Auxiliary Verbs
Grammar Rules Guide - Chapter 6
Auxiliary or helping verbs are verbs that are used to help form verb phrases but cannot do so independently. There are four basic auxiliary verb groups:
1) to be
2) to have
3) modal auxiliaries
4) to do
To Be
This auxiliary verb is used in the progressive tenses and passive voice:
Progressive Tense:
You are kicking.
You were kicking.
You have been kicking.
Passive Voice:
You are kicked.
You were kicked.
You have been kicked.
To Have
This verb is used as an auxiliary in the perfect tense:
I have finished my lunch.
I had finished my lunch.
I have been finished with my lunch.
Modal Auxiliaries
There is only one tense of these verbs and they are always followed by an infinitive. They are most commonly used to represent degrees of freedom or severity.
Most common modal auxiliaries: will, shall, can, may, need (to), dare, would, should, could, might, must, ought (to)
Ability: I can swim.
Necessity: I must swim.
Obligation: I ought to swim.
Permission: I may swim.
To Do
This verb is used when the main verb of the sentence requires aid of an auxiliary, but there is no other helping verb that will fit. It is often used in questions, negative or emphatic statements:
Does he read?
He reads, doesn't he?
Despite his poor eyesight he does read.
Grammar Rules Guide Index
Active and Passive Voice - Chapter 1
Adjective, Adverb, and Noun Clauses - Chapter 2
Adjectives - Chapter 3
Adverbs - Chapter 4
Appositives - Chapter 5
Auxiliary Verbs - Chapter 6
Common and Proper Nouns - Chapter 7
Comparatives and Superlatives - Chapter 8
Complements - Chapter 9
Conjunctions - Chapter 10
Conjunctive Adverbs - Chapter 11
Dangling Modifiers - Chapter 12
Direct and Indirect Objects - Chapter 13
Fused Sentences, Run-Ons, and Comma Splices - Chapter 14
Homophones - Chapter 15
Independent and Dependent Clauses - Chapter 16
Interjections - Chapter 17
Mass and Count Nouns - Chapter 18
Misplaced Modifiers - Chapter 19
Noun and Pronoun Case - Chapter 20
Noun and Verb Phrases - Chapter 21
Nouns - Chapter 22
Parallelism - Chapter 23
Perfect and Progressive Verb Forms - Chapter 24
Prepositional Phrases - Chapter 25
Prepositions - Chapter 26
Principal Parts of Verbs - Chapter 27
Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement - Chapter 28
Pronouns - Chapter 29
Regular and Irregular Verbs - Chapter 30
Relative Clauses - Chapter 31
Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Clauses - Chapter 32
Sentence Fragments - Chapter 33
Sentence Types - Chapter 34
Subjects and Predicates - Chapter 35
Verb Mood - Chapter 36
Verbals and Verbal Phrases - Chapter 37
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