Grammar Help: Lexical vs

Auxiliary Verbs

In the English language, there are two kinds of verbs -lexical and auxiliary.

Distinguishing between the two is simple if you follow this guide.

Lexical Verbs

● Auxiliary means to help or support -helping verbs

● Can stand by themselves● Past or present tense

● Examples: “run”, “see”, and “make”

L

Auxiliary Verbs

● Main actions in a sentence -main verbs

● Describe state/ action of the lexical verb

● Examples: “may”, “will”, and “had”

A

Helpful TipsAuxiliary verbs usually precede a lexical verb, so they are easy to identify.

Can be used to end a sentence, useful for givind short answers to questions where the lexical verb is implied.

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