP를 가리킬 수 있다. 이를 anaphora라고 하는데, 사전적 정의는 다음과 같다:
the use of a word referring to or replacing a word used earlier in a sentence, to avoid repetition, such as do.
I don’t know if she has seen it yet, but she may have done.
- but she may have done
- may → modality (conjecture)
- have → perfect aspect
- done → ‘see it’
I made much swifter progress than I would have done in Göttingen.
- complement(comparative clause): than I would have done in Göttingen
- would → modal remoteness
- have → perfect
- done → ‘make progress’
She did better in the exam than we’d thought she would do
- complement(comparative clause): than we had thought she would do
- marker(subordinator): than
- subject: we
- predicate: had thought she would do
- had → perfect + past tense
- complement: she would do
- would → modal remoteness
- do → ‘do in the exam’