Auxiliary Verbs
Auxiliary verbs help the main verb to express tense or voice or help make questions and negative sentences. That's why they're also called 'helping verbs'.
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 also help the main verb to make questions or negative sentences.
To learn the differences between auxiliary verbs, modals, and main verbs, take a look at this table:
| modals | auxiliary verbs | main verbs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| making the tense/voice | ✔ | ||
| contributing to the meaning | ✔ | ||
| making the inversion/negation | ✔ | ✔ | |
| being used more than once | ✔ |
For example:
I
In the example above, 'have' is an auxiliary verb that forms the present perfect tense, and 'been' is used to create the passive voice.
I
We are not allowed to use more than one main verb in a sentence.
Use
Auxiliary verbs have two functions:
- To make tenses or voices
- To make interrogation or negation
For example:
I
'Am' is an auxiliary verb that makes the present progressive tense.
'Are' as an auxiliary verb is used to make a question.
Position in a Sentence
Auxiliary verbs can have different positions in a sentence depending on the presence of modals or other auxiliary verbs. As a result, there is a structure that defines the position of auxiliary verbs. Here is the structure:
Modals + the tense makers 'have' or 'be' + (the voice maker 'be') + main verb
Note that the voice maker 'be' can be left out if the sentence is in the active voice.
For example:
It
'Will' is a modal, 'have' is an auxiliary verb that forms the perfect tense, and 'been' is used to create the passive voice.
I
'Should' is a modal and 'have' is an auxiliary verb.
If modals are the main verb of an auxiliary phrase, they can be negated, inverted, or conjugated; otherwise, the auxiliary verb itself must be negated or inverted. Look:
I
'Should' functions as a modal verb in negated form.
I
There are no modals here, so to create negation or interrogation, we use the auxiliary verb 'have.'
There can be more than one auxiliary verb in a sentence. For example:
Michael
Here, 'Will' and 'be' both are auxiliary verbs.
English Auxiliary Verbs
The English language has three auxiliary verbs:
Now, let's go through them one by one and see the functions of these auxiliary verbs:
1. The Verb 'Be'
The verb 'be' can be either the main verb or the auxiliary verb of a sentence. Take a look:
1.1. 'Be' as the Main Verb
When 'be' is the main verb, it can have a meaning by itself. It can be used in two ways:
- It can act as a linking verb and link the subject of a sentence and the subject complement. For example:
Max
Here, 'be' is the main verb of the sentence and it links the subject 'Max' with the subject complement 'happy'.
Martin
- The verb 'be' can also be intransitive and take an adverb or a prepositional phrase. Look:
I will
She
'In my room' is a prepositional phrase.
1.2 'Be' as the Auxiliary Verb
'Be' as the auxiliary verb does not have a separate meaning on its own. It is used to show the tense or the voice of the main verb. As an auxiliary verb, 'be' has two functions:
- Making continuous tenses
- Making the passive voice
Sam
This sentence is in the 'present continuous tense.'
Ben
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
This sentence is a passive sentence and the main verb of the sentence is 'stolen.'
Using the Auxiliary Verb 'Be' to Form the Present Continuous Tense
2. The Verb 'Have'
The verb 'have' can be either the main verb or the auxiliary verb.
2.1 'Have' as the Main Verb
The verb 'have' as the main verb can mean 'to possess', 'to own', 'to eat', or 'to drink.' For example:
Mark
I
Here, 'have' is the main verb of the sentence and it means 'to eat, drink or smoke something.'
2.2 'Have' as the 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 perfect tenses. Look:
She
'Has' is used to make present perfect tense, here.
The house
'Has' is used to make a passive present perfect tense, here.
3. The Verb 'Do'
The verb 'do' can be either the main verb or the auxiliary verb in a sentence.
3.1 'Do' as the Main Verb
'Do' as the main verb means 'to perform, to act, or to behave.' Look:
Here, 'do' is the main verb of the sentence and it means 'to act' or 'to behave'.
I
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 and it can be used for the following functions:
- in negative sentences
- in questions
- in emphatic forms
I
Here, 'do' is an auxiliary verb used before a main verb to form a negative sentence.
Here, 'do' is an auxiliary verb used before a main verb to form a question.
I
Here, 'do' is an auxiliary verb used before a main verb to show emphasis.
Review
English Auxiliary Verbs
- be
- have
- do
| 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 |
Sam |
| have | means 'to own, to eat' | makes perfect tenses |
Mark |
The house |
| do | means 'to perform, to act' | is used in simple tenses |
I |
She |
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