24 Auxiliary Verbs, Definition and Example Sentences

24 Auxiliary Verbs, Definition and Example Sentences

Auxiliary Verb

Auxiliary verbs used in English have a very important place in the sentence. It allows the sentences to be used as negative, question, or right time. It shows a complementary task to the verb in the sentences. Auxiliary verbs that have no meaning when used alone are very important for verbs in sentences. Auxiliary actions are divided into two:

• Basic auxiliary actions
• Modal markers

These two auxiliary verb types can be used in sentences as a question, negative or positive.

What Are Auxiliary Verbs?

There are auxiliary verbs that are frequently used in English. Examples of the preferred auxiliary verbs in colloquial speech can be given as follows:

• am, is, are, was, were, being, been, will be
• has had, having, will have
• does, did, will do

Apart from these auxiliary verbs, there is another auxiliary verb type. This type of auxiliary verb is referred to as a permanent auxiliary verb. In particular, they never change their form. These are:

• can, could, may, might, must, ought to, shall, should, will, and would

Use of Auxiliary Verbs in a Sentence

Auxiliary verbs have many uses in sentences. Examples of these uses are:

• I’m on my way to work right now.
• You can change the day and time of your appointment.
• He didn’t pay the bills that came home.
• Have you visited this country before?
• I have two kittens.

Usage to Indicate Time: It is used to indicate the order of the verbs in the sentence according to their tense.

• She had taken her books before she left home.
• Sam is late as always but he will be here in 10 minutes.

For Negative Meaning in a Sentence: It is used after the subject, before the verb, to add negativity to the sentence.

• Emily doesn’t want to be a member of her group at school.

For Interrogative Sentences: It is used at the beginning in such sentences and provides a question meaning.

• Do you like to read books?
• Has Sam dropped out of school?

Substitution of Main Verb: It is used to avoid repeating the same verb.

• Sam reads a book more fluently than Dan does.

Indicating Actions: It is used to highlight the action in the sentence.

• I do hate reading a book.
• You should see your wife.
• She might be flu.
• Can you change the music?
• You must wear your shirt to the job.
• Jason can read books and play volleyball.
• You ought to be careful about the teachers.
• Emily would change her shoes if she were at home.