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Auxiliary verbs

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Page 1: Auxiliary verbs
Page 2: Auxiliary verbs

AUXILIARY VERBS

An auxiliary verb is a verb used to add functional or grammatical meaning to the clause in which it appears – for example, to express tense, aspect, modality, voice, emphasis, etc. Auxiliary verbs usually accompany a main verb, the main verb providing the main semantic content of the clause in which it appears.

Helping verbs or auxiliary verbs such as will, shall, may, might, can, could, must, ought to, should, would, used to, need are used in conjunction with main verbs to express shades of time and mood. The combination of helping verbs with main verbs creates what are called verb phrases or verb strings. In the following sentence, "will have been" are helping or auxiliary verbs and "studying" is the main verb; the whole verb string is underlined:

As of next August, I will have been studying chemistry for ten years.

Students should remember that adverbs and contracted forms are not, technically, part of the verb. In the sentence, "He has already started." the adverb already modifies the verb, but it is not really part of the verb. The same is true of the 'nt in "He hasn't started yet" (the adverb not, represented by the contracted n't, is not part of the verb, has started).

Shall, will and forms of have, do and be combine with main verbs to indicate time and voice. As auxiliaries, the verbs be, have and do can change form to indicate changes in subject and time.

Page 3: Auxiliary verbs

The verb "be"

The verb be can be used as an auxiliary and a full verb. As an auxiliary we use this verb for compound tenses and the passive voice. Note that be is an irregular verb:

Simple Present: I am, he/she/it is, we/you/they are

Simple Past: I/he/she/it was, we/you/they were

Past Participle: been

You can tell that in the following sentences be is an auxiliary because it is followed by another verb (the full verb). (For progressive forms use the "-ing" form of the full verb; for passive voice, use the past participle of the full verb.)

Progressive Forms

Present Progressive: He is playing football.

Past Progressive: He was playing football.

Present Perfect Progressive: He has been playing football.

Past Perfect Progressive: He had been playing football.

Passive

Simple Present/Past: The house is/was built.

Present/Past Perfect: The house has/had been built.

Future I: The house will be built.

Page 4: Auxiliary verbs

"have"

The verb have, too, can be used both as an auxiliary and as a full verb. As an auxiliary

we use this verb to form compound tenses in active and passive voice. (Use the past

participle of the full verb.)

Forms of the verb to have are used to create tenses known as the present perfect and past perfect. The perfect tenses indicate that something has happened in the past; the present perfect indicating that something happened and might be continuing to happen, the past perfect indicating that something happened prior to something else happening. (That sounds worse than it really is!) See the section on Verb Tenses in the Active Voice for further explanation; also review material in the Directory of English Tenses.

To have is also in combination with other modal verbs to express probability and possibility in the past.

As an affirmative statement, to have can express how certain you are that something happened (when combined with an appropriate modal + have + a past participle): "Georgia must have left already." "Clinton might have known about the gifts." "They may have voted already."

As a negative statement, a modal is combined with not + have + a past participle to express how certain you are that something did not happen: "Clinton might not have known about the gifts." "I may not have been there at the time of the crime."

To ask about possibility or probability in the past, a modal is combined with the subject + have + past participle: "Could Clinton have known about the gifts?"

For short answers, a modal is combined with have: "Did Clinton know about this?" "I don't know. He may have." "The evidence is pretty positive. He must have."

To have (sometimes combined with to get) is used to express a logical inference:

It's been raining all week; the basement has to be flooded by now.

He hit his head on the doorway. He has got to be over seven feet tall!

Have is often combined with an infinitive to form an auxiliary whose meaning is similar to "must."

Page 5: Auxiliary verbs

I have to have a car like that!

She has to pay her own tuition at college.

.

The verb "will"

The verb will can only be used as an auxiliary. We use it to form the future tenses.

The auxiliary verb "will"

Future I: He will not play football.

Future II: He will have played football.

The verb will remains the same for all forms (no "s" for 3rd person singular). The

short form for negative sentences is won't.'

Examples:

I will, he will

I will not = I won't

Page 6: Auxiliary verbs

The verb "do"

The verb do can be both an auxiliary and a full verb. As an auxiliary we use do in

negative sentences and questions for most verbs (except not for be, will, have got and

modal verbs) in Simple Present and Simple Past. (Use the infinitive of the full verb.)

The auxiliary "do" in negative sentences

Simple Present:

He does not play football.

Simple Past:

He did not play football.

The auxiliary "do" in questions

Simple Present:

Does he play football?

Simple Past:

Did he play football?

The verb do is irregular:

Simple Present:

I/we/you/they do, he/she/it does

Simple Past:

I/he/she/it/we/you/they did

The full verb "do"

As a full verb we use do in certain expressions. If we want to form negative sentences

or questions using do as a full verb, we need anotherdo as an auxiliary.

positive sentence:

She does her homework every day.

negative sentence:

She doesn't do her homework every day.

question:

Does she do her homework every day?

Page 7: Auxiliary verbs

Sentences without the auxiliary "do"

In the following cases, the auxiliary do is not used in negative sentences/questions:

The verb to do as an auxiliary verb It is also common to use do, does and did as auxiliary verbs (or helping verbs) together with another verb in its base form. This is used to create negative sentences, questions, or for adding emphasis.

Negative sentences with do not, does not and did not When creating negative sentences, we usually use shortened forms: don’t, doesn’t and didn’t together with the base form of the verb.

Note: Save the long forms (do not, does not and did not) for when you want to create emphasis. When speaking, you would put an accent on the ‘not’.

Subject Auxillery Verb to do

Present or Past

Verb in Base

Form

Rest of

Sentence

I / You / We

/ They

don’t (do

not)

didn’t (did

not) sleep late

He / She / It doesn’t

(does not)

didn’t (did

not) sit

out in the

sun

Page 8: Auxiliary verbs

Can

Used to express ability (to be able to do something):

I can make jewelry.

He can’t speak French.

Can you open this jar?

Used to ask for permission:

Can I use your bathroom?

Can I leave now?

Can I raise the volume?

Used to make requests or suggestions:

Can I have more napkins?

Can I have the bill?

You can take this spot if you like.

You can do whatever you want.

Page 9: Auxiliary verbs

) Could (past form of can

Describes an ability that someone had in the past:

I could swim when I was young.

You could see the boat sinking.

They could tell he was nervous.

Often used in auxiliary functions to express permission politely:

Could I take this jacket with me?

You could borrow my umbrella.

Could you please let me pass you?

Could I get you more water?

Used to express possibility:

All of them could ride in the van.

You could always stay at our house.

Could it be true?

This plan could really work out.

Page 10: Auxiliary verbs

May and Might

Two of the more troublesome modal auxiliaries are may and might. When used in the context of granting or seeking permission, might is the past tense of may. Might is considerably more tentative than may.

May I leave class early?

If I've finished all my work and I'm really quiet, might I leave early?

In the context of expressing possibility, may and might are interchangeable present and future forms and might + have + past participle is the past form:

She might be my advisor next semester.

She may be my advisor next semester.

She might have advised me not to take biology.

Avoid confusing the sense of possibility in may with the implication of might, that a hypothetical situation has not in fact occurred. For instance, let's say there's been a helicopter crash at the airport. In his initial report, before all the facts are gathered, a newscaster could say that the pilot "may have been injured." After we discover that the pilot is in fact all right, the newscaster can now say that the pilot "might have been injured" because it is a hypothetical situation that has not occurred. Another example: a body had been identified after much work by a detective. It was reported that "without this painstaking work, the body may have remained unidentified." Since the body was, in fact, identified, might is clearly called for.

Page 11: Auxiliary verbs

Must

Used to express something formally required or necessary:

I must complete the project by this week.

The government must provide health care for everybody.

Everyone must save the natural resources of the earth.

The building must have a fire alarm.

You must answer my question right now.

Used to show that something is very likely:

He must be a genius.

You must be joking!

There must be an accident.

She must be very tired.

Page 12: Auxiliary verbs

Would (past form of will)

Often used in auxiliary functions with rather to express preference:

I would rather go shopping today.

We’d rather say something than stay quiet.

Used to express a wish or desire:

I would like to have one more pencil.

Used to express contingency or possibility:

If I were you, I would be so happy.

Used to express routine or habitual things:

Normally, we would work until 6 p.m.

Page 13: Auxiliary verbs

Shall

In England, shall is used to express the simple future for first person I and we, as in

"Shall we meet by the river?" Will would be used in the simple future for all other

persons. Using will in the first person would express determination on the part of the

speaker, as in "We will finish this project by tonight, by golly!" Using shall in second

and third persons would indicate some kind of promise about the subject, as in "This

shall be revealed to you in good time." This usage is certainly acceptable in the U.S.,

although shall is used far less frequently. The distinction between the two is often

obscured by the contraction 'll, which is the same for both verbs.

In the United States, we seldom use shall for anything other than polite questions

(suggesting an element of permission) in the first-person:

"Shall we go now?"

"Shall I call a doctor for you?"

Mainly used in American English to ask questions politely (it has more usages in

British English). For the future tense, will is more frequently used in American English

than shall.

Shall we dance?

Shall I go now?

Let’s drink, shall we?

Often used in formal settings to deliver obligation or requirement:

You shall abide by the law.

There shall be no trespassing on this property.

Students shall not enter this room.

Page 14: Auxiliary verbs

Should (past form of shall)

Should is usually replaced, nowadays, by would. It is still used, however, to mean "ought to" as in

You really shouldn't do that.

If you think that was amazing, you should have seen it last night.

In British English and very formal American English, one is apt to hear or read should with the first-person pronouns in expressions of liking such as "I should prefer iced tea" and in tentative expressions of opinion such as

I should imagine they'll vote Conservative.

I should have thought so.

Often used in auxiliary functions to express an opinion, suggestion, preference, or

idea:

You should rest at home today.

I should take a bus this time.

He should be more thoughtful in the decision-making process.

Used to express that you wish something had happened but it didn’t or couldn’t (should + have + past participle):

You should have seen it. It was really beautiful.

I should have completed it earlier to meet the deadline.

We should have visited the place on the way.


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