English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [auxiliary-verbs]

Use this tag if you are asking about the usage of ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Auxiliary/Helping Verbs.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Auxiliary/Helping Verbs are verbs that are used with other full verbs to make the different tenses, voice or modality in a sentence.

Auxiliary Verbs have many functions:

  1. Express Tense (past, present, future, etc.)
  • I am writing a novel.
  1. Negation
  • If he doesn't arrive on time, he'll have to take a later flight.
  1. Modality
  • I can see clearly now the rain has gone.
  1. Voice (relationship between actions and participants)

The chair was moved to the other side of the room.

  1. Add emphasis to a sentence
  • Did they like the movie?

Forms of the Auxiliary Verb Be:

  • Be, Been, Am, Is, Are, Was, Were

Forms of the Auxiliary Verb Do:

  • Do, Does, Did

Forms of the Auxiliary Verb Have:

  • Have, Has, Had

Modal Auxiliary Verbs:

  • Can, Could, May, Might, Must, Ought to, Shall, Should, Will, Would
592 questions
14
votes
4 answers

Why do we have to use 'have got' instead of 'got'?

I saw the sentence on the internet like this: I don't know how much money he has got. I think that I don't know how much money he got. is only possible here. What is the difference between the two?
박용현
  • 3,321
  • 14
  • 55
  • 101
6
votes
3 answers

Is it wrong to say "I sent you many emails this week"?

When I'm writing to a person who didn't reply to a lot of emails I sent him, is it wrong to say "I sent you many emails this week but I haven't received any replies"? Must I say "I've sent you many emails this week, but I haven't received any…
jess
  • 1,761
  • 7
  • 32
  • 36
6
votes
2 answers

hadn't better; had better not

[i] He hadn’t better tell them. (CGEL, p.113) [ii] He had better not tell her. (CGEL, p.196) According to CGEL, negation can be marked after or before better. But I can’t find any examples of [i] in COCA or BNC. So it seems to be not grammatical…
Listenever
  • 24,139
  • 38
  • 136
  • 254
6
votes
3 answers

Repeating HAVE (or other auxiliary verb) in one sentence

My question is the following: Is it correct to use the auxillary verb HAVE only one time in the following type of a sentence: "I HAVE written a letter and I sent it" or should I repeat the auxillary verb like in the following sentence: "I HAVE…
IGO
  • 480
  • 6
  • 15
5
votes
1 answer

When to use "does" and when to use "would"?

I found these two sentences on an online English tutorial, and I'm confused about why one sentence uses "does" and the other uses "would": How much does it cost to fly to Europe? How much would it cost to go to the movies? My question is, what's…
ehp
  • 153
  • 1
  • 4
5
votes
2 answers

Why do we use "have" with does and not "has"?

Does and has both are used with singular pronouns (He has the bottle , He does play cricket , etc) whereas Do and have are used with plural pronouns ( They have the bottle , Do they like cricket? , etc) But still we use Does with have ( She does…
Ritwik
  • 233
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
5
votes
2 answers

She is at next door

My sister lives next door. My mother went to my sister's house. My son is looking for his grandmother. "Where is grandmother?" my son asked. "She went next door." "She is at next door." After the primary auxiliaries "is", do we need to add…
JJ12345
  • 917
  • 3
  • 14
  • 32
4
votes
5 answers

Is 'was' an auxiliary verb in 'All I could do was watch from outside'?

I found this sentence, All I could do was watch from outside. Looks like this sentence contains 2 verbs 'was' and 'watch' but 'was' is actually working as an auxiliary verb, right?
Muukii
  • 41
  • 4
3
votes
1 answer

When there is 'could' in the indirect as complement clause, what meaning does it add?

“I feared I might be too late.” “You nearly were, I couldn’t have kept him off the Stone much longer –” “Not the Stone, boy, you — the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone,…
Listenever
  • 24,139
  • 38
  • 136
  • 254
3
votes
1 answer

What is the difference between "I run" and "I do run"?

Sometimes I read sentences like "I do run...", "I do love.." or "I do write..". What is the difference to "I run..", "I love..." or "I write..."? Is the using of "do" in this cases a way to make the verb more important, like "I DO(!) love"?
Kai
  • 133
  • 1
  • 4
3
votes
1 answer

About auxiliary verbs

I googled "auxiliary verbs" just in order to check if there is something I do not know about them and I found this site.But I think there is misleading information on the site. For example it is written on the site: Do / does / did Do is common…
Mrt
  • 10,951
  • 65
  • 176
  • 257
3
votes
1 answer

Is it correct to use "is able" in this context?

This is the first time my manager let me send an email to a partner company. I wrote this: The current version of the Windows application is able to: 1. Create a new CSV file according to user inputs 2. Validate integer values 3.…
Marco Dinatsoli
  • 2,704
  • 12
  • 46
  • 65
3
votes
2 answers

It's may not going to be easy

"It's may not going to be easy" Is it grammatical? When using "is" and "may" at the same sentence?
arm
  • 535
  • 3
  • 11
  • 17
3
votes
1 answer

Correcting the sentence

Where have I to deposit the fees? I get that the error is in the 'have I' part. In affirmative, we say, I have to deposit the fees. In negative, we say, I don't have to deposit the fees. In interrogative, we ask, Do I have to deposit the fees? So,…
aarbee
  • 1,292
  • 4
  • 19
  • 28
3
votes
1 answer

Might as well vs might want to

I live in Japan, and we translate these two into much the same, a sentence with which you recommend something: Might as well ... Might want to ... Can they be replaced each other? Or could you tell me how you distinguish them? For example: I…
祐一浅野
  • 379
  • 3
  • 8
  • 14
1
2 3 4 5 6 7