Auxiliary (Or Helping) Verbs: How To Identify An Auxiliary Verb
Auxiliary (Or Helping) Verbs: How To Identify An Auxiliary Verb
Auxiliary (or Helping) verbs are used together with a main verb to show the verb’s tense or to form a
negative or question. The most common auxiliary verbs are have, be, and do.
Auxiliary verbs, also known as helping verbs, add functional or grammatical meaning to the clauses
in which they appear. They perform their functions in several different ways:
Sometimes actions or conditions occur only one time and then they’re over. It’s at times like these
that some of the same verbs that are used as auxiliary verbs are instead used as action or linking
verbs. In this example, we see the word “is”. This is one of the most common auxiliary verbs, but
because it stands alone here, it is not functioning as an auxiliary verb.
Jerry slammed the car door on his thumb. He is in horrible pain.
“Is” is a linking verb in this sentence. Because it stands alone, it is not an auxiliary verb.
At other times, an action or condition is ongoing, happening predictably, or occurring in relationship
to another event or set of events. In these cases, single-word verbs like is are not accurately capable
of describing what happened, so phrases that include auxiliary verbs are used instead. These can
be made up of anywhere from two to four words.
A main verb, also known as a base verb, indicates the kind of action or condition taking place. An
auxiliary or helping verb accompanies the main verb and conveys other nuances that help the reader
gain specific insight into the event that is taking place.
Read the following sentences and explanations to gain greater insight into how auxiliary verbs work.
1. Jerry caught his thumb in the car door as coffee spilled from his cup onto his favorite shirt.
2. Jerry is always spilling things.
3. Since Jerry is also accident prone, he should have been drinkingcoffee from a mug with a
lid, which would not have spilled on his favorite shirt.
In sentence one, caught and spilled, single-word verbs, describe quick, one-time actions of both
Jerry and his messy coffee. This sentence does not contain an auxiliary verb.
Since Jerry often has unfortunate accidents, is spilling communicates the frequency of his clumsy
actions in sentence two. In sentence three, the auxiliary verbs that make up should have been
drinking and would have stained express time relationships as well as an evaluation of Jerry’s
actions.
Have
Do
Be
In this section, we’ll take a closer look at how these common verbs work, plus you’ll see some
examples.
Have
“Have” is a very important verb that can stand alone in all its tenses, including has, have, having,
had, and hadn’t or had not. It is usually used to denote ownership, and it can also be used to
discuss ability or describe appearance. “Have” is also a very popular substitute for the verbs “eat”
and “drink.” For example: “Let’s have dinner.”
When used as an auxiliary verb, have is always teamed up with another verb to create a complete
verb phrase, making it easy to differentiate between uses. You can see the difference in the
sentences below:
Do
“Do” can be used as an action verb that stands alone in all its tenses, including to
do, do, does, done, did and didn’t, doesn’t or did not .
When used as an auxiliary verb, do is always paired up with another verb to create a complete verb
phrase. In some cases, it is used to add emphasis: “I did put the garbage out!” Do is often used to
form questions and negated clauses. It is also used in elliptical sentences, where the main verb is
understood and is omitted as a result. For example: “He plays piano well, doesn’t he?” or “They all
had dinner, but I didn’t.”
Does = action verbBecause he spills things so often, Jerry does more laundry than most
people.
Didn’t = auxiliary verbJerry didn’t put his coffee in a cup with a lid.
Doesn’t = auxiliary verbJerry doesn’t always spill things, but it happens a lot.
Be
“Be” or “to be” is an important verb that has a multitude of uses in English. It can be used as an
action verb that stands alone in all its tenses including be, to be, been, am, are, is, was, were,
wasn’t, was not aren’t, are not, weren’t and were not.
When used as an auxiliary verb, be is always paired with another verb to create a complete verb
phrase. It can be singular or plural, present or past. Negative sentences are formed by adding the
word “not”.
Can
Could
May
Might
Must
Ought to
Shall
Should
Will
Would
1. What ________________ the kids doing when you last saw them? (was, were, are, did,
been)
2. Carla ________________ always wanted to try skydiving. (was, doesn’t, has, is, have)
3. Where __________________ you go on your summer vacation? (were, been, are, did, does)
4. Why do you think she __________ call you like she said she would? (didn’t, is, hasn’t, has
been, have)
5. Mary _____________ going to be upset when she hears what happened. (will, don’t, is,
didn’t, has)
6. Jeremy _____________ want to go to the movies; he wants to stay home instead. (doesn’t,
isn’t, wasn’t, hasn’t, was not)
7. I _________________ appreciate his jokes. They weren’t funny. (did, have, been, didn’t,
haven’t)
8. I really like fish but I _______________ care for meat. (weren’t, been, don’t, is, was)
9. Where _____________ you going when I saw you last night? (were, was, is, do, did)
10. Tara ________________ called yet; she’s late as usual. (are, were, has, hasn’t, wouldn’t)
Answers: 1 – were, 2 – has, 3 – did, 4 – didn’t, 5 – is, 6 – doesn’t, 7 – didn’t, 8 – don’t, 9 – were,
10 – hasn’t