Primary Auxiliary Verbs

 

Introduction

In English, auxiliary verbs are mainly used to help the ordinary or the main verbs to form a tense, to express an aspect, a modality, or a voice, to create a negation or a question, and to show an emphasis. The auxiliary verbs can be divided into three main categories which are:

• Primary auxiliary verbs
• Modal auxiliary verbs
• Semi-modal auxiliary verbs

Here is a list of auxiliary verbs:

• be
• have
• do
• will
• shall
• should
• would
• can
• could
• may
• might
• must
• used to 
• need
• ought to
• dare

Primary auxiliary verbs

In English, there are three main primary auxiliary verbs which are:

• be
• do
• have

These verbs can also function as ordinary verbs where they can take different forms depending on the tense in which they are used; furthermore, they can be conjugated with the first, second, or third person singular or plural. As result, perceiving how they vary from a tense to another and how they are conjugated with singular and plural forms will be helpful to use them properly as auxiliaries.

The following tables give more clarification about the conjugations of the verbs, be, do, and have, that someone can need while he/she uses them as auxiliaries:

	Ordinary verbs (be, have, and do)
	Present tense		Past tense
	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
First person	am  have    do	are  have    do	was    had    did	were  had    did
Second person	are  have    do	are  have    do	were  had    did	were  had    did
Third person	is        has    does	are  have    do	was  had    did	were  had    did

The main verb (be)
Base form	Present participle	Past participle
be	being	been

The usage of the auxiliary verb (be)

The auxiliary verb (be) can be used to help the main verbs:

• Forming the continuous tenses
• Forming a negation
• Forming a question
• Forming a passive voice

Using the auxiliary verb (be) to create the continuous tenses

In English, there are six forms of the continuous tense:

• Present continuous tense
• Present perfect continuous tense
• Past continuous tense
• Past perfect continuous tense
• Future continuous tense
• Future perfect continuous tense

Example

1. Anna is cooking dinner.

In this sentence:

• The auxiliary is: is.
• The present participle of the main verb is: cooking.
• The combination of the auxiliary (is) with the present participle of the main verb (cooking) forms the present continuous tense of the ordinary verb (cook) which is: is cooking.

1. He has been working for three weeks to complete his short story.

In this sentence: 

• The auxiliaries are: has and been.
• The present participle of the ordinary verb is: working.
• The combination of the auxiliaries (has, and been) with the present participle of the main verb (working) forms the present perfect continuous tense of the ordinary verb (work) that is: has been working.

1. Next weekend, Emma will be flying to Florida for visiting her mother.

In this sentence:

• The modal auxiliary verb is: will.
• The primary auxiliary verb is: be.
• The present participle of the verb (fly) is: flying.
• The combination of the modal auxiliary verb (will) and the primary auxiliary verb (be) with the present participle of the main verb (flying) forms the future continuous tense of the main verb (fly) which is: will be flying.

Note: 

The structures used to form the continuous tenses are as following:

• present continuous tense:

am/is/are+present participle of the ordinary verb

• past continuous tense

was/were+present participle of the main verb

• present perfect continuous tense

have/has+been+the present participle of the ordinary verb

• past perfect continuous tense

had+been+present participle of the main verb

• future continuous tense

will+be+the present participle of the ordinary verb

• future perfect continuous tense

will+have+been+the present participle of the main verb

Using the auxiliary verb (be) to create a negative form

The auxiliary verb (be) can be used with the adverb (not) to assist the main verbs creating the negative form.

Example

1. She is not/isn't working today.
2. They are not/aren't discussing the new project to build a primary school.

In these examples, the adverb (not) is used with the auxiliaries (is and are) to help the ordinary verbs forming negation.

Using the auxiliary verb (be) to form a question

The auxiliary verb (be) can be used to help the main verbs forming interrogative sentences.

Example

1. Are John and Alex talking with each other on the Skape?
2. Was Hannah watching a movie?

In these examples,the auxiliaries (are and was) respectively change their normal position with the subjects (John and Alex) and (he) to form questions.

 

It is also possible to use Wh-words with the auxiliary verb (be) to form questions. For instance:

1. Where is Anna living?
2. Why was Tom talking on the phone?

Using the auxiliary verb (be) to form passive voice

The auxiliary verb (be) is used to help the ordinary verbs to create the passive voice form.

Example

1. The phone is being repaired.

In this example, the auxiliary (is) used with the present participle of the verb be (being) and the past participle of the main verb (repaired) to form the passive voice of the ordinary verb (repair) in the present continuous tense which is: is being repaired.

1. The injured football player was being carried off the field.

In this example, the auxiliary (was) used with the present participle of the verb be (being), and the past participle of the main verb (carried) to create the passive voice of the main verb (carry) in the past continuous tense which is: was being carried.

The usage of the auxiliary verb (have)

The auxiliary verb (have) can be used in combination with the ordinary verbs:

• To form the perfect tenses
• To form a negation
• To form a question
• To form a passive voice

Using the auxiliary verb (have) to form the perfect tenses

The auxiliary verb (have) may be used in different perfect tenses. In English, we can distinguish six forms of perfect tense which are mentioned as following:

• Present perfect tense
• Present perfect continuous tense
• Past perfect tense
• Past perfect continuous tense
• Future perfect tense
• Future perfect continuous tense

Example

1. Olivia has bought a book of history.

In this clause

• The auxiliary is: has
• The past participle of the main verb is: bought
• The combination of the auxiliary (has) with the past participle of the ordinary verb (bought) forms the present perfect of the main verb (buy) that is: has bought

1. Emma had just left when Alex arrived.

In this clause

• The auxiliary is: had
• The past participle of the main verb is: left
• The combination of the auxiliary (had) with the past participle of the ordinary verb (left) creates the past perfect of the main verb (leave) which is: had left

Note:

The structures used to create the present, past, and future perfect tenses are successively referred to as following:

• have/has+past participle of the ordinary verb
• had+past participle of the main verb
• will+have+past participle of the ordinary verb

Using the auxiliary verb (have) to create a negative form

The adverb (not) is used with the auxiliary verb (have) to help the main verb to introduce a negative form.

Example

1. He had not/hadn't brought a toy to her daughter when he got back home.
2. They have not/haven't arrived late to their work.

In these examples, the adverb (not) is combined along with the auxiliaries (had and have) to assist their main verbs expressing negative forms.

Using the auxiliary verb (have) to form a question

The auxiliary verb have can be used to introduce an interrogative sentence.

Example

1. Have John and Alex attended Emma's party?
2. Had he really had an appointment when l called him?
3. Where has she studied Spanish?

In these examples, the auxiliaries (have, had, and has) changed their normal positions with their subjects to form questions.

Using the auxiliary verb (have) to express a passive voice

The auxiliary verb (have) can be used to form a passive voice.

Example

1. My first novel has been written before I came to live in Australia.
2. Her secret has been kept.

The usage of the auxiliary verb (do)

The auxiliary verb (do) can be combined with the ordinary verb:

• To form a question
• To create negative form
• To show emphasis

Using the auxiliary verb (do) to form a question

The auxiliary verb (do) can be used to create a question.

Example

1. Do you like ice cream?
2. Does Anna live in that neighborhood?
3. Did John get his invitation card to Olivia's wedding?

Using the auxiliary verb (do) to create a negative form

The auxiliary verb (do) can be used with the adverb (not) to help the main verb showing negative form.

Example

1. They do not/ don't eat vegetables.
2. He does not/doesn't promote misinformation.
3. Yesterday, Natalie did not call her husband.

Using the auxiliary verb (do) to show emphasis

The auxiliary verb (do) can be used to help the main verb to introduce emphasis.

Example

1. Anna did send money to her brother.
   
2. John does like to prepare by himself to the exam.

In these examples, the auxiliaries (did and does) help the main verbs to emphasize the fact that Anna really sent money to her brother, and John truly likes to be alone while he prepares to the exam.

Exercises

Exercise (1)

What is the function of the auxiliary verbs?

1. Describe nouns
2. Modify adjectives and adverbs
3. Help the main verbs forming tenses, voices etc.

Identify the primary auxiliary verb:

1. Ought to
2. Shall
3. Will
4. Be
5. Can

Identify the present participle of the verb (be):

1. Been
2. Being
3. Is
4. Was
5. Were

To create a negative form:

1. We use the preposition (to)
2. We use the adverbial (there)
3. We use the adverb (not)
4. None of the above

What is the purpose of using emphasis?

1. To emphasize that someone did something
2. To emphasize that something happened
3. Both of the above

Exercise (2)

Turn the following examples to form negative and interrogative sentences:

1. They have worked.
2. Anna was sad.
3. He wrote a letter to his wife.
4. She is cooking.
5. He promotes misinformation.

Answer key

Exercise (1)

3

4

2

3

3

Exercise (2)

They have not/ haven't worked.

Have they worked?

Anna was not/wasn't sad.

Was Anna sad?

He did not/didn't write a letter to his wife.

Did he write a letter to his wife?

She is not/isn't cooking.

Is she cooking?

He does not/doesn't promote misinformation.

Does he promote misinformation?