What is auxiliary verb ? Auxiliary verb is a verb that adds functional or grammatical meaning to the clause in which it appears—for example, to express tense, aspect, modality, voice, emphasis, etc.
The most common auxiliary verbs are be, do, and have.
You will see these in the following forms:
Be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Do: does, do, did
Have: has, have, had, having
Modal auxiliary verbs are also auxiliary verbs. They are can, could,
may, might, must, ought to, shall, should,
will, and would. (These never change their forms.)
Examples of Auxiliary Verbs
Here are some examples
of auxiliary verbs expressing tense(main verbs in bold):
- I have
been sitting here since 7
o'clock.
- Sarah was waiting for the shark to reappear.
- John will have broken
the record by then.
Here are some examples
of auxiliary verbs expressing voice:
- Unfortunately, our dessert has been eaten by the dog.
- The phone will be
disconnected tomorrow.
Here are some examples
of auxiliary verbs being used to express mood:
- If he should arrive, tell him to leave.
- If he were to arrive in the next 10 minutes, we would still be on track.
Auxiliary Verbs and Verb Phrases
A verb phrase is
made up of the auxiliary verb(s) and the main verb. In the examples below, the
verb phrase is shaded with main verb in bold:
- Rose has been drinking since breakfast.
- Peter is taking you to the airport.
Be aware that any
adverbs which appear alongside or inside the verb phrase are not part of the
verb phrase. For example:
- Rose has been drinking heavily since breakfast.
(The adverb heavily is not part of the
verb phrase.)
- Peter is definitely taking
you to the airport.
The most common auxiliary verbs are
be,
do, and
have. You will see these in the following forms:
Be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Do: does, do, did
Have: has, have, had, having
Modal auxiliary verbs are also auxiliary verbs. They are
can,
could,
may,
might,
must,
ought to,
shall,
should,
will, and
would. (These never change their forms.)
Read more at
http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/auxiliary_verbs.htm#gMKJtFV5LPvUtrFY.99
The most common auxiliary verbs are
be,
do, and
have. You will see these in the following forms:
Be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Do: does, do, did
Have: has, have, had, having
Modal auxiliary verbs are also auxiliary verbs. They are
can,
could,
may,
might,
must,
ought to,
shall,
should,
will, and
would. (These never change their forms.)
Read more at
http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/auxiliary_verbs.htm#gMKJtFV5LPvUtrFY.99
The most common auxiliary verbs are
be,
do, and
have. You will see these in the following forms:
Be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Do: does, do, did
Have: has, have, had, having
Modal auxiliary verbs are also auxiliary verbs. They are
can,
could,
may,
might,
must,
ought to,
shall,
should,
will, and
would. (These never change their forms.)
Read more at
http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/auxiliary_verbs.htm#gMKJtFV5LPvUtrFY.99
The most common auxiliary verbs are
be,
do, and
have. You will see these in the following forms:
Be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Do: does, do, did
Have: has, have, had, having
Modal auxiliary verbs are also auxiliary verbs. They are
can,
could,
may,
might,
must,
ought to,
shall,
should,
will, and
would. (These never change their forms.)
Read more at
http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/auxiliary_verbs.htm#gMKJtFV5LPvUtrFY.99
The most common auxiliary verbs are
be,
do, and
have. You will see these in the following forms:
Be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Do: does, do, did
Have: has, have, had, having
Modal auxiliary verbs are also auxiliary verbs. They are
can,
could,
may,
might,
must,
ought to,
shall,
should,
will, and
would. (These never change their forms.)
Read more at
http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/auxiliary_verbs.htm#gMKJtFV5LPvUtrFY.99
The most common auxiliary verbs are
be,
do, and
have. You will see these in the following forms:
Be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Do: does, do, did
Have: has, have, had, having
Modal auxiliary verbs are also auxiliary verbs. They are
can,
could,
may,
might,
must,
ought to,
shall,
should,
will, and
would. (These never change their forms.)
Read more at
http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/auxiliary_verbs.htm#gMKJtFV5LPvUtrFY.99
The most common auxiliary verbs are
be,
do, and
have. You will see these in the following forms:
Be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Do: does, do, did
Have: has, have, had, having
Modal auxiliary verbs are also auxiliary verbs. They are
can,
could,
may,
might,
must,
ought to,
shall,
should,
will, and
would. (These never change their forms.)
Read more at
http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/auxiliary_verbs.htm#gMKJtFV5LPvUtrFY.99
