ENGLISH AUXILIARIES

TENSE OVERVIEW

1. In English, there are only 3 forms of the verb that can be used without auxiliaries. They are:
V(simple or "dictionary" form) We like pizza(simple present)
Vs("s"-form) He likes pizza.
Ved("past" form) They liked pizza.(simple past)

2. Even these tenses require the addition of the auxiliary do to move before the subject in order to form a question or to join with not in order to form the negative. This special function can be called the "operator" function.

3. It is possible for a verb phrase to contain more than one auxiliary or verb, but it is always the first one that is the "operator."

4. There are three forms of the verb that can be used with auxiliaries:

V
(simple or "dictionary" form)
eat
Ving
("-ing form" or present participle)
eating
Vdtn
( past participle)
eaten

5. These three verb forms combine with the four auxiliaries below to form simple, progressive, perfect, or passive verb phrases. The use of auxiliaries is further complicated by the fact that they can sometimes also be used as main verbs themselves -- which then require, in turn, auxiliaries to show questions, negatives, progressive, perfect, passive, etc.

do
MAIN VERB+ noun (direct object)I did my homework.

AUXILIARY
+ V

(simple present or past)		He doesn't work.
They don't work.
We didn't work.
will
(+ other modals)
(never a main verb)

AUXILIARY


+ V

("simple" tenses)
He will eat.

be


MAIN VERB		+ noun
+ adjective
+preposition
(simple present or past)		He is a doctor.
They were sick.
I am from Iowa.

AUXILIARY
+ Ving
(progressive)We are eating.
+ Vdtn
(passive)You were seen.
have
MAIN VERB
+ noun
(direct object)
He has a dog.

AUXILIARY
+ Vdtn

(perfect)
They have eaten.

6. When there is more than one auxiliary:

To summarize, when they are not main verbs, auxiliaries can be ...

... followed by another AUXILIARY
... followed by a MAIN VERB
a. DO is only an operator or a main verb. As an auxiliary, it never follows another auxiliary, or is followed by another auxiliary. It is NOT used with the main verb be.
---
Does he have a dog?
Does he do homework?
b. MODAL AUXILIARIES are also operators, but can be followed by the auxiliaries be or have (but not do or another modal.) They cannot be main verbs.
He will be watching.
He will have finished.
He will be seen. 		He will do homework.
He will have a dog.
He will be happy.
c. HAVE can be a main verb. As an auxiliary, it can be followed by the auxiliary be , but not the auxiliary have (or do or a modal.)
He has been eating.
He has been seen.. 		He has done his homework.
He has been happy.
He has had a dog.
d. BE -- As a main verb, be is an operator. The only auxiliary that can follow any form of be is the "Ving-form" of be (being -- plus a "Vdtn form") to form the progresssive passive.
He is being watched. He is doing homework.
He is having a party.
He is being silly.

7. According to these rules, it IS possible to have more than 2 auxiliaries in one verb phrase in the following rare cases:



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Ann Salzmann
Intensive English Institute
University of Illinois