LoginAuxiliary Verbs
Explore auxiliary verbs like 'shall', 'might', and 'must'. Detailed explanations and a quiz to test your knowledge.
What Are Auxiliary Verbs?
Auxiliary verbs (also known as the helping verbs) are small words that come with the main verb to create different tenses and voices. They are also used in formation of questions or negative sentences.
Auxiliary vs. Modal vs. Main Verbs
The table below summarizes the differences between auxiliary verbs, modals, and main verbs:
modals | auxiliary verbs | main verbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
making the tense/voice | ✔ | ✔ | |
contributing to the meaning | ✔ | ✔ | |
forming inversion/negation | ✔ | ✔ | |
being used more than once | ✔ |
For example:
I have done so much for him.
In the example above, 'have' is an auxiliary verb that forms the present perfect tense.
I will be studying chemistry next year.
We are not allowed to use more than one main verb in a clause.
Auxiliary Verbs: Uses
Auxiliary verbs serve two purposes:
Forming interrogative or negative sentences
For example:
I am studying hard.
'Am' is an auxiliary verb that makes the present progressive tense.
Are you studying hard?
'Are' as an auxiliary verb is used to make a question.
English Auxiliary Verbs
English has three auxiliary verbs:
Now, let's go through them one by one and see how they work:
1. 'Be'
The verb 'be' can be either a main verb or an auxiliary verb. Take a look:
1.1. 'Be' as a Main Verb
When 'be' is the main verb, it has a meaning of its own. It can be used in two ways:
It can act as a linking verb and link the subject of a sentence to the subject complement. For example:
Max is happy.
Here, 'be' is the main verb of the sentence and it links the subject 'Max' with the subject complement 'happy'.
Martin was a student.
The verb 'be' can also be intransitive and take an adverb or a prepositional phrase as a subject complement. Look:
I will be there.
She is in my room.
'In my room' is a prepositional phrase.
1.2 'Be' as an Auxiliary Verb
'Be' as an auxiliary verb does not have a separate meaning of its own. It is used to show the tense or the voice of the main verb. As an auxiliary verb, 'be' has two functions:
Forming continuous tenses
Forming the passive voice
Sam is watching TV.
This sentence is in the 'present continuous tense.'
Ben has been studying all night.
This sentence is in the 'present perfect continuous tense'. Here, we have two auxiliary verbs: 'has' and 'be' and the main verb is 'studying.'
My car was stolen last night.
This sentence is a passive sentence and the main verb of the sentence is 'stolen.'
2. The Verb 'Have'
The verb 'have' can be either a main verb or an auxiliary verb.
2.1 'Have' as a Main Verb
The verb 'have' as the main verb can mean 'to possess', 'to own', 'to eat', 'to drink', 'to experience', etc. For example:
Mark has a baby sister.
I had breakfast with my friend.
Here, 'have' is the main verb of the sentence and it means 'to eat, drink or smoke something.'
2.2 'Have' as an Auxiliary Verb
The auxiliary verb 'have' does not have a specific meaning on its own. It is used to show the tense of the main verb. As an auxiliary verb, have is used to form the perfect and perfect continuous tenses. Look:
She has arrived.
'Has' is used to make present perfect tense.
The house has been built in 1989.
'Has' is used to make a passive present perfect tense.
3. The Verb 'Do'
The verb 'do' can be either a main verb or an auxiliary verb in a sentence.
3.1 'Do' as a Main Verb
'Do' as the main verb means 'to perform, to act, or to behave.' Look:
Do as you're told!
Here, 'do' is the main verb of the sentence and it means 'to act' or 'to behave'.
I do aerobics once a week.
Here, 'do' is the main verb of the sentence and it means 'to work at' or 'to perform an activity or a task.'
3.2 'Do' as the Auxiliary Verb
The auxiliary verb 'do' does not have a specific meaning. It is added to sentences in present simple and past simple tenses to:
form negative sentences
form questions
emphasize the main verb
I do not know Brian.
Here, 'do' is an auxiliary verb used before a main verb to form a negative sentence.
Do you know Brian?
Here, 'do' is an auxiliary verb and added before the subject to form a question.
I do know Brian.
Here, 'do' is an auxiliary verb used before a main verb to show emphasis.
Position in the Sentence
Auxiliary verbs can have different positions in a sentence depending on the presence of modals or other auxiliary verbs. When there are modals and multiple auxiliaries present in the sentence, one of the following structures should be followed, depending on the tense of the sentence:
Note that in the perfect continuous tenses both 'have' and 'be' are used. Additionally, the voice marker 'be' is only used in passive sentences and it is not present in active sentences.
For example:
The building was being repaired.
Here, "was" is the marker of the past continuous tense and "being" is the passive voice marker.
I should have gone there.
'Should' is a modal and 'have' is an auxiliary verb.
It will have been prepared by the time we arrive.
'Will' is a modal, 'have' is an auxiliary verb that forms the perfect tense, and 'been' is used to create the passive voice.
When there is a modal in the verb phrase, it is the element that is negated or inverted; otherwise, the auxiliary verb must be negated or inverted. Look:
I shouldn't have gone there. → Shouldn't you have gone there?
'Should' functions as a modal verb in negated form.
I haven't gone there. → Have you gone there?
There are no modals here, so, to create negation or interrogation, changes apply to the auxiliary verb 'have.'
Conjugation
When there are more than one auxiliaries in the sentence, the first auxiliary is conjugated. However, when there is a modal before the auxiliary, the auxiliary remains in base form and does not conjugate. This is because modals are always followed by the base form of the verb.
She has been looking everywhere for you.
Here, both "has" and "been" are auxiliaries and "have" is conjugated as the first auxiliary.
She should have been looking everywhere for you.
When there is a modal, the auxiliary does not conjugate to show person.
Review
The auxiliary verbs in English are:
be
have
do
All three auxiliary verbs can act as main verbs as well as auxiliaries. The table below summarizes their differences as main verbs and auxiliaries:
main verb | auxiliary verb | example as a main verb | example as an auxiliary verb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
be | is a linking verb or an intransitive verb | makes the progressive tense or the passive voice | Max is happy. | Sam is watching TV. |
have | means 'to own, to eat' | makes perfect tenses | Mark has a baby sister. | The house has been built in 1989. |
do | means 'to perform, to act' | forms negation and question in simple present and simple past tenses | I do aerobics once a week. | She doesn't like my boyfriend. |
Quiz:
Which sentence correctly uses an auxiliary verb to form a tense?
Max is hungry now.
They do travel every summer.
She has painted the wall.
They had a big house.
Complete each sentence with the correct auxiliary verb.
She
been working all day.
We
lying on the beach this time tomorrow.
He
studying when I called him.
They
not finished their homework yet.
She
not go to the party last night.
Fill in the table with the role of the verb (main or auxiliary) in the given sentences.
They have a new car. | |
She is waiting for her friend. | |
He has completed the project. | |
They did enjoy the movie. | |
The children are excited about the trip. |
Sort the words to form a sentence in the perfect continuous tense.
Which option is correct about the conjugation of auxiliary verbs?
The first auxiliary verb is always conjugated.
When a modal verb is present the second auxiliary verb is conjugated.
When a modal verb is present, the first auxiliary verb remains in base form.
Modal verbs are conjugated like main verbs.
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