Do you hear someone knocking at the door?

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touchstone

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--Do you hear someone knocking at the door? (Someone is knocking at the door, do you hear? )

--Yes, I did. I heard him knock three times.
[FONT=&#23435](from a grammar book[FONT=&#23435])[/FONT][/FONT]

I wonder if
Do in the first sentence should be replaced by Can.
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tedmc

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Yes, you can. But the reply would be "Yes, I can" to be consistent with the question.
 

emsr2d2

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Also, the question "Do you hear ..." is rather unnatural. If the knocking has stopped, the question would be "Did you hear ..." which naturally leads to the response "Yes, I did". If the knocking is ongoing, "Can you hear ..." is the more natural question, with "Yes, I can" as the natural response.
 
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