Auxilliary Verb
Auxilliary Verb
Auxilliary Verb
Types of verb:
Verb – Transitive and Intransitive
Verb – Def. - A verb is a word which tells or asserts something about a
person or a thing.
TRANSITIVE VERB- Def. - A transitive verb is a verb that denotes an
action from the subject or the doer to an object.
E.g. - The boy kicks the football
Boy- Subject
Kicks- Verb
Football- Object
Most TRANSITIVE VERBS take a single object. But such TRANSITIVE
VERBS like give, ask, offer, promise, tell, etc. - take two objects after them-
an indirect object which denotes the person to whom something is
given/done and a Direct object which is usually the name of some thing.
E.g. - His father (SUBJECT) gave (VERB) him (INDIRECT OBJECT) a
watch. (DIRECT OBJECT).
Some verbs like COME, GO, FALL, DIE, SLEEP, LIE, denote action which
cannot be done to anyone/thing. THEY CAN NEVER BE USED
TRANSITIVELY.
REFLEXIVE VERBS
REFLEXIVE VERBS- are verbs where the subject and the object are the
same person.
E.g. - The man (SUBJECT) killed himself (OBJECT).
Sometimes, though the verb is used reflexively, the object is simply
understood by implication.
E.g. - The Japanese feed (themselves) chiefly on rice.
They are INTRANSITIVE VERBS.
Certain verbs can be used reflexively and also as transitive verbs.
E.g. - I (SUBJECT) enjoy myself (REFLEXIVE VERB) sitting alone.
Exercise: State whether the VERBS in the following sentences are
TRANSITIVE or INTRANSITIVE. Name the object if the VERB is
TRANSITIVE.
1. The sun shines brightly.
Subject- Sun
Intransitive verb- SHINES
2. The boy cut his hand with a knife.
Subject- Boy
Transitive verb- Cut
Object- his hand
3. The clock stopped this morning.
Subject- Clock
Intransitive verb- Stopped
4. The policeman blew his whistle.
Subject- Policeman
Transitive verb- Blew
Object- his whistle
5. The sun rises in the east.
Subject- Sun
Intransitive verb- Rises
6. An old beggar stood by the gate.
Subject- Beggar
Intransitive verb- Stood
7. The clock ticks all day long.
Subject- Clock
Intransitive verb- Ticks
8. I looked down from my window.
Subject- I
Intransitive verb- Looked
9. Put away your books.
Reflexive subject- You/your
Intransitive verb- your books
10.The moon rose early.
Subject- Moon
Intransitive verb- Rose
11.The cat sleeps on the rug.
Subject- Cat
Intransitive verb- Sleeps
12.Cocks crow in the morning.
Subject- Cocks
Intransitive verb- Crow
13.Your book lies on the table.
Subject- Book
Intransitive verb- Lies
14.The fire burns dimly.
Subject- Fire
Intransitive verb- Burns
15.Time changes all things.
Subject- Time
Transitive verb- Changes
Object- all things
16.We eat three times a day.
Subject- We
Intransitive verb- Eat
17.Tell the truth.
Reflexive transitive verb- Tell
18.The birds sing in the green trees.
Subject- Birds
Intransitive verb- Sing
19.The little bird hopped about and sang.
Subject- Bird
Intransitive verb- Hopped/sang
20.My new watch does not keep good time.
Subject- My/watch
Transitive verb- does not keep
Object- good time
21.The beggar sat down by the road.
Subject- Beggar
Intransitive verb- Sat
22.I could not spare the time.
Subject- I
Transitive verb- could not spare
Object- time
23.He took shelter under a tree.
Subject- He
Transitive verb- took
Object- shelter
24.The boy easily lifted the heavy weight.
Subject- Boy
Transitive verb- lifted
Object- Weight
25.Balu wrote a letter to his uncle.
Subject- Balu
Transitive verb- Wrote
Object- letter
26.A tiny bird lived under the caves.
Subject- Bird
Intransitive verb- Lived
27.I know a funny little man
Subject- I
Transitive verb- Know
Object- Man
28.Birds fly in the air.
Subject- Birds
Intransitive verb- Fly
29.A light rain fell last night.
Subject- Rain
Intransitive verb- Fell
30.I shall bring my camera with me.
Subject- I
Reflexive Transitive verb- Bring
Object- me
31.You speak too loudly.
Subject- You
Intransitive verb- Speak
32.The dog ran after me.
Subject- Dog
Intransitive verb- ran
HELPING AND
MODAL AUXILIARY
VERBS
Helping verbs or auxiliary verbs such as will, shall, may, might, can, could, must, ought to,
should, would, used to, need are used in conjunction with main verbs to express shades of time
and mood. The combination of helping verbs with main verbs creates what are called verb
phrases or verb strings. In the following sentence, "will have been" are helping or auxiliary
verbs and "studying" is the main verb; the whole verb string is underlined:
As of next August, I will have been studying chemistry for ten years.
Students should remember that adverbs and contracted forms are not, technically, part of the
verb. In the sentence, "He has already started." the adverb already modifies the verb, but it is not
really part of the verb. The same is true of the 'nt in "He hasn't started yet" (the adverb not,
represented by the contracted n't, is not part of the verb, has started).
Shall, will and forms of have, do and be combine with main verbs to indicate time and voice.
As auxiliaries, the verbs be, have and do can change form to indicate changes in subject and
time.
I shall go now.
He had won the election.
They did write that novel together.
I am going now.
He was winning the election.
They have been writing that novel for a long time.
Uses
of Shall and Will and Should
In England, shall is used to express the simple
future for first person I andwe, as in "Shall we meet
by the river?" Will would be used in the simple
future for all other persons. Using will in the first
person would express determination on the part of
the speaker, as in "We will finish this project by
tonight, by golly!" Usingshall in second and third
persons would indicate some kind of promise about
the subject, as in "This shall be revealed to you in
good time." This usage is certainly acceptable in the
U.S., although shall is used far less frequently. The
distinction between the two is often obscured by the
contraction 'll, which is the same for both verbs.
In the United States, we seldom use shall for
anything other than polite questions (suggesting an
element of permission) in the first-person:
"Shall we go now?"
"Shall I call a doctor for you?"
(In the second sentence, many writers would
use should instead, although shouldis somewhat
more tentative than shall.) In the U.S., to express the
future tense, the verb will is used in all other cases.
Shall is often used in formal situations (legal or
legalistic documents, minutes to meetings, etc.) to
express obligation, even with third-person and
second-person constructions:
The board of directors shall be responsible for
payment to stockholders.
The college president shall report financial
shortfalls to the executive director each semester."
Should is usually replaced, nowadays, by would. It
is still used, however, to mean "ought to" as in
You really shouldn't do that.
If you think that was amazing, you should have seen
it last night.
In British English and very formal American
English, one is apt to hear or readshould with the
first-person pronouns in expressions of liking such
as "I should prefer iced tea" and in tentative
expressions of opinion such as
I should imagine they'll vote Conservative.
I should have thought so.
(The New Fowler's Modern English Usage edited by R.W.
Burchfield. Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. 1996. Used with
the permission of Oxford University Press. Examples our own.)
Modal Auxiliaries
Other helping verbs, called modal auxiliaries or modals, such as can, could, may, might,
must, ought to, shall, should, will, and would, do not change form for different subjects. For
instance, try substituting any of these modal auxiliaries for can with any of the subjects listed
below.
I
you (singular)
he
can write well.
we
you (plural)
they
Uses of Can and Could
The modal auxiliary can is used
to express ability (in the sense of being able to do something or knowing how to do something):
He can speak Spanish but he can't write it very well.
to expression permission (in the sense of being allowed or permitted to do something):
Can I talk to my friends in the library waiting room? (Note that can is less formal than may.
Also, some writers will object to the use of canin this context.)
to express theoretical possibility:
American automobile makers can make better cars if they think there's a profit in it.
The modal auxiliary could is used
to express an ability in the past:
I could always beat you at tennis when we were kids.
to express past or future permission:
Could I bury my cat in your back yard?
to express present possibility:
We could always spend the afternoon just sitting around talking.
to express possibility or ability in contingent circumstances:
If he studied harder, he could pass this course.
In expressing ability, can and could frequently also imply willingness: Can you help me with my
homework?
Can versus May
Whether the auxiliary verb can can be used to
express permission or not — "Can I leave the room
now?" ["I don't know if you can, but you may."] —
depends on the level of formality of your text or
situation. As Theodore Bernstein puts it in The
Careful Writer, "a writer who is attentive to the
proprieties will preserve the traditional
distinction: can for ability or power to do
something, mayfor permission to do it.
The question is at what level can you safely
ignore the "proprieties." Merriam-Webster's
Dictionary, tenth edition, says the battle is over
and can can be used in virtually any situation to
express or ask for permission. Most authorities,
however, recommend a stricter adherence to the
distinction, at least in formal situations.
Authority: The Careful Writer by Theodore Bernstein. The Free
Press: New York. 1998. p. 87.
Uses of May and Might
Two of the more troublesome modal auxiliaries
are may and might. When used in the context of
granting or seeking permission, might is the past
tense ofmay. Might is considerably more tentative
than may.
May I leave class early?
If I've finished all my work and I'm really quiet,
might I leave early?
In the context of expressing
possibility, may and might are interchangeable
present and future forms and might + have + past
participle is the past form:
She might be my advisor next semester.
She may be my advisor next semester.
She might have advised me not to take biology.
Avoid confusing the sense of possibility
in may with the implication of might,that a
hypothetical situation has not in fact occurred. For
instance, let's say there's been a helicopter crash at
the airport. In his initial report, before all the facts
are gathered, a newscaster could say that the pilot
"may have been injured." After we discover that the
pilot is in fact all right, the newscaster can now say
that the pilot "might have been injured" because it is
a hypothetical situation that has not occurred.
Another example: a body had been identified after
much work by a detective. It was reported that
"without this painstaking work, the body may have
remained unidentified." Since the body was, in fact,
identified, might is clearly called for.
Uses of Will and Would
In certain contexts, will and would are virtually
interchangeable, but there are differences. Notice
that the contracted form 'll is very frequently used
for will.
Will can be used to express willingness:
I'll wash the dishes if you dry.
We're going to the movies. Will you join us?
It can also express intention (especially in the first
person):
I'll do my exercises later on.
and prediction:
specific: The meeting will be over soon.
timeless: Humidity will ruin my hairdo.
habitual: The river will overflow its banks every
spring.
Would can also be used to express willingness:
Would you please take off your hat?
It can also express insistence (rather rare, and with a
strong stress on the word "would"):
Now you've ruined everything. You would act that
way.
and characteristic activity:
customary: After work, he would walk to his home
in West Hartford.
typical (casual): She would cause the whole family
to be late, every time.
In a main clause, would can express a hypothetical
meaning:
My cocker spaniel would weigh a ton if I let her eat
what she wants.
Finally, would can express a sense of probability:
I hear a whistle. That would be the five o'clock
train.
Uses of Used to
The auxiliary verb construction used to is used
to express an action that took place in the past,
perhaps customarily, but now that action no longer
customarily takes place:
We used to take long vacation trips with the whole
family.
The spelling of this verb is a problem for some
people because the "-ed" ending quite naturally
disappears in speaking: "We yoostoo take long
trips." But it ought not to disappear in writing. There
are exceptions, though. When the auxiliary is
combined with another auxiliary, did, the past tense
is carried by the new auxiliary and the "-ed" ending
is dropped. This will often happen in the
interrogative:
Didn't you use to go jogging every morning before
breakfast?
It didn't use to be that way.
Used to can also be used to convey the sense of
being accustomed to or familiar with something:
The tire factory down the road really stinks, but
we're used to it by now.
I like these old sneakers; I'm used to them.
Used to is best reserved for colloquial usage; it
has no place in formal or academic text.
From the choices provided after each sentence select the verb that would
correctly complete the sentence.
1. You seem to be having trouble there. _________ I help you?
Would
Will
Shall
2. I don't have enough money to buy lunch. __________ you lend me a couple of
dollars?
May
Could
Shall
3. That ice is dangerously thin now. You ________ go ice-skating today.
mustn't
might not
would mind not to
4. It's way past my bedtime and I'm really tired. I ________ go to bed.
should
ought
could
5. He ______________ have committed this crime. He wasn't even in the city that
night.
might
shouldn't
couldn't
6. John is over two hours late already, He ___________ missed the bus again.
should have
must have
will have
7. I'm really quite lost. _______________ showing me how to get out of here?
Would you mind
Would you be
Must you be
8. That bus is usually on time. It _________ to be here any time now.
might
has
ought
9. I read about your plane's near disaster. You ____________ terrified!
might have been
must have been
shall have been
10. It's the law. They ____________ have a blood test before they get married.
might
could
have to
11. Professor Villa, we've finished our work for today. _________ we leave now,
please?
May
Can
Must