(4) Auxiliary Verbs Auxiliary VerbsThere are 4 auxiliary verbs in the English language: Be Have Will Do
Each of these is followed by another verb, known as the full verb, in order to form - Questions
- Negative statements
- Compound tense
- Passive voice
Be ‘Be’ can be used both as an auxiliary and as a full verb. It must first be noted that ‘be’ is an irregular verb: Simple present: I am, he/she/it is, we/they are Simple past: I/he/she/it was, we/they were Past participle: been For compound tense (present/past continuous), use the ‘-ing’ form of the full verb with the appropriate form of ‘be’. Present continuous: He is playing outside. Past continuous: He was playing outside. Present perfect continuous: He has been playing outside. Past perfect continuous: He had been playing outside. For passive voice, use the past participle of the full verb with the appropriate form of ‘be’. Simple past/present: The damage is/was done. Present/past perfect: The damage has been/had been done. Future: The damage will be done. Have ‘Have’ is also both an auxiliary and a full verb, and is irregular as well. Simple present: I/you/we/they have, he/she/it has Simple past: had Past participle: had It is used to form compound tenses in active and passive voice. Compound Tenses - Active Voice: Present Perfect Simple: He has played outside. Past Perfect Simple: He had played outside. Present Perfect Continuous: He has been playing outside. Past Perfect Continuous: He had been playing outside Compound Tenses - Passive Voice: Present/Past Continuous: The house has/had been built.
Will
‘Will’ functions only as an auxiliary verb, and is used to form the future tenses. It remains the same for all forms.
Simple future: He will play outside. Future perfect: He will have played outside.
Do
‘Do’ can be used as both an auxiliary and a full verb, and is irregular.
Simple present: I/we/you/they do, he/she/it/ does Simple past: did Past participle: did
As an auxiliary, ‘do’ is used in negative sentences and questions with most verbs (use the infinitive of the full verb) in simple past and simple present forms.
‘Do’ in Negative Sentences: Simple present: He does not play outside. Simple past: He did not play outside.
‘Do’ in Questions: Simple present: Does he play outside? Simple past: Did he play outside?
In the following four cases, ‘do’ is not used in negative sentences or questions: - When the full verb is ‘be’:
Are you alright? - The sentence already has an auxiliary verb:
He is not playing outside. - The sentence contains a modal verb (can, may, must, need, ought to, shall, should):
We must not be caught. - The question asks for the subject:
Who wrote that book?
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