Structure Words UNIT 10 STRUCTURE WORDS- 2 AUXILIARIES

Structure

10.0 Objectives
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Passage for Reading
10.3 Auxiliaries and Main Verbs
10.4 Primary Auxiliaries: be, have, do
10.5 Modal Auxiliaries and their Meanings
10.6 Types of Complex Verb Phrase
10.7 Auxiliaries as Operators
10.8 Let Us Sum Up
10.9 Key Words
Answers

10.0 OBJECTIVES

After you have studied this unit you should be able to

• distinguish between auxiliaries and main verbs,

• distinguish between primary and modal auxiliaries,
• distinguish the various meanings and uses of the different auxiliaries, and
• construct complex Verb phrases using permissible combinations of auxiliaries and main verbs.

10.1 INTRODUCTION

In the previous Unit, we introduced you to structure words. We stated there that 'structure words' are those
which have little lexical meaning but which are essential to the meaning of the sentences, since
the meanings of content words and establish relationships between them. We also stated
characteristics of the structure words. We saw that they

i) occur very frequently in all styles and varieties of English,

ii) form small and closed classes of words,
iii) function as structural markers, and
iv) provide the grammatical framework of a sentence and contribute structural
meaning.

We also discussed one type of structure words called the articles. We mentioned that articles the class of
structure wordscalled determiners. Determiners were described as noun-markers; 'determiners' is actually a
shortened expression for ‘determiners of nouns’.

In this unit, we shall discuss a class of words which can be called ‘determiners of verbs’ or 'verb’. Common
term for such words is auxiliaries.It is fortunate that this commonly understood term is available to us, since
now we can use the word 'determiners' for noun-determinersand the word ’auxiliary’ for verb-determiners.

Auxiliaries are markers of verbs in the same sense in which determiners are markers
of nouns. Whenever an auxiliary occurs, a main verb is sure to follow. Sometimes the
main verb may not actually be said, but it is always understood from context. The

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wordwill in the sentence 'He will leave tomorrow,' is an auxiliary; it is followed by Structure Words-2
the main verb leave. If I ask someone 'Will you come tomorrow?' and he answers 'I Auxiliaries
will,' there is no main verb in the answer, but we know there is a main verb and it is
come. We know this from the question. We can therefore say that an auxiliary
isalways accompanied by a verb just as a determiner is always accompanied by a
noun, and just as we can identify a word as a noun, if a determiner accompanies it,
we can identify a word as a verb if an auxiliary accompanies it. In this sense
determiners are noun-markers and auxiliaries are verb-markers.

Further, just as a structure consisting of one or more than one determiner and a noun
(with or without an adjective in between) is called a noun phrase, a structure
consisting of one or more than one auxiliary and a verb (with or without an adverb in
between) is called a verb phrase. A man and a tall man are noun phrases, is singing
and is always singing are verb phrases.

The words that occur as auxiliaries in English are the following. We place them in
two groups. The reason for putting them in these two groups will become clear later.

Group I BE, HAVE, DO

Group II can, could, may, might, will, would, must, shall, should,
dare, need, ought (to), used (to)

We have put the auxiliaries of Group I in capital letters and those of Group II in
small letters in order to show the following difference between them: the auxiliaries
of Group II are used in the form in which they are given; the auxiliaries of Group I
have a number of different forms. BE has the forms is, am, are, was, were, be, being,
been, HAVE has the forms has, have, had, - DO has the forms do, does, did.

10.2 PASSAGE FOR READING

Before we start a discussion on the auxiliaries, we give you a passage to read in

which some of the auxiliaries to be discussed have been used. As you read
thepassage, underline the auxiliaries. You can later check whether you have
underlinedthe correct words when you come to Check your Progress I. The
passage has been taken from Robert Lynd's essay 'On Being Measured for a Suit
of Clothes.'

From On Being Measured for a Suit of Clothes

Robert Lynd

"YOU ought to have some new clothes. You are getting shabby." Gradually the tone
of command creeps in: "You must have new clothes. Do ask E. V. the name of his
tailor." A week later italics make their appearance: "You must get a new suit." Italics
quickly give way to small capitals: "You MUST get a new suit. Will you go and get
measured this afternoon?" "No, no," I protest, "today is Friday. Nothing would
persuade me to be measured for a new suit on Friday." "Well, then, on Monday."
Luckily, Monday is usually the thirteenth or something equally impossible, and I
have another good argument for postponement. A few days later there is an appeal to
my better nature in the form of an outrageous falsehood: "You know you promised."
This fails, as it deserves to fail, but at last there comes a morning when I find
myselfin a comer... "Will you go and get measured today, or shall I call for you in
town andtake you" It is tyranny, but I know that I am beaten. "All right, but he's sure
to want a deposit, and I haven't any money." "Give him a cheque." "If I'm so shabby
as you say I am, he'd probably refuse it." "Well, call in at the butcher's and get him to
cash a cheque on your way into town." "I don't know the butcher." "That doesn't
matter. He probably knows you. He must often have seen you passing." "If I'm so 16
shabby as you say I am, he would probably take me for a tramp." "Now you see what
comes of
 Structure Words dressing so badly. You're frightened of your own butcher." "No, I'm not. I'm
'frightened of bringing disgrace on all of you by being arrested in a butcher's shop for
trying to get money by false presences." "Oh, well, I’ll come with you as far as the
butcher's." "Don't know when I'll have time to go to the tailors. I promised to lunch
with Jones today." "I'll ring up Mr. Jones and explain." "Oh, don't trouble. Besides,
I’m not sure that he didn't say yesterday that he wouldn't be able to come," ..."Good-
bye," I say sullenly, as I put on my coat, for I hate having my day ruined like this;
"What did you say the tailor's name was?" "I think it was Turtle, or Tompkinson, or
Tarbutt, or some name like that. Anyhow, you'll be able to find him quite easily. He's
Alan's tailor." "What's his number?" I ask gloomily, for I know at least the name of
the street. "I don't know his number, but Alan said his shop was at the wrong end of
the street." "Which is the wrong end of the street?" "I don't know. Go and look at it
and see." "But in what way is it the wrong end? Is it wrong morally or architecturally
or socially? Does he mean that it's the end or the cheap end?" "Oh, the cheap, I'm
sure." "Honestly, I think I ought to put off going till we've seen Alan again and got
some information about his tailor."
(From Robert Lynd: The Money Box; published by Methuen & Co.)
In this passage the writer is being told by his wife that he should get a new suit of
clothes. The writer is reluctant and makes many excuses. The dialogue between them
contains a number of auxiliaries. Let us note a few of them:
..... ought to have ..... (I) will come...
.... must have ..... (written 'I'll come')
Do ask ... ..... do (not) know .....
..... must get ..... (written 'don't know')
Will (you) go. .......................................................... (you) will be (able)
..... would persuade ..... (written '..... you'll be')
.... shall (I) call . ...
..... am beaten .....
..... must (often) have seen.....
..... would (probably) take.....
We have quoted the whole verb phrases in which the auxiliaries occur. The
auxiliaries are in bold type. The accompanying words, which are not in bold type
and are not in brackets, are the main verbs.

Check Your Progress 1

1 Go over Robert Lynd's passage once again and check if you have
underlined all (and only) the auxiliaries; then check your answers with
the answers given at the end of the unit.

2 Distinguish Group I and Group II auxiliaries in your answer to Exercise I

above.

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 Structure Words-2
10.3 AUXILIARIES AND MAIN VERBS

How do you distinguish between an auxiliary and a main verb? First, you may note
that a main verb can occur by itself in some other sentence where no auxiliary occurs
with it. For example, in the first verb phrase we have quoted, ought to have, have is
the main verb, ought (to) the auxiliary. Have can occur as a main verb without an
auxiliary, as in I haven't any money. Similarly, the main verb of the verb phrase
would persuade occurs by itself in the sentence He persuaded me to come.
Thisshows that a main verb can occur without an auxiliary; an auxiliary, on the other
hand, cannot occur without a main verb (either present or understood). Secondly,
whenever a verb phrase contains more than one verb (remember that auxiliaries am
also verbs), the last verb in the phrase is the main verb; all other verbs are auxiliaries.
Thus, in the verb phrase must (often) have seen the last verb seen is the main verb;
must and have are auxiliary verbs; open is not a verb and therefore does not count.

Why do auxiliaries occur with main verbs sometimes and not at other times? The
answer to this question is as follows:

a) Some auxiliaries occur with main verbs because certain constrictions are not
possible without them. For example, the negative and interrogative forms of
sentences with simple verb phrases always require the use of the auxiliary
Do. The negative form of the sentence She dances well is
Shedoesn’tdancewell’, the interrogative form is Does she dance well?

b) Most auxiliaries occur with main verbs when we wish to express certain
kinds of meanings. Different auxiliaries express different kinds of meanings.
As we shall see in the next section when we do not wish to express these
meanings, we use the simple form of the verb. For example, I have some
new clothes means what it says (that I actually am the owner of some new
clothes); I oughtto have some new clothes, on the other hand, means that I
do not actuallyhave new clothes and it is desirable that I should have some.

Check Your Progress 2

State if the verbs in bold type in each of the following sentences are used as
auxiliaries or as main verbs:
i) Do you have many friends in college?

ii) My sister likes to read poetry.

iii) God helps those who help themselves.

iv) You ought to know your religion well.

v) When did India become a Republic?

vi) A snake-bitten patient should not sleep.

vii) I noticed the difference.

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 viii) It is not correct to say that the poor are getting poorer, though the rich may be
getting richer.

ix) Have you heard about the Ramakrishna Mission?

x) This Mission has its branches in many cities and towns in India and abroad.

10.4 PRIMARY AUXILIARIES: BE, HAVE, DO

In Robert Lynd's passage, you must have noticed that some verbs occur very
frequently both as auxiliaries and as main verbs. These verbs are our Group I verbs:
be, have, do. Note the following examples:

Have as a main verb : You ought to have some new clothes.

Have as an auxiliary : He must have seen you passing.
Be as a main verb : I am shabby.
Be as an auxiliary : I am beaten.
Do as a main verb : Do as you are told! (Not from the passage)
Do as an auxiliary : Do ask EV the name of his tailor.

Be, Have and do are called Primary Verbs. When they occur as Auxiliaries, they are
called Primary Auxiliaries.

Used as a main verb, be does not have any specific meaning: it is used in such
constructions as She is a teacher, She is sad, etc. to relate a noun or adjective occurring in
the predicate with the noun or pronoun in the subject. The main verb has the meaning 'to
own', 'to experience', etc. (as in I have two cars, I have aheadache) -, the main verb do
has the meaning 'behave,' 'carry out,' etc. However,when used as auxiliaries, these verbs
do not have any specific meaning of their own; they only help us to form certain types of
verb phrases. Each type of verb phrase as a whole conveys a certain kind of meaning. For
example, the auxiliary be is used with the present participle form of the main verb in the
present or past tense (eg., She is Iwas singing) to form a verb phrase which carries the
meaning that the action denotedby the main verb is in progress and not yet finished. The
auxiliary be is also used with the past participle form of the verb (as in: He was defeated)
to form the passive verb phrase which is used when we wish to give greater importance to
the action or event (of defeat) than to the performer of the action (namely, the person who
defeated him). The auxiliary occurs with the past participle form of the main verb in the
present or past tense (e.g., She has/had left) to form a verb phrase which carries the
meaning that the action denoted by the main verb has (or had) been completed. The
auxiliary do, as we have already seen, is used in questions and negative sentences and,
like be and have, occurs in several forms (do, does, did) which carry the tense, number,
person etc. of the verb. It also occurs when we wish to emphasize a request, as in Do ask
E. V, the name of his tailor.

We thus see that primary auxiliaries are structure words which have little meaning of
their own but are grammatically very important. Their use is essential for certain
grammatical constructions and for conveying grammatical distinctions of tense,
completion or non-completion of action, number, person, etc.

Check, Your Progress 3

Distinguish the uses of be, have and do as main verbs and auxiliaries in the following
sentences:
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 That building is a hotel. Structure Words-2
Suchitra is learning French. Auxiliaries
He's so shabby.
He is going to the tailor’s to get a new suit made.
He hasn't any new clothes.
His old clothes are worn-out.
He has decided to have a new suit.
When do you do your homework?
Did he do you any harm?
Have you had Lunch?
His wife has just had a baby.
The house was being painted.
I'm going now.
Do come again.
What are you doing?

10.5 MODAL AUXILIARIES AND THEIR MEANINGS

The auxiliaries of Group II, on the other hand, do not show distinctions of tense,
number, person, etc. Their forms always remain the same. But each auxiliary in
Group II helps to add some shade or the other of meaning to the sentence. The pairs
can-could, may-might, will-would and shall-should are sometimes said to be present-
past pairs but this is not correct: all it really means is that when the verb in the
principal clause is in the past tense, could, might, would and should are used as the
past tense forms of can, may, would and shall in the subordinate clauses according to
the principle of Sequence of Tenses. But could, might, would and should are used in
many other places without referring to the past at all. They carry certain meanings
which make them different from other auxiliaries.

The meanings of these auxiliaries are of a different type from the meanings of other
words like nouns and verbs. While nouns denote objects, adjectives denote qualities,
verbs denote actions, and so on, these auxiliaries generally show the attitudes or
judgements of the speaker. For example, if the speaker says It may rain tomorrow,
his use of may shows an attitude (or judgement) of possibility, since the sentence
means that 'I think it is possible that it will rain tomorrow.' If he had instead said 'It
will rain tomorrow' the meaning would have been, 'I am certain (or I predict) that it
will rain tomorrow.' The use of will in this sentence shows an attitude of certainty, or
prediction. All the auxiliaries of Group II show such attitudes on the part of the
speaker. These attitudes affect the meaning of the sentence. The sentence does not
say that something is true but only that it may be true, or it must be true, etc. Such
changes in the meaning of the sentences are called modal changes; accordingly, the
auxiliaries which cause these changes are called modal auxiliaries.
Let us now give you some of the meanings of the modal auxiliaries:
Can and Could
Can is used when you wish to say that someone is free and able to do something,e.g.,
He can lift 200 lbs. Can is used to express this ability in the present; could is used
when we wish to express this ability in the past, e.g., When I was young I couldrun a
mile in six minutes. But could expresses only general ability in the past. Toexpress
'particular ability' in the past (i.e. ability to do something on a particular occasion) we
use be able to, e.g., I was able to score a century in the last match. In this sentence
could cannot be used. Ability in the future is also expressed with beable to.
Secondly, can is used to express permission in the present and could to express
permission in the past. E.g., You can go now. When I was a child I could sleep lateon
Sunday mornings. 20
 Structure Words May and might

May and might also express possibility and permission,but they are different from
can and could. Can expresses theoretical possibility, i.e. its use only tells us
thatsomething can happen, it does not say whether it will actually happen. May
expresses the possibility that it may actually happen. Observe the difference between
I canleave tomorrow (if I want to), and I may leave tomorrow. The second
sentenceimplies that I may actually not be here tomorrow; the first one doesn't.

May is used for seeking or granting permission in the formal style. May I leave
tomorrow?andYou may leave tomorrow are formal substitutes for Can I leave
tomorrow? and You can leave tomorrow.

Might expresses a lesser degree of probability than may. We might win shows a
lesserdegree of confidence in our winning than We may win.

Might is used for seeking permission but not for granting it. You can ask 'Might I
come in? showing a greater degree of hesitation and doubt than you would if you
said May I come in?, but the other person cannot say Yes you might-, he must say
Yes, you may.

There is another difference between may and can: may is more common when the
permission is given by the speaker; can, when the permission comes from some rule
or authority. Compare:

You may attend my lectures. ( = I permit you).

You can attend the lectures but can't write the exam. (=Rules permit the
former but not the latter.)

Will and Would, Shall and Should

Statements about the future cannot be true in the same sense as statements about the
past and the present. We can say It is true that he lied or It's true that he is lying, but
we can’t say it's true that he will lie. Since the event is in the future, we can't be
absolutely sure if it will happen or not. Hence, we prefer to say It is likely or
Itis possible or It is certain that he will lie.Hence, our statements about the future
arecoloured by our attitudes to a greater degree than our statements about the past or
the present. Will and shall, which are often used when speaking of the future, carry
many modal senses, e.g., prediction, willingness, intention, insistence, order, etc.
Here are some examples:

I will (or shall) come with you as far as the butcher’s. (willingness)

I will cash a cheque in town. (intention)

You will find him quite easily. (prediction)

Shall is used only with the first person subjects (I, we) to express determination
andintention, or to make a prediction. Its use with second and third person subjects
expresses a decision or determination on the part of the speaker with regard to the
future of someone else:

You shall have whatever you want.

The enemy shall not pass.

21 Will and shall, are also used for making requests,offers, and commands. E.g.,
 Will you go and get measured this afternoon? (request) Structure Words-2
Shall I call for you in town and take you? (offer) Auxiliaries
You shall go today. (order)

Would and should are used as the past forms of will and shall in reported speech,
butthey also carry some modal meanings. E.g.,

He said that one day I would regret my actions. (prediction)

He wouldn't tell me the secret. (willingness)
He said he would come again after lunch. (intention)
He would have his own way. (insistence)
He should write to his mother more often. (duty or obligation)
He should be here today. (likelihood)

Would is also used for making polite requests:

Would you please sign here?

Must

Must expresses necessity, obligation, compulsion etc.:

You must have new clothes. (necessity)

I must write to him. (obligation)
You must repay the loan within a year. (obligation or compulsion)

Must is used when necessity or obligation is imposed by the speaker; when

theobligation: is imposed by an outside authority or rule, we use have to:

We have to leave tomorrow. (Such are the orders.)

When mustimposes necessity, its opposite is expressed by needn’t:
You must leave tomorrow —> You needn't leave tomorrow.

Ought

Ought (to) also expresses necessity and obligation but the degree of necessity
andobligation is much less than expressed by must and almost the same as expressed
by should. In the passage from Robert Lynd, the writer is first told that he ought to
havesome new clothes: this is merely a suggestion expressed with some emphasis on
desirability. When the writer ignores it, he is told 'You must have new clothes,'
which, as Lynd says, has 'the tone of command.' The speaker uses must when he
(orshe) is prepared to exert enough force to bring about the desired effect; he uses
ought to when he has no such intention.

Must and ought are also used to express a conclusion, or inference, from
experience,evidence, etch E.g.,

She ought to be there now.

You must be Mr. Yadagiri.

Dare, Need, Used (to)

The meanings of these auxiliaries do not fall strictly in the modal type except, to
some extent, the meaning of need. We shall note below that the four auxiliaries
ought, dare, need and used do not share the other features of modal auxiliaries andare
therefore sometimes said to be marginal (i.e. not central or proper) auxiliaries.

Dare means‘to be brave, or rude, enough to’as in I dare not go there/He daren’t
come. Need means‘to have to’ as in. We needn't go yet, it's too far, Need you
try?Both these auxiliaries occur only in negative and interrogative sentences.
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 Used (to) denotes a habit or a state that existed in the past, e.g., I used to visit him
on Saturdays/ I used to be interested in birds. Would is also sometimes used
inthis sense. This sense of used must be distinguished from in sense in the
sentence am not used to boiled food, where used is an adjective
meaning'accustomed.’

Check Your Progress 4

Insert appropriate modal auxiliaries in the blanks. The required meanings are
given in brackets:

I write as soon as I can. (intention)

You ..... do as you are told. (strong obligation: tone of command)
We. ..... go to Nainital next summer. (possibility that the event may
actually happen)
Children..... be very noisy. (theoretical possibility)
As a child,I. ..... recite the whole of Gita. (general ability in the past)
We ...... know the result in about a week. (prediction)
He ..... be very annoyed with me to write a letter like that. (a necessary
conclusion from evidence)
He wasso weak he ...... n'teven raise his hand. (general ability in the past)
..... youhelp me?(willingness)
You ..... consult a specialist if you want to. (permission)
Children ....... obey their parents. (duty and desirability)
He ...... come tomorrow. (weak possibility)
She said she ...... write to me again. (intention)
He ...... smoke heavily. (habit in the past)
He ...... n't come personally. (lack of necessity)
How...... you talk to me like that! (to have courage)
He said that he ...... be late. (weak possibility)
'Might I come in? ' . 'Yes, you ...... ' (granting permission)
'. ..... I order a coffee for you? ' (offer)
'. ..... you mind opening the door?' (polite request)

10.6 TYPES OF COMPLEX VERBPHRASE

We stated above that auxiliaries are used with main verbs and in most cases add
some element of meaning to the sentence. We also stated that more than one auxiliary
may be combined with a main verb to produce a complex verb phrase. The
combination of auxiliaries with main verbs follows certain rules, and you must know
these rules so that you do not produce combinations which are ungrammatical.

We can introduce you to these rules by looking at the different types of verb phrases
that are possible. We shall not be concerned here with simple verb phrases, which
consist of only a main verb, e.g., He probably knows you. There are four basic types
of complex verb phrases. The meanings these types convey are as follows:

Type A:modal + (to) infinitive form: the meaning depends on the modal
auxiliary used.
l. I will ring up.
2. He may come tomorrow.

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TypeB: Verb + present participle: the meaning depends on the modal auxiliary Structure Words -2
used. Auxiliaries

1. I have eaten.
2. He has resigned.

Type C: be + present participle: refers to action in progress, i.e., begun but not
completed.

1. Arun is watching TV.

Type D: be + past participle: produces the passive voice. May be used in the
present or the past tense. The passive voice is used when we wish to give greater
prominence to the action than to the performer of the action.

l. He was placed first.

More complex verb phrase types are produced by combining these four basic types.
For example, we may combine Type A (e.g. will go) with Type B (e.g. Slave + gone)
to produce Type AB (drill have gone). Type AB can be combined with Type C (be
+going) to produce Type ABC (will have been going). Note that in will have been
going, will have is Type A, have been is Type B, and be (en) going is Type C. We
can similarly produce Types BC (has been going), BD (has been told), CD (is
beingtold) and so on. In producing these complex phrases, you must remember to put
TypeA before Type B. Type B, before Type C, and Type C before Type D. We
cannot have a Type CB {is having gone), or a Type DC (is been watching) or similar
other types which violate the A—•B—•C—•D order. Also remember that no type
can occur twice, e.g., Type BB (has had been) is not possible.

If you have followed the complex verb phrase types closely you will now
understand that

a) the verb occurs in the infinitive form after the modals (in Type A) except
with ought and redwhich take to + infinitive,
b) the verb occurs only in the past participle form after have (in Type B),
c) the verb occurs either in the present participle form (Type C) or in the past participle
form (Type D) after be. Type D is the passive voice; hence the past participle
form occurs only if its active object has already occurred as subject. In all other
cases it is the present participle form which occurs after be.

Check Your Progress 5

1 Identify the type of the complex verb phrase in each of the following
sentences:

You ought to have some new clothes.______________________

He, must have seen you passing.__________________________
I may be arrested for trying to get money by false pretences._____
He has been arrested by the police.
You are getting shabby.
You should be working hard.
He is being called.
He should have been asked to work harder.
He should have been working harder.

2 Put the bracketed verb in the correct form in the following sentences and
identify the verb phrase type:

i) He is (sing). ____________________________________________
ii) Arun may be (expel). _____________________________________
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Structure Words

iii) He has (accept) his mistake. ________________________________

iv) You ought (accept) your mistake. ____________________________

v) Arun has been (watch) the game for two hours.

vi) This song has already been (sing) twice.
vii) As a young man, I used (walk) seven miles a day.
viii) He should have been (punish) for his carelessness.
ix) I was (lead) to believe that the matter had (be) settled.
x) This programme is (be) watched by millions of people all over the
country.

10.7 AUXILIARIES AS OPERATORS

You have now seen the way auxiliaries combine in a complex verb phrase and
also their meanings. Let us now look at a special feature of auxiliaries which
distinguishes them from main verbs:

The first auxiliary of a complex verb phrase enjoys a special status. This is
seen in the following:

i) In questions of Yes-No type, it is moved in front of the subject of the

sentence.
E.g.

You will go Will you go?

I shall call for you Shall I call for you?
ii) In negative sentences, the negative element not is attached to the first
auxiliary in the abbreviated form n't, e.g., You shouldn’t have been
working so hard.
iii) Adverbs are always placed after the first auxiliary, e.g., He must often
have seen you passing.
iv) The first auxiliary can stand for the whole predicate in certain cases, e.g.,

Q: Must you leave today? A: Yes, I must (leave today). You ought to be more
careful and so ought your driver (to be more careful).

The special status of the first auxiliary in a complex verb phrase is denoted by
calling it the 'operator'. Be, have and do frequently function as operators; be and
have also occur as non-operators (i.e. as second, third and fourth auxiliaries) in a
verb phrase. Modals, on the other hand, always occur as operators (i.e. as the first
auxiliary).

Main verbs never function as operators. E.g., we cannot put them in front of
the subject to form a question: we cannot say Goes he today? To form Yes-No
questions from simple verb phrases, we need to use the auxiliary do. Thus, we
say Does hego today? Similarly, we cannot attach not in the abbreviated form
to simple verbphrases. We cannot say He goesn't today, instead, we again use
the auxiliary do and say He doesn't go today, and so on.
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 Structure Words -2
Auxiliaries

This characteristic of auxiliaries is so important that we can use it to distinguish

auxiliaries from main verb. The best examples of this are the verbs dare and need.
They sometimes occur as main verbs and sometimes as auxiliaries. How do we
distinguish the two occurrences! We use the criteria stated above. For example:

'need’ as main verb

Positive: This needs to be recorded.

Negative: This does not need to be recorded.

Questions: Does it need to be recorded?

'need’ as auxiliary

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Positive: (Does not occur) Negative: Structure Words-2
This needn't be recorded. Question:
Need it be recorded?

‘dare’ as main verb

Positive: He dared to disagree with me.

Negative: He did not dare to disagree with me.
Question. Did he dare to disagree with me?

'dare' as auxiliary

Positive: (Does not occur)

Negative: He daren't disagree with me.
Question: Dare he disagree with me?

Apart from dare and need, two other modal auxiliaries, used and ought also sometimes
share the features of main verbs. For example, it is more common now to say 'He didn't
use to come regularly’ and 'Did he use to come regularly?than to say, 'He didn’t come
regularly' and 'Used he to come regularly?' The forms 'You didn't ought to have done
that' and 'Did we ought to have done it?’ are not yet common and therefore should not be
used, but they are beginning to be heard. This was the reason why we said above that
dare, need, ought and used are considered to be marginal auxiliaries. In contrast, the
other modal auxiliaries are said to be full auxiliaries and cannot function as main verbs.

Check Your Progress 6

Give the negative and question forms of the following sentences:

i) You called me.

ii) I can borrow his scooter.

iii) He will agree.

iv) You had a good breakfast.

v) You used to be frightened of him.

vi) You ought to have accepted the offer

vii) He might like it.

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 viii) Yon wanted me to come.

ix) He is talking sense.

x) Your uncle is waiting to see you.

xi) 1 have kept you waiting.

xii) I foresaw this problem.

xiii) You really think you can treat me as a boy.

xiv) You thought I'd be interested in it.

xv) It could have happened to anyone.

xvi) You must decide now.

10.8 LET US SUM UP

In this unit, we have told you the following main things:

i) A complex verb phrase consists of one or more auxiliaries and a main verb.
ii) Auxiliaries are of two types: primary and modal.
iii) The verbs (be, have and do) which occur as primary auxiliaries also occur as
main verbs and it is important to be able to distinguish these uses.
iv) Primary auxiliaries have different forms according to tense, number, person. etc.

v) Modal auxiliaries never change their forms for number and person. Some
modals have forms which are used as past tense equivalents in reported
speech.
vi) Modal auxiliaries convey a special kind of meaning which reflects the
speakers attitudes towards the action described. These attitudes can be of
various kinds e.g..determination, necessity, possibility, desirability, etc.
vii) There are four basic types of the complex verb phrase. These four types can be
28 combined into more complex verb-phrase types according to some fixed
rules to convey different kinds of meanings.
viii) The first auxiliary of a complex verb phrase functions as operator and has a Structure Words-2
special status. Auxiliaries
ix) Primary auxiliaries occur both as operators and non-operators (except do
which occurs only as an operator): modals only occur as operators. Main
verbs do not occur as operators.
x) Some modal auxiliaries (need, dare, used, ought) also function as main
verbs. When they are main verbs, they cannot function as operators.

10.9 KEY WORDS

Verb-determiner/Verb-marker: Verb-determiners or verb-markers are words

which help us identify verbs. They are commonly known as Auxiliaries.

Auxiliary verbs: A small and closed class of verbs that are used before a main
verb to show tense, voice, mood, etc.

Main verbs: A large and open class of words denoting actions, states, events, etc.

Primary auxiliaries: Be, Have and Do when they occur as auxiliary verbs.

Modal auxiliaries: Can, could, may, might, will, would, must, shall, should, dare,
need, ought (to), used (to. They are used with the main verb to express some special
meanings like possibility, intention, necessity, etc.

Model meaning: The meanings expressed by modal auxiliaries. They generally

reflect the attitude of the speaker towards the action, state, etc. described by the main
verb.

Verb phrase: A phrase consisting or either simply a main verb or one or more than
one auxiliary and a main verb.

Simple verb phrase: A verb phrase which consists only of a main verb.

Complex Verb phrase: A verb phrase consisting of one or more than one auxiliary
and a main verb.

Operator: The first auxiliary of a complex verb phrase.

Marginal auxiliaries: Dare, need, used, and ought are called marginal auxiliaries
since they also share some features of main verb.

ANSWERS
Check Your Progress 1
l ought (to); are (getting); must: Do; must; MUST; will; would; be; will; shall;
am; (he) would; do (n't know); does (n't); must (often) have; would: being;
(I) will; Do (n't); (I) will; (I) will; do (n't); did (n't); would (n't): did;
(you); will; do (n't); do (n't); Does; ought (to); (we) have
2 Group I auxiliaries are printed in bold type in the answers to Exercise I.
The rest are Group II.

Check Your Progress 2

i) do: (Auxiliary); have: MV (Main verb) ii) likes: MV iii) helps: MV; help: MV
iv) ought to: Aux; know: MV v) did: Aux; become: MV vi) should: Aux; sleep: MV 29
Structure Words vii) noticed: MV viii) is: MV; are: Aux; getting: MV; may: Aux; be: Aux; getting:
MV ix) Have: Aux; heard: MV x) has: MV

Check Your Progress 3

i) is: MV ii) is: Aux iii) is: MV iv) is: Aux v) has: MV vi) are: MV vii) has: Aux
2
have: MV viii) do': Aux; do : MV ix) Did: Aux; do: MV x) Have: Aux; had: MV
xi) has: Aux: had; MV xii) was: Aux; being: Aux xiii) am: Aux xiv) Do: Aux
(xv) are: Aux; doing: MV

Check Your Progress 4

i) will/shall ii) must iii) may iv) can v) could vi) will/shall vii) must viii) could
ix) will x) can/may xi) ought to/should xii) may/might xiii) would xiv) used to
(xv) need xvi) dare xvii) might xviii) may xix) shall xx) Would

Check Your Progress 5

I i) Type A ii) Type AB iii) Type AD iv) Type BD v) Type CD vi) Type AC
vii) Type CD viii) Type ABD ix) Type ABC.

2 i) is singing: Type C ii) may be expelled: Type AD iii) has accepted: Type B
iv) ought to accept: Type A v) has’ been watching: Type BC vi) has been
sung: Type BD vii) used to walk: Type A viii) should have been punished:
Type ABD ix) was led: Type D; had been settled: Type BD x) is being
watched: Type CD

Check Your Progress 6

i) You didn't call me. Did you call me?

ii) I can't borrow his scooter. Can I borrow his scooter?
iii) He won’t (will not) agree. Will he agree?
iv) You didn't have (or hadn't) a good breakfast. Did you have a good breakfast?
v) You didn't use to be frightened of him. Did you use to be frightened of him?
vi) You ought not to have (or oughtn't to have) accepted the offer. Ought you
to have accepted the offer?
vii) He might not (or mightn't) like it. Might he like it?
viii) You didn't want me to come. Did you want me to come?
ix) He isn't talking sense. Is he talking sense?
x) Your uncle isn't waiting to see you. Is your uncle waiting to see you?
xi) I haven't kept you waiting. Have I kept you waiting?
xii) I didn't foresee this problem. Did I foresee this problem?
xiii) You don't really think ... Do you really think...?
xiv) You didn’t think .... Did you think ...?
xv) It couldn't have happened to anyone. Could it have happened to anyone?
xvi) You needn’t decide now. Must you decide now?

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