What areauxiliary verbs?

Grammar Toolkit

Auxiliary verbs

Grammar Toolkit

Auxiliary verbs

A non-finite verb can become a finite verb with the help of an auxiliary or “helping” verb. Auxiliary verbs give the resulting verb its tense. Let’s start with the present participle looking.

lookingBy itself, it doesn’t have a

tense and can’t have a subject.

is

The auxiliary verb is makes the verb complete and gives it a tense (present tense.)

MickeyThe complete verb can now

have a subject.

The complete finite verb becomes is looking.

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Auxiliary verbs

Auxiliary verbs are forms of the verbs have, do and be. Choose an auxiliary verb for

each non-finite verb. What tense does the complete verb get?

I ______ cleaning. She _______sure. We to go. Yuki and Sanj coming.I know.

am present

have has do does did be am is are was were being been

was pasthave present

are presentdid past

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Auxiliary verbs

Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb. They help a non-finite verb express possibility, obligation

or permission. Choose an auxiliary verb for each non-finite verb. What tense does the complete verb get?

we dance? You eat. Mia run fast. Jack go.They know.

Shall future

can could may might must shall should will would

must presentcan presentwill future

might present

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Auxiliary verbs

A main verb plus one or more auxiliary verbs makes a verb phrase.

Carlos playing.Carlos playing.Carlos playing.Carlos playing.

is

been is will was have had

washad beenwill have been

may have been played

Verb phrases can become quite long. What verb phrases can you make with these auxiliary verbs?

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Auxiliary verbs

Many subjects and their auxiliary verbs arewritten as contractions. Contractions are words or

phrases with an apostrophe to show missing letters. I’m home. = I am home.

Cristina’s here. = Cristina is here.

Many negative verb phrases are also written as contractions.

She hasn’t sold it. = She has not sold it. He didn’t arrive. = He did not arrive.

subject + auxiliary verb contractionI have

you areI had

it’sthey’re

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Auxiliary verbs

Do you know what these contractions mean?

contraction negative verb phrasecan’tdon’t

shouldn’twill nothad not

I’veyou’re

I’d

it isthey are

cannotdo not

should notwon’thadn’t

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Auxiliary verbs

• Verbs have different forms.• A finite verb is a verb with a subject and tense.

A non-finite verb doesn’t have a subject or tense and cannot be the main verb in a sentence.• Non-finite verbs can become finite verbs with the

help of auxiliary verbs (forms of the verbs have, do and be), including modal verbs.• Adding one or more auxiliary verbs to a main verb

forms a verb phrase.• Many subjects and their auxiliary verbs are written

as contractions (e.g. she’d = she had), as are negative verb phrases (e.g. don’t = do not).

Grammar Toolkit

Auxiliary verbs

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