"Do" after an interrogative

[vanity]

Does placing "do" after an interrogative pronoun simply strenghtens the question? Such as in "Why do women eat less?" as opposed to "Why women eat less?".

And, in general, what is the role of "do" preceeded by pronouns such as why, what or where?

 

[bhaisahab]

Does placing "do" after an interrogative pronoun simply strenghtens the question? Such as in "Why do women eat less?" as opposed to "Why women eat less?".

And, in general, what is the role of "do" preceeded by pronouns such as why, what or where?

"Why women eat less" is not a question, "Why do women eat less?" is a question. The "do" makes it a question.

 

[vanity]

Thank you, Bhaisahab.
But how do we classify the same sentence without it ("do") - as incomplete, or a statement?

More importantly, what is the official function of "do" in this context (following the interrogative pronoun)? An auxilliary verb?

 

[bhaisahab]

Thank you, Bhaisahab.
But how do we classify the same sentence without it ("do") - as incomplete, or a statement?

More importantly, what is the official function of "do" in this context (following the interrogative pronoun)? An auxilliary verb?

It could be the title of a book, for example. Yes, "do" is an auxilliary verb in that context.

 

[vanity]

Many thanks.