An auxiliary verb is a verb that can help in the formation of many of the tenses. You can also name an auxiliary verb as a helping verb, as they are helping in the making of questions and negative sentences and also compound and the passive tenses.
You can find out three auxiliary verbs that re known as the most common auxiliary verbs in English grammar. Those three most common auxiliary verbs are be, do and have.
One thing that you should remember is that an auxiliary verb, mainly, helps the main verb that is why, it is paired with the main verb. For example,
- I am painting for my next exhibition.
In the above example, ‘am’ is the helping verb as ‘to be’, which is paired with the main verb ‘to paint’. This helping verb ‘to be’ is used to make the verb tense i.e. the present progressive verb tense.
However, there can be such sentences in which you can find out no other verb paired with the conjugated form ‘to be’. In this case, the form ‘to be’ will be considered as the main verb. For instance, in the sentence ‘I am.’, ‘I’ is the subject and ‘am’ (to be) is the main verb.
Function of Auxiliary or Helping Verbs
Some of the auxiliary verbs are be, do, have, can, could, would, should, will, shall, may, might, etc.
The auxiliary verb ‘be’ can be used to make progressive and passive tenses. For example,
- He is going to the market for shopping. (Progressive)
- She was trained by a highly qualified institution. (Passive)
The auxiliary verb ‘have’ can be used in perfect sentences. For example,
- I have been waiting for you since morning.
The auxiliary verb ‘do’ can be used in making questions and negative sentences. For example,
- She does not like the dress that you gave her. (Negative)
- Did he agree with my terms and conditions? (Question)
Note: The forms ‘be’, ‘have’ and ‘do’ not only used as an auxiliary verb but they can be used as a main verb as well. For instance, the conjugated forms of ‘be’ can be, is, am, being, been, was, and were; that can be used as a main verb too.
An auxiliary verb can help in creating emphasis as well. In this case, ‘do’ is used to create emphasis by pairing itself with a main verb. For example,
- I do agree with your terms and conditions.
Primary Helping Verbs vs. Modal Helping Verbs
By primary helping verbs, I mean the forms ‘be’, ‘have’, and ‘do’. It means that they are the helping verbs that can stand alone without the main verb. As I said above that ‘be’, ‘have’ and ‘do’ can be used as a main verb as well. For example,
- She does her work without breaks.
In the above example, ‘does’ is a primary helping verb that is standing alone without any main verb.
By modal helping verbs, I mean ‘shall’, ‘would’, ‘should’, ‘will’, ‘can’, ‘could’, ‘might’, ‘must’, and ‘may’. These are the helping or auxiliary verbs that should be paired with the verbs in order to give a meaning in a sentence, otherwise it should be considered a grammatical error. For example,
- I will go for further studies.
In the above example, ‘will’ is the helping verb that is paired with the verb ‘go’.
Check Out: What Is An Adverb?
Common Errors and Mistakes with Auxiliary Verbs
Auxiliary verbs can sometimes be confusing for English learners, especially when distinguishing them from main verbs or using them correctly in negative sentences and questions.
1. Mistaking Auxiliary Verbs for Main Verbs
One common mistake is confusing auxiliary verbs with main verbs, particularly with verbs like “do” that can function in both roles.
As an auxiliary verb, “do” is used in questions and negatives, but it can also act as the main verb.
- Error: “He did not his homework.”
- Correction: “He did not do his homework.”
In the corrected version, “do” is used as both an auxiliary verb to form the negative and as the main verb (to do homework).
Learners often leave out the main verb, causing confusion in meaning.
2. Overusing Auxiliary Verbs
Another common issue is the overuse of auxiliary verbs, particularly in simple statements where they are unnecessary.
This often happens because learners overgeneralize the use of auxiliary verbs in English sentence structure.
- Error: “He does can swim.”
- Correction: “He can swim.”
In this example, “does” is unnecessary because “can” already acts as the auxiliary verb for ability.
3. Omitting Auxiliary Verbs in Negatives and Questions
A frequent error, especially for beginners, is omitting auxiliary verbs in negative sentences or questions. In English, negatives and questions usually require an auxiliary verb, even when there’s no other auxiliary verb in the affirmative sentence.
- Error: “She no like chocolate.”
- Correction: “She does not like chocolate.”
- Error: “You going to the party?”
- Correction: “Are you going to the party?”
In both examples, auxiliary verbs (“does” and “are”) are necessary to form grammatically correct sentences. Without these, the structure is incomplete and confusing.
What Did You Learn?
Auxiliary verb can also be called as a helping verb, which is used in the formation of various tenses. It can help in changing the moods and voices of other verbs as well. Primary helping verbs (be, do, and have) can stand alone without a verb. On the other hand, modal helping verbs (shall, would, should, will, can, could, might, must, and may) are always paired with the main verb.