What areauxiliary verbs?
Grammar Toolkit
Auxiliary verbs
Grammar Toolkit
Auxiliary verbs
A non-finite verb can become a finite verb with the help of an auxiliary or “helping” verb. Auxiliary verbs give the resulting verb its tense. Let’s start with the present participle looking.
lookingBy itself, it doesn’t have a
tense and can’t have a subject.
is
The auxiliary verb is makes the verb complete and gives it a tense (present tense.)
MickeyThe complete verb can now
have a subject.
The complete finite verb becomes is looking.
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Auxiliary verbs
Auxiliary verbs are forms of the verbs have, do and be. Choose an auxiliary verb for
each non-finite verb. What tense does the complete verb get?
I ______ cleaning. She _______sure. We to go. Yuki and Sanj coming.I know.
am present
have has do does did be am is are was were being been
was pasthave present
are presentdid past
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Auxiliary verbs
Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb. They help a non-finite verb express possibility, obligation
or permission. Choose an auxiliary verb for each non-finite verb. What tense does the complete verb get?
we dance? You eat. Mia run fast. Jack go.They know.
Shall future
can could may might must shall should will would
must presentcan presentwill future
might present
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Auxiliary verbs
A main verb plus one or more auxiliary verbs makes a verb phrase.
Carlos playing.Carlos playing.Carlos playing.Carlos playing.
is
been is will was have had
washad beenwill have been
may have been played
Verb phrases can become quite long. What verb phrases can you make with these auxiliary verbs?
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Auxiliary verbs
Many subjects and their auxiliary verbs arewritten as contractions. Contractions are words or
phrases with an apostrophe to show missing letters. I’m home. = I am home.
Cristina’s here. = Cristina is here.
Many negative verb phrases are also written as contractions.
She hasn’t sold it. = She has not sold it. He didn’t arrive. = He did not arrive.
subject + auxiliary verb contractionI have
you areI had
it’sthey’re
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Auxiliary verbs
Do you know what these contractions mean?
contraction negative verb phrasecan’tdon’t
shouldn’twill nothad not
I’veyou’re
I’d
it isthey are
cannotdo not
should notwon’thadn’t
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Auxiliary verbs
• Verbs have different forms.• A finite verb is a verb with a subject and tense.
A non-finite verb doesn’t have a subject or tense and cannot be the main verb in a sentence.• Non-finite verbs can become finite verbs with the
help of auxiliary verbs (forms of the verbs have, do and be), including modal verbs.• Adding one or more auxiliary verbs to a main verb
forms a verb phrase.• Many subjects and their auxiliary verbs are written
as contractions (e.g. she’d = she had), as are negative verb phrases (e.g. don’t = do not).
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Auxiliary verbs
The End