English Grammar

Auxiliary verbs in English with examples

English auxiliary verbs

As the name says, auxiliary verbs (auxiliary verbs in English) are verbs that have the function of assisting another verb , the main verb, in a sentence. Auxiliary verbs in English grammar

In English, auxiliary verbs are divided into two classes: modal verbs and auxiliary verbs .

Modal verbs

Modal verbs influence the meaning of the main verb. They always add something to the meaning, usually giving the impression of permission , obligation , possibility , etc.

Some of the main modal verbs are:

  • Can
  • Could
  • May
  • Might
  • Should
  • Ought to

Examples :

  • John can play the piano very well. – CAPACITY; ABILIITY
  • Could I talk to the president of the company?  – PERMISSION
  • May I play outside, mom ?  – REQUEST
  • She might be tired .  – POSSIBILITY
  • You should pay attention to the teacher .  – ADVICE

In the first example, the modal verb can gives the main verb to play a sense of ability , making it clear that John knows / can / has the ability to play the piano.

Auxiliary verbs

Auxiliary verbs do not change the meaning of the main verb.

Check which are the most used auxiliary verbs and learn more about the function of each one of them in the sentences.

Verb to be

To be means to be or to be . This verb can be either a main verb or an auxiliary verb.

As an auxiliary verb, the verb to be accompanies another verb, and may appear in the present , in the past or in the future , in the affirmative , negative and interrogative forms .

As a main verb, the verb to be does not need any other verb to help the sentence make sense and / or be grammatically correct.

Examples :

  • She is happy . > Is : verb to be with main verb function ;
  • She is working. Is : verb to be with auxiliary verb function ; working : verb to work with main verb function.

The auxiliary verb to be can be used with phrases in the present ( is, am and are ), in the past ( was and were ) and in the future (accompanied by going to ).

Is is used with the personal pronouns he (he), she (she) and it (personal pronoun used to refer to animals, things and objects).

Am is used with I (I) and are is used with you (you), we (us) and They (them).

Was and were are the correspondents used in the past:

Check out the examples below:

Examples :

  • I am working in New York. 
  • He is doing his homework. 
  • The cake was made by my uncle. 
  • Was she studying when you arrived? 
  • They were not happy. Auxiliary verbs in English grammar
  • Are you going to travel in July? 
  • He is not going to stay home on Friday .

Verb to do

Like most auxiliary verbs, the auxiliary to do has no meaning of its own. It only joins the main verb to form sentences and its meaning always depends on the main verb.

To do has two present inflectionsdo and does ) and a past inflection ( did ).

Do is used with the personal pronouns I (me), you (you), we (us) and they (them). Does is used with he ( she ), she (she) and it (personal pronoun used to refer to animals, things and objects).

Did is used with all personal pronouns.

Both of when does are often used in phrases interrogative and negative . In negative sentences, it is possible to use the contracted forms:

  • Do + not = don’t
  • Does + not = doesn’t

See some examples.

Examples :

  • Do you have a car
  • Does she play the guitar? 
  • We do not want to eat pasta. 
  • He doesn’t like chocolate. 
  • “ Did he go to the concert? “” Yes, he did .
  • She did not call her aunt on her birthday .
  • “ Does she like sports? ”“ Yes, she does. 

NOTE : in affirmative sentences, do and does only appear as auxiliary verbs in short answers.

Verb to have

To have means to have . This auxiliary verb can be used in sentences in the present and in the past .

In sentences in the present, we use the has inflection with the personal pronouns he (he), she (she), it (personal pronoun used to refer to animals, things and objects) and the have inflection with the personal pronouns I (me) , you , we and they .

In past sentences, the use of had had is used with all personal pronouns, that is, there is no specific form for he , she , and it .

In negative sentences, we can use the contracted forms:

  • Has + not = hasn’t
  • Have + not = haven’t
  • Had + not = hadn’t

Observe the phrases below and learn how to use the to have helper .

Examples :

  • Have you traveled to Russia? 
  • Has she gone to her parent’s house
  • It hadn’t happened before. 
  • She hadn’t shown up this week
  • He has visited his grandparents. 
  • We have already been to London. 
  • They haven’t paid their bills yet. Auxiliary verbs in English grammar

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