Who Ate The Cake Or Who Did Eat

[DARBO666]

Which one is correct and why?please support your anwers with a thorough linguistic account?
to make a wh-question for this sentence Peter ate the cake the underlined word to be asked about is Peter so which one is correct and why?who ate the cake or who did eat the cake? I know that the first is correct but I want to know why the second is incorrect .I'm an English Language Teacher in Saudi Arabia ,I'll be grateful if answer me

[steph_333]

Actually, they're both right.

[irpond]

I have never come across "Who did eat the cake" in any widely-spread variety of English. "Who ate the cake" is the standard form (certainly in examinations and grammar textbooks).

There is a linguistic explanation at Wh-movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, but I'm not sure it helps.

[BobK]

I have never come across "Who did eat the cake" in any widely-spread variety of English. "Who ate the cake" is the standard form (certainly in examinations and grammar textbooks).

There is a linguistic explanation at Wh-movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, but I'm not sure it helps.

Hmm. "Who did eat the cake" is not at all uncommon in British English.

'Who ate the cake?'
'Not me.'
'Nor me.'
'I didn't either.'
'Well someone must have. Who did eat the cake?'

b