Introduction

to Auxiliary
Verb
By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 1
 Auxiliary Verb
 It is a verb that helps the main verb to form
different tenses and to show different moods
“attitudes or feelings”.

e.g. They have won so many matches.

e.g. Are you playing with us now?
e.g. Does he play cricket with you? 2
 Types of Auxiliary Verb

1. Primary/Principle Auxiliary Verbs

2. Modal Auxiliary Verbs
3. Semi/Marginal Modal Auxiliary Verbs
4. Similar Expressions to modal auxiliary
3
 Primary Auxiliary Verbs
 Primary/Principle Auxiliary Verbs: to be, to have, to do

We use these auxiliary verbs to:

1. Make negative & interrogative sentences.

2. Form different tenses.
3. Form passive voice.

e.g. She has not bought a book yet. “negative”

e.g. Did she buy a book? “interrogative”
e.g. A letter is written by him. “passive” 4
 Modal Auxiliary Verbs
 Modal Auxiliary verbs are also called defective verbs.
They are used to show different attitudes or feelings
“moods” of a speaker.
The moods are (ability, possibility, expectation, permission,
obligation, request, advisability and probability, preference,
suggestion, necessity, lack of necessity, prohibition. )
“can, could, should, may, shall, might, must, will,
would”
e.g. She can speak many languages. “ability” 5
 Characteristics of modal auxiliaries
1. They never change their forms by the change of subject
or tense.
e.g. She cans speak, or She canned speak… (x)
2. Main verb after modals should not have “s, es, ies, ing,
d, ed”
e.g. She may studied, or she may studies… (x)
3. Never use “to + verb” after modals auxiliaries.
e.g. He could to play football yesterday. (x)
6
 Characteristics of modal auxiliaries
4. They cannot be used alone. Hence, they are called
defective verbs.
e.g. She can Pashto, or She may student… (x)
5. We cannot use two modals one after the other in a
sentence.
e.g. He may can come tomorrow. (x)
6. They form negative and questions themselves.
e.g. Do you can speak Arabic? (x)
7
 Similar Expressions
 Are those expressions which have similar meanings
to modal auxiliary verbs.
“have to, has to, had to, be to, be going to, be able to,
used to, be about to, be supposed to, be obliged to”
e.g. I am able to/can write an essay.

Note: After these expressions we use base form of verb.

8
 Let’s
Practice
Now. 9
 Error Analysis

1.She can to see it.

10
 Error Analysis

2. She cans see it.

11
 Error Analysis

3. She can sees it.

12
 Error Analysis

4. She can saw it.

13
 Error Analysis

5. Can you please to pass the salt?

14
 Error Analysis

6. Do you can see it?

15
 Error Analysis

7. They don’t can go there.

16
 Error Analysis

8. He can may come tomorrow.

17
 Error Analysis

9. She should playing football.

18
 Preference
By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 19
 Preference “would rather”
 Would rather expresses preference and it is followed by the
simple form of the verb.
Positive:
e.g. I think I’d rather stay at home this evening than go out.
e.g. I would rather study history than (study) grammar.
e.g. I’d rather die than apologize to him.
Negative:
e.g. I could lend him the money, but I’d rather not.
S1: How old are you?
S2: I would rather not tell you. 20
 Past Preference
 To show past preference use:

Would rather + have + v3

e.g. I would rather have gone on picnic than stayed at home.

e.g. I’d rather have died than asked him for help.
e.g. He’d rather have called her than (called) you.
21
 Suggestions

By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 22

 Suggestions
 To make suggestions use:

1. Let’s + base verb

e.g. Let’s go out for a walk.
e.g. I am hungry. Let’s eat.

2. Why don’t we/I …..? “friendly suggestion”

e.g. Why don’t we go out for a walk?
e.g. We are all free tonight. Why don’t we make a party?
23
 Suggestions
3. Shall we/I ….?
e.g. Shall we go out for a walk?
e.g. Shall I tell him the truth?

4. How/What about…?
e.g. How about going out for a walk?

Note: When I & We are used with shall in a question, the

speaker tries to seek someone else’s agreement.
24
 Suggestions
 To make suggestions we can use could too.
S1: Ahmad wants to buy a book.
S2: He could go to a bookstore. Or
S2: He could order it online.

S1: What should we do tomorrow?

S2: We could go on a picnic.
25
 Suggestions
S1: I am having trouble in math class.
S2: You could talk to your teacher.
S2: You should talk to your teacher.

Note:- Could shows possible suggestion while

should shows specific advice or recommendation.
26
 Past Suggestions
o To show past suggestions use:

“Could + have + P.P”

S1: I wanted to meet you yesterday.

S2: You could have come to my office. Or
You could have called me.
27
 Ability
By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 28
 Ability
 To show ability use can, could & be able to.

o Present ability:
1. Can + base verb
2. Be (is, am are) able to + base verb

e.g. She can dance better than you. “ability”

e.g. She is able to speak English very well. “ability” uncommon
29
 Ability
oPast ability:
1. Could + base verb
2. Be (was/were) able to + base verb
e.g. I could not run fast when I was a child.
“past ability”
e.g. I am sorry that I wasn’t able to phone you
yesterday. “past ability” 30
 Ability
oFuture ability:

1. Will + be able to + base verb

e.g. She will be able to manage the problem.

“future ability”
e.g. Will you be able to help them tomorrow?
“future ability”
31
 Was/Were able to versus Could
 Could shows general ability in the
past
 Was/Were able to shows specific
ability at a specific time, or in other
words, it means to manage.
32
 Examples
e.g. I could drive when I was a child.
e.g. I was able to escape from police. (Not could)
e.g. He was able to rescue the child. (Not could)
e.g. We were able to answer the questions. (Not Could)
e.g. When he attacked, I was able to defend
myself. (Not Could)
33
 Advisability
By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 34
 Advisability
oTo show advisability use Should & Ought to.

e.g. She should/ought to go to a doctor.

Note: Had better is close in meaning to should/ought to
but had better is informal and a bit stronger and sometimes
it expresses a warning or threat of a possible bad
consequence.

e.g. The students had better study harder.

35
 Positive Examples
 I am sick:

e.g. You should go to a doctor.

e.g. You ought to go to a doctor.
e.g. You had better/had best go to a doctor.
e.g. You better had/best had go to a doctor.
e.g. You better go to a doctor.
e.g. You’d better go to a doctor.
36
 Negative Examples
 I have an urgent meeting:
e.g. You should not/shouldn’t be late.
e.g. You ought not/oughtn’t be late.
e.g. You had better not/hadn’t better be late.
Note:- Ought to is not commonly used in
negative, but when it is used “to” is dropped.
e.g. You oughtn’t leave your key in the car. 37
 Interrogative Examples

e.g. Should I call you tomorrow?

e.g. Ought I to call you tomorrow? (not common)

e.g. Had I better call you tomorrow? (not common)

38
 Cont…
o Would also shows advisability just in
negative form.

e.g. I wouldn’t do that (if I were you).

e.g. I wouldn’t tell him (if I were you).

39
 Advisability in the past
 To show past advisability (hindsight advisability) use:
Should + have + past participle
Should + have + not + past participle
o Asad came late and missed the test.
He should have come on time.
Meaning: He didn’t come on time and it turned out to be a mistake.

o The child played in cold weather and became sick.

He shouldn’t have played in cold weather.
Meaning: (it means he played in cold weather and had a bad result.)
40
 Advisability in the past
Note:- Ought to and had better are not common for past.

o Ought to + have + past participle

e.g. She ought to have come to class.
e.g. She ought to have invited me.

o Had better + have + past participle

e.g. She had better have come to class.
e.g. He had better have told his parents.
41
 Should & Ought to show
• Advice: You should/ought to respect your elders.
• Advice: You should/ought to study for the exams.

• Recommendation: It’s a very useful book. You should/ought to buy it.

• Recommendation: It’s a very interesting movie. You should/ought to
watch it.

• Responsibility/Duty: I should/ought to lock the door.

• Responsibility/Duty: You should/ought to arrange the chairs before the
guests arrive.
42
 Degrees of
Certainty
By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 43
 Certainty
 Degrees of certainty refers
to how sure we are.
Or What we think the
chances are that something is
true. 44
 Degrees of certainty (Present)
Affirmative:
100 % no modal e.g. He lives in India.
95 % must e.g. He must live in India.
50 % or less e.g. He may/could/might live in India.
Negative:
100% no modal e.g. He doesn’t live in India.
99% could/can e.g. He could/can not live in India.
95% must e.g. He must not live in India.
50% or less e.g. He may/might not live in India
45
 Degrees of certainty (Past)
Affirmative:
100 % no modal e.g. He came today.
95 % must e.g. He must have been late.
50 % or less e.g. He may/could have been late.
Negative:
100% no modal e.g. He didn’t come today.
99% could/can e.g. He could/can not have come today.
95% must e.g. He mustn’t have come today.
50% or less e.g. He may/might not have come today.
46
 Degrees of certainty (Future)
Affirmative:
100 % sure e.g. He will/is going to come tomorrow.
90% sure e.g. He should/ought to come tomorrow.
Less than 50% sure e.g. He may/might/could come tomorrow.

Negative:
100% e.g. He will/is not going to come tomorrow.
99% could/can e.g. He can/could not come tomorrow.
50% may/might e.g. He may/might not come tomorrow.
47
 Expectation
By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 48
 Expectations
 For expectations use:
1. Be supposed to + Verb
e.g. She is supposed to meet the president.
e.g. You are supposed to come on time.
2. Be to + Verb
e.g. She is to meet the president.
e.g. You are to come on time. 49
 Cont…
Note: Be to + verb shows stronger expectation than be
supposed to + verb

e.g. He is supposed to be there by noon.

e.g. He is to be there by noon.

Note: For past expectations change the form of be.

e.g. He was supposed to come at 3:00.
e.g. He was to come at 3:00.
50
Lack of necessity
& Prohibition

By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 51

 Lack of necessity
o Toshow lack of necessity use just
have to in negative sentences.
e.g. It is off tomorrow. We don’t have to
come.
e.g. Asad was not feeling well, but now
he is fine. He doesn’t have to visit a
doctor. 52
 Lack of necessity
Note: Lack of necessity can also be
expressed by need not/needn’t. The use
of need as an auxiliary is chiefly in
British.
e.g. They needn’t worry.
e.g. She need not go to the doctor. 53
 Prohibition
o To show prohibition use just must in negative
sentences.
must = must not / mustn’t
e.g. This is a non-smoking area. We must not
(mustn’t) smoke here.
e.g. The speed limit on this road is 80 mph. You
must not (mustn’t) over speed on this road. 54
 Necessity
By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 55
 Necessity
o To show necessity use:
 Have to
 Has to
 Must
 Have got to
e.g. You must study hard for exam.
e.g. You have to study hard for exam.
Note: You must use them just in positive sentences.
56
 Necessity
o Differences:

 Must is stronger than have to/has to.

 Have to is used in everyday English.
 Have got to is considered informal & is
used in spoken English.
57
 Past habits &
Regular activities

By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 58

 Past Habits & Regular Activity
1. Used to + base verb shows habitual or regular past.
e.g. He used to smoke cigar.
e.g. I used to fight with my brother.
2. Be used to + v-ing to be familiar with.
e.g. I am used to sleeping with windows open.
e.g. She is used to speaking Arabic.

Note:- Be used to means be accustomed to

e.g. I am used to living in cold weather.
e.g. I am accustomed to living in cold weather.
59
 Past Habits & Regular Activity
3. Get used to + v-ing to become familiar with.
e.g. He is getting used to living in India.
e.g. My friend is getting used to speaking fast English.

Note:- Get used to means get accustomed to

e.g. She will get used to working long hours.
e.g. She will get accustomed to working long hours.
60
 Would versus used to
o Would shows action & requires past time frame.
e.g. When I was a child, my father would read me a story.
e.g. When we were in Pakistan, we would often go for long walks.
past time frame “must come before would”

o Used to shows action/state & doesn’t require past

time reference.
e.g. My father used to read me a story when I was a child.
e.g. We used to go for long walks in the park.
e.g. She used to be a famous doctor. “would is not possible.” 61
 Would versus used to
e.g. I used to watch cartoons every Saturday morning when I was
very little. Now I rarely watch TV. “correct”

e.g. I would watch cartoons every Saturday morning when I was

very little. Now I rarely watch TV. “awkward and ungrammatical”

• But if the past time frame is established before would appears,

would sounds fine.

e.g. When I was little, I would get up and watch cartoons every
Saturday morning. Now I rarely watch TV. “correct”
62
 Practice
1.I (be)………….very shy
when a stranger came to
our house, I (hide)
…………..in a closet.
63
 Practice
2. Illiteracy is still a problem
in my country, but it (be)
………….. much worse.
64
 Practice
3. During my childhood, I
(like) ………….….
potatoes, but I don’t like
them anymore.
65
 Practice

4. She (has)…..…….……...
long hair, but now she wears
it short.
66
 Practice
5. I (love)……….…. biking,
but now my taste has
changed. I like driving
rather than biking.
67
 Practice
6. When my home was in
India, I (go out)………with
my uncle on Fridays.
68
 Practice
7. When Sheila was a child,
she (sleep) …...………more
than ten hours a day.
69
 Permissions &
Requests
By: Ahmad Sameer “Ahmadi” 70
 Permission & Request
To show permission & request use:
May / Could / Can + I / We
e.g. May I use your new piano?
e.g. Could I use your new piano?
e.g. Can I use your new piano?

Note: May & Could have the same meaning & are equally polite,
but can is considered a bit informal.
Note: Might can also be used to make a polite request as Could/May.
e.g. Might I use your new piano?
71
 Permission & Request
 To show permission & request use: Will/Would/Could/Can + You
e.g. Could/Would/Will you open the door?
e.g. Can you open the door?
Yes, I’d be happy to. Sure. Certainly.

 Would & Will have similar meaning but will is considered informal
 Would shows willingness. (if you want to do)
 Could shows possibility. (if it is possible)

e.g. Would you please take these books over there?

e.g. Could you please take these books over there?
72
 Permission & Request
 Another way to seek permission or make a request is using
“would you mind”.
1. Permission: Would you mind+ If I/ we + base/past form of the verb + ros.
e.g. Would mind if I close/closed the windows.

Note: Past form of verb is politer than base form of verb.

Responses:
No. I’d be happy to.
Not at all. I’d be glad to.
No, it would be fine.
Of course not.
73
 Cont…
2. Request: Would you mind + v-ing + ros?
e.g. Would you mind opening the door?
Answers: No, I’d be happy/glad to. No, never mind.
No, not at all.
Note: These structures also show request & permission.
1. What if I + base/past verb
e.g. What if I open/opened the door?
2. What if you + base/past verb
e.g. What if you open/opened the door?
74
 Cont…
3. The third way to show request is using imperative sentences.
o They are used to:
1. Order: e.g. Come here. Open you books.
2. Request (please): e.g. Please come here. e.g. Open the door,
please.
3. Give directions: e.g. Turn left.
Note: Sometimes would/could you is added as a tag question to
turn an imperative into a polite request.
e.g. Open the door, would /could you?
75
 Cont…
 The subject in imperatives is “you” and it’s usually dropped.
But you can use it for emphasis or task distribution.
e.g. You stand up. Or Ali, stand up.
e.g. You arrange the chairs.
e.g. You serve the guests.

Note: To form negative imperatives, use “do not/don’t” or never

e.g. Don’t make noise.
e.g. Never lie.
e.g. Never trust strangers.
76
Summary chart of modals & semi-auxiliary verbs
May/Might. A polite request
May. Formal Permission
May/Might. Possibility (present & past)
-------------------------------------------------
Should. Advisability
Should. Certainty (90%)

77
 Summary chart of modals & semi-auxiliary verbs
Ought to. Advisability
Ought to. Certainty (90%)
-----------------------------------------------------
Had better. Advisability/threat
-----------------------------------------------------
Be supposed to. Expectations
-----------------------------------------------------
Be to. Strong expectations
78
 Summary chart to be continued
Must. Strong Necessity
Must. Prohibition
Must. Certainty (95%)
----------------------------------------
Have to. Necessity
Have to. Lack of Necessity
Have got to. Necessity
79
 Summary chart to be continued
Will. Certainty (100%)
Will. Willingness
Will. Polite request
----------------------------------------
Be going to. Certainty (100%)
Be going to. Definite plan
80
 Summary chart to be continued

Can. Ability
Can. Informal permission
Can. Informal polite request
Can. Impossibility (negative only)

81
 Summary chart to be continued
Could. Past ability
Could. Polite request
Could. Suggestion
Could. Possibility (less than 50%)
------------------------------------------
Be able to. Ability

82
 Summary chart to be continued
Would. Polite request
Would. Preference
Would. Repeated action in the past
----------------------------------------------------------
Used to. Repeated action in the past
----------------------------------------------------------
Shall. Polite question to make a suggestion
Shall. Future with “I & we”
83
The End!!!
84