Auxiliary verbs are sometimes called helping verbs - they help the main verb that follows.
English auxiliary verbs have the following classes of function: Passive, Progressive, Perfective, Modal, and Dummy.
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2 Properties 3 Other Languages 4 Reference |
Some schools of thought consider could to represent the past tense of can. However, according to Michael Lewis, (The English Verb), this is not always true. "Could I get you something?", clearly is not expressing Past Time. Lewis instead suggests that could is a remote form of can. It is evident after re-examining the usage of could in this light, that remoteness does describe the general meaning, e.g.
I do like this beer!
John never sings, but Mary does [sing].
English Auxiliary Classes
Passive
The verb be is used in the passive form to express an action where the subject is unknowable, not known, or of less interest than the action itself, e.g. the window is broken. (See also Grammatical voice.)Progressive
This form, also known as the continuous form, uses the verb be. It is used to express the speaker's interpretation of the temporal nature of the event, e.g. I am doing my homework. (See also Grammatical aspect.)Perfective
The verb have is used in the perfective form to look back, i.e. retrospectively, at a past action from the present time. Or in other words, it is used to express an action that still has relevance to the present, e.g. Peter has fallen in love. (See also Grammatical aspect.)Modal
There are nine modal verbs: can/could, may/might, shall/should, will/would and
must. They differ from the other auxiliaries both in that they are defective verbs, and in that they can never function as main verbs. They express the speaker's (or listener's) judgement or opinion at the moment of speaking.
The remaining modal auxiliaries can be viewed in this same manner. Lewis covers this area in detail in his book, see reference.Dummy
The verb do is used to form questions, when the corresponding positive statement does not contain an auxiliary, e.g.Properties
Negation
Auxiliaries take not (or n't) to form the negative, e.g. can't, won't, shouldn't, etc.Inversion
Auxiliaries invert to form questions:Emphasis
Auxiliaries can be used for emphasis:Ellipsis
Auxiliaries can appear alone where a main verb has been omitted, but is understood:Other Languages
Some languages use "be" for the perfective forms of some or all verbs, instead of "have" (in Esperanto, for example, Mi estis irinta = I was having-gone = I had gone). French and German use it for verbs of motion and becoming, and (in German) for "to be" itself, as does Italian. The use of auxiliaries is one variation among Romance languages. Finnish uses ole for all verbs: "Sillä niin on Jumala maailmaa rakastanut" (Because so much is God the world loved). English uses "be" only with "go" in some senses.
