4.7 Auxiliary Verb Types

In this section we will give a brief account of of each type of auxiliary verb in English. There are five types in total: 

 

 

Passive be	This is used to form passive constructions, eg.  The film was produced in Hollywood  It has a corresponding present form: The film is produced in Hollywood    We will return to passives later, when we look at voice.
Progressive be	As the name suggests, the progressive expresses action in progress:  The old lady is writing a play It also has a past form: The old lady was writing a play
Perfective have	The perfective auxiliary expresses an action accomplished in the past but retaining current relevance:  She has broken her leg (Compare: She broke her leg)    Together with the progressive auxiliary, the perfective auxiliary encodes aspect, which we will look at later.
Modal can/could  may/might  shall/should  will/would  must	Modals express permission, ability, obligation, or prediction:  You can have a sweet if you like  He may arrive early  Paul will be a footballer some day  I really should leave now
Dummy Do	This subclass contains only the verb do. It is used to form questions: Do you like cheese? to form negative statements: I do not like cheese and in giving orders: Do not eat the cheese Finally, dummy do can be used for emphasis: I do like cheese

 

An important difference between auxiliary verbs and main verbs is that auxiliaries never occur alone in a sentence. For instance, we cannot remove the main verb from a sentence, leaving only the auxiliary: 

 

 

I would like a new job	~*I would a new job
You should buy a new car	~*You should a new car
She must be crazy	~*She must crazy

 

Auxiliaries always occur with a main verb. On the other hand, main verbs can occur without an auxiliary. 
 

I like my new job 
I bought a new car 
She sings like a bird 

In some sentences, it may appear that an auxiliary does occur alone. This is especially true in responses to questions: 
 

Q. Can you sing?  
A. Yes, I can 

Here the auxiliary can does not really occur without a main verb, since the main verb -- sing -- is in the question. The response is understood to mean: 
 

Yes, I can sing 

This is known as ellipsis -- the main verb has been ellipted from the response.

Auxiliaries often appear in a shortened or contracted form, especially in informal contexts. For instance, auxiliary have is often shortened to 've: 
 

I have won the lottery    ~I've won the lottery 

These shortened forms are called enclitic forms. Sometimes different auxiliaries have the same enclitic forms, so you should distinguish carefully between them: 
 

I'd like a new job ( = modal auxiliary would) 
We'd already spent the money by then ( = perfective auxiliary had)  

He's been in there for ages ( = perfective auxiliary has) 
She's eating her lunch ( = progressive auxiliary is) 

The following exercise concentrates on three of the most important auxiliaries -- be, have, and do.