Auxiliaries

[major_kerina]

Auxiliaries

Words that form verb groups
Auxiliaries occur with each other and main verbs to form verb groups.
A verb group is a main verb and all of its auxiliaries, if any. Three max

should have been <--(auxilliaries) eaten (main)
should have eaten
should eat
ate

Main verb always last in the verb group.
Auxiliaries and their combinations convey such information as tense (past, present, future?), aspect (completed or not), and voice (active or passive).

Properties of All Auxilliaries

The first auxiliary of a verb group and the subject of the clause can be inverted to form questions. You can find the first auxilliary in a sentence by this way, by asking yes/no questions.

Maritza has lived in Spain.
Has Maritza lived in Spain?
Nigel can speak Zulu.
Can Nigel speak Zulu?

The first auxiliary of the verb group attracts the negative. All clauses can be divided into a noun phrase and verb phrase (predicate - found when you identify the first auxilliary) with a verb group.

After the first auxilliary

Ambar has traveled extensively.
Ambar has not traveled extensively.
Your family is coming to dinner.
Your family is not coming to dinner.

First Auxiliaries can act as predicate substitutes.
Nigel can speak Ainu, and Mirabel can too.
Fred has purchased a new car, and Alejandra has too.

First Auxiliaries appear in short answers.
Can Nigel speak Swahili?
Yes, he can.
Have you seen “Rocky XXI”?
Yes, I have.

Types of Auxilliaries

Modal auxiliaries (10 of them English, kinda)
Primary auxiliaries (2 of them - Have and Be)
Dummy auxiliary (1 - Do)

All share the same properties as the above when the first auxilliary

The Ten Modal Ones

will
can
shall
may
must
ought to
would
could
should
might

Related on semantic grounds
pairs

will would
can could
shall should
may might

not in pairs --- must and ought to

None of the modal auxiliaries are inflected
he swims
*he cans swim

The modals are followed by a verb in base infinitive form
can go

Only one can appear in a verb group.
*Tom will can swim.

If they occur in a verb group, they are first.

Primary Auxilliaries
The two primary auxiliaries are have and be.
Both auxiliaries are conjugated, but  they are irregular.
have  has  had
am  are  is  was  were

Characteristics are...

Both primary auxiliaries can co-occur with the modals; when they do, they appear after the modals (because modals are always first).

should have studied
might be studying

The two can co-occur with each other; when this happens, have is first.
have been sleeping

If the verb follows the Primary...
The verb that follows have must be in the past participle form.
have eaten

The verb that follows "be" must be in the past participle form or the present participle form.
is eating
was eaten

Dummy Auxilliary but before that!....

Remember the four properties that all auxiliaries share in common.
+ The first auxiliary and the subject invert to form questions
+ The first auxiliary attracts the negative
+ Auxiliaries can substitute for predicates
+ Auxiliaries appear in short answers

Convert the following sentences to negative statements and questions; by doing so,  you will discover the dummy auxiliary.
Most athletes train daily.
Tom’s aunt owns a houseboat.
The police caught the suspect.
Do (not), Does, and Did...it's added to make things regular because there is no auxilliary verb used. This way you make an auxilliary

What is the dummy auxiliary? The verb Do
Why is it used? To make the verbal system of English regular (without the need for fiber)
What does it mean? Means nothing, grammarical functive with no content (like 'to')
Is the dummy auxiliary conjugated? Yes, Do, Did, Does, Done (irregular).
In what form is the verb that follows the dummy auxiliary? For it is base infinitive.
Does the dummy auxiliary occur in only the simple present tense and the past tense? Yes.

Lexical Verbs or Auxilliaries?
Read the following sentences and decide if the underlined words are lexical verbs or auxiliaries.

My brother has the flu.
John is crazy.
The kids did their homework quickly.

None are auxiliaries; if a verb group consists of one verb, it is always the main verb.

More...?
Because have, be and do are both lexical verbs and and auxiliaries, they can appear in the same verb group together.
My brother has had the flu.
My friend is being crazy.
The kids did not do their homework quickly.

Quirky Be
The lexical verb be behaves differently from any other verb in English. It is called a Copula.
Turn the following statement into a question and a negative statement.
His wife is a doctor. Is his wife a doctor? His wife is not a doctor. (you don't have to insert an auxilliary here...just need to move it before the subject)
What did you discover about the behavior of be? Be has the properties of an auxilliary
Be does not need an auxiliary to form questions and negative statements.