Auxiliary verbs are of two types: Primary and Modal. These verbs are used with other verbs to form some of the various tenses. Some auxiliaries may be used alone:
I am tired.
Helen did her homework.
She has the mumps.
I was at the party last night.
Richard has his tickets.
The primary auxiliaries and their forms are:
(To list all the uses and the definitions would be too lengthy. Check a dictionary for more options.)
Important note: The first person singular---I--requires the contraction aren't for a negative question. There is no English word for am not. .For the negative statement, use I'm not, as shown in the chart that follows.
| Primary Aux. Verb | Positive | Negative | Contraction |
| Present (1st person singular) | AM (I'm) | AM NOT, (I'm not) | AREN'T |
| Present (3rd person singular) | IS (he's, she's)* | IS NOT, (he's not, she's not) | ISN'T |
| Present (2nd singular, 1 & 3 plural) | ARE (you're) | ARE NOT, (you're not) | AREN'T |
| Past (1 & 3 singular) | WAS | WAS NOT | WASN'T |
| Past (2 singular, 1 & 3 plural) | WERE (we're, they're) | WERE NOT | WEREN'T |
| -ing form | BEING | NOT BEING | |
|
-ed participle |
BEEN |
be (to exist: I am tired) (a continuing action: We are working.)
*Note that he's & she's can mean he is (she is) AND he has (she has). The context of the sentence should let you know which form is being used.
| Primary Aux. Verb | Positive | Negative | Contraction |
| Present (first & second person) | DO | DO NOT | DON'T |
| Present (third person) | DOES | DOES NOT | DOESN'T |
| Past | DID | DID NOT | DIDN'T |
When do (to perform, to fulfill, to create; to complete: I did that already) is used as a main verb, it also has the form doing for the present participle and done for the past participle.
What have you been doing? I have done the dishes.
| Primary Aux. Verb | Positive | Negative | Contraction |
| Present (first & second person) | HAVE (I've, you've) | HAVE NOT, (I've not, you've not) | HAVEN'T |
| Present (third person) | HAS (he's, she's)* | HAS NOT, (he's not, she's not) | HASN'T |
| Past | HAD (I'd, you'd, he'd, she'd, we'd) | HAD NOT, (I'd not, you'd not, etc) | HADN'T |
| -ing form | HAVING | NOT HAVING | |
| -ed participle | HAD |
have (to possess: I have a cold) (completed in the past; I had done the work. I have done the work.)
*Note that he's & she's can mean he is (she is) AND he has (she has). The context of the sentence should let you know which form is being used.
All auxiliaries perform these six functions:
Followed immediately by not, they make a sentence negative. "I have not finished speaking yet."
Followed by the subject, then by the rest of the verbal phrase, they form an interrogative sentence (a question). "Did you answer the phone?"
Using the n't contraction form followed by the subject , then the rest of the verb creates a negative question. "Didn't you answer the phone?"
They supply the verbal past of tag questions( a tag question is the auxiliary with a pronoun). "You've eaten supper, haven't you?" "You haven't eaten supper, have you?"
They supply an emphatic affirmative. "Did you get the report done? Yes, I have finished."
They act as a substitute for the entire predicate. Sheldon hasn't taken his shower, but I have.
("taken my shower is omitted, because it's assumed.) She has studied, but I haven't.
Now try some sentences of your own using each of the auxiliaries.
Modals are auxiliary verbs that add to the meaning of the main verb by suggesting possibility, necessity, permission, obligation, prohibition, or ability. That is why they have so many shades of meaning in a sentence. Some common modals in English are: (be) able to, can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, ought to.
| Positive |
Meaning |
Negative & Contraction |
| (BE) ABLE TO | ability
She is able to dance. |
NOT ABLE |
| CAN | expresses ability
I can do anything you can! asking or giving permission (informal usage) Can I have a new car Dad? offer Can I do anything for you? request, instruction Can you show me how to work this? (Do you know how . . .) capability Barney can be a real tiger on the tennis court. comment...observation of capability Sarah can be very persistent at times. |
CAN NOT, CANNOT, CAN'T I can't do this lesson!
No you can't.
Can't I do anything for you? when something seems impossible Paul can't be that old! (I can't believe he is 97.)
|
| COULD | ability
in the past
Jim could do the hokey pokey when he was ten years old. possibility or uncertainty Could Korea win the next World Cup? request (more polite than can, but still informal usage) Could you please turn down the radio? suggestion They could go to the skating rink tomorrow. asking or giving permission Could I borrow five dollars? with comparative adjectives to show possibility or impossibility Shelly could swim better than David. |
COULD NOT, COULDN'T We couldn't get to the airport on time.
Couldn't Korea win the next World Cup? (Isn't it possible that Korea...?)
unwillingness/inability Angela couldn't scold the dog when he looked so pitiful. Jon couldn't sing as well as Jana. |
| MAY | requests
permission
May I take you to lunch today? indicates possibility It may rain today, or it may not. |
*MAY NOT (denying permission) You may not borrow my cellular 'phone. *MAY NOT (negative possibility) They said they were going to the fair, but with the rain, they may not (go). |
| MIGHT | indicates
possibility or uncertainty
I might go tomorrow, if the weather is nice. unreal or unlikely situation If I win the lottery, I might buy a yacht. |
MIGHT NOT, MIGHTN'T Perry might not like your wearing his new shirt.
|
| SHOULD |
obligation, duty, necessity She should clean the house today. expectation The concert tonight should be fantastic. advice, opinion Alma should take a nap before trying to teach six hours non-stop. something wrong or unexpected She said he should wash the dog, not watch the dog! |
SHOULD NOT, SHOULDN'T (direct order or strong advice)
You should not do any hard physical work after having surgery.
|
| MUST | something that's
mandatory... obligation Duane must practice the guitar more. when you are sure of a truth Carl must be home by now. (I’m sure he is home). necessity I must fill the gas tank before starting the trip. order, strong suggestion Marcia, you must pick up some groceries or you will get no supper. |
MUST NOT, MUSTN'T prohibited/forbidden You must not chew with your mouth open. We mustn't drive on that street, because it's closed for repair.
|
| OUGHT TO | obligation or duty
Everyone ought to obey traffic laws. expectation Betty likes Elton John, so she ought to love this new CD. recommendation We ought to read the instructions before we try to assemble bookcase. |
OUGHT NOT TO**, OUGHTN'T TO criticism Susanne ought not to hide the dirty dishes in the oven when her mother-in-law visits.
They oughtn't to have lied to him.
|
|
USED TO/USE TO When combined with 'did', 'used to' becomes 'use to'. "Did" shows the past tense instead.
|
something that customarily took place in
the past, but no longer takes place
They used to go camping every summer. Accustomed to or familiar with something Don't change now. I am used to you as you are. |
USED NOT TO/DIDN'T USE TO He didn't use to jog, but he does it every day now. NOT USED TO----not adjusted to, or not adapted to I'm not used to the new work hours |
| WOULD
WOULD LIKE |
request Marcus, would you get me a glass of water? offer/invitation Would you like some tea? after be, followed by adjectives doubtful, unlikely--a tentative action It's unlikely that he would be on time for anything. annoying habit, typical behaviour Peter would ask a hard question, wouldn't he? |
WOULD NOT, WOULDN'T certainty (an implied conditional sentence Whitney wouldn't say that. (I know Whitney's personality, and she's not capable of saying that.)
|
* Mayn't is never used in American English. ** Shan't is rarely used in American English conversation, but you will find it in literature. ***American English occasionally uses ought and its forms without the to in negative sentences and questions.
Andy oughtn't sleep so much.
Ought Charlie swim after eating?
Should is used more commonly in these types of sentences however.
Modal Tests 1 & 2 & 3
Will
and shall are modal auxiliary verbs.
They do not change their form except when they are contractions and they
followed by the main verb.
There are several rules as to when to use which of these verbs, but in
American English will
is used much more than shall.
Shall is used in
the question form as stated below and in certain expressions.
Many times, shall in a question form means Is it a good idea to...? It is
used when asking someone's opinion, or inquiring about their wishes.
Formal American English uses shall
to indicate an explicit obligation
(Passengers shall show their boarding passes at the gate.)
Shall is usually only used in the first person (I or we) and is
used in questions.
Will
is NOT usually used in first person questions.
(Will is also used as a contraction as in I’ll
do it= I will
do it.
It'll be dark at that time = It will
be dark...)
|
Noun or Pronoun |
Sentence |
Question |
| Jack |
Jack
will visit tomorrow |
Will
Jack visit tomorrow? |
| I |
I
will visit tomorrow. (I’ll) |
Shall
I visit tomorrow? |
| We |
We
will visit tomorrow.
(We’ll) |
Shall
we visit tomorrow? |
| You |
You
will visit tomorrow.
(You’ll) |
Will
you visit tomorrow? |
| He |
He
will visit tomorrow.
(He’ll) |
Will
he visit tomorrow? |
| She |
She
will visit tomorrow.
(She’ll) |
Will
she visit tomorrow? |
| It |
It
will be nice to have visitors tomorrow.
(It’ll) |
Will
it be nice to have visitors tomorrow? |
| They |
They
will visit tomorrow. (They’ll) |
Will
they visit tomorrow? |
Will
can be used with a first person subject (I, we) and shall can be
used with a second or third person subject (you, he, she, it, they) to
show determination or promise or obligation, depending on the context.
I
will finish the job.
(determination)
You
shall finish the job.
(commanding)
You
shall have my ring when I die.
(promise)
You
will have my ring when I die.
(prediction—simple future)
won’t
You will clean your room or else! (or else = there will be negative consequences)
I won't! (emphatically forbid, responding to a will statement)
I
won't do that!
You most certainly
will!
don’t
have to, don’t need to:
When you aren’t obligated to do something
Brad doesn’t have to learn English, because it's not a required course in school.
I
don’t need to go anywhere today.
had
better:
Giving strong
advice (almost a mild threat in some cases)
He
had better
finish his project before the deadline.
have (got) to:
This shows a necessity,
not a personal one, but for a situation. (usually
have to is better to use than must)
Raymond will have to fix the roof before the rainy season begins.
may
as well/might as well:
These modals describe
the only thing
possible option, even if it isn’t a desired choice
It’s
so late
that
she
may as well go
to bed. Gus
might as well go
home, since the party is over.
need to:
This means a
I
need you
to
help
me.
(normal verb)
We need to leave at once. (It is necessary that we leave.)
Need she
call every hour?
(in a question---Is it necessary that...?)
needn’t
(need not):
It isn't necessary to do
something.
Kenny needn’t attend the conference after all.
Tenses and modals quiz
Re-write the sentences using the correct verb form of the words in red adding any auxiliary verbs and modals that may be needed. Only the words in red may be changed, although you may use contractions. Remember your tenses!
Ozzie should wash before he went to the concert. have washed
Betty will take belly dancing lessons for two years by January. have been taking
They would not allow us to hold the protest if we hadn’t had a permit. have allowed
Thomas should study more, then he would have passed his college exams. have studied.
She had a perfect wedding, so she must do months of planning. have done
If you didn’t want to go to the museum, you should say something. have said
You should not go swimming if you felt ill. have gone
Aunt Tilly didn’t need make so much food for the picnic, but she did. to make
He must be exercise for several months because he has lost a lot of weight. have been exercising
Will the Browns be visit the seashore this year? visiting
Paul doesn’t have talk in class, but his teacher prefers that he does. to talk
Rhonda may as well leave the movie early—nothing exciting happened at the end. have left
William could have relax by now, if he had finished his work. been relaxing
I had forget where my keys were, but Mike remembered. forgotten