Auxiliary Verbs
Auxiliary verbs help form tenses, moods, voices, and add meaning to main verbs. This guide covers the key auxiliaries and how they work.
Key Auxiliaries
The main auxiliary verbs in English are be, have, and do. Modal auxiliaries like can, will, must add meaning. Other helpers include verbs that form periphrastic constructions.
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Be
Be serves as an auxiliary in continuous tenses and passive voice. It also appears in questions and negatives when used with a main verb.
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Have
Have functions as an auxiliary in perfect tenses, linking an action to another time or relevance. It appears in questions and negatives for perfect forms.
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Do
Do is an auxiliary used to form questions, negatives, and emphatic statements in the simple present and past. It appears when there is no other helper.
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Modals
Modals like can, will, must, may, and should are auxiliary verbs that express ability, time, necessity, permission, or advice. They are followed by a bare infinitive.
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Other Helpers
Other verbal helpers include expressions like be going to, have to, and auxiliaries in questions and negatives. These sometimes combine modals and main verbs for nuance.
Summary
Auxiliary verbs are key to forming questions, negatives, and all complex tenses. Remember the functions of be, have, do, and modals to analyze and build sentences clearly.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025