Grammar for Everyone - Barbara Dykes 2007

Auxiliary (helper) verbs
Introduction
Part II The parts of speech

Definition: The word ’auxiliary’ is formed from the Latin auxilium meaning ’help’, and in grammar it refers to certain verbs that are used to form tenses.

The main ’helpers’ are taken from forms of the verbs ’to be’ and ’to have’. Most native English speakers have little difficulty with using these forms according to the language that they hear round about them. They do need explanation, however, and ESL students will need more practice.

We need to remember that these forms can be made more tricky to recognise by the contractions which are common in everyday speech, but not always fully understood. (See contractions on page 80.)

For example:

I’ll do it - meaning I shall do it.

He won’t do it - meaning he will not do it.

Similarly, we need to explain that the auxiliary verb can be separated from the main verb.

For example:

We are definitely going - are going is the verb.

Also, when we ask a question we turn the verb around and place the pronoun in between.

For example:

Statement: He was telling that funny joke.

Question: Was he telling that funny joke?

Other auxiliary verbs indicate uncertainty and help take on the role of the subjunctive (see page 146). These need just to be recognised as verb parts at the earlier stage and will be recognised through practice. They are can, could, has, have, may, might, shall, should, will, would and must.

For example:

You must wipe your shoes when you come in.

Rover would not swallow his pill.

3.4 Activities: auxiliaries

1. Students take turns to act or mime an activity. The others guess what they are doing. They give their guesses in the continuous tense, for example:

The student acts/mimes drying dishes. The others raise their hands for one to answer.

He/she is drying dishes.

2. Students are provided with pictures showing various people doing things, such as working inside a shop, in the market place, in the park etc. and they say in turn what each is doing, using the continuous tense.

This activity can also be done in writing and is very useful for ESL students of any age.

3. Students pick out/mark verbs in a given passage, or in sentences. They must include the auxiliary parts of the verbs.

I would like to have a party for my birthday but Dad has arranged a meeting on that day and my brother will be at soccer practice.

I could perhaps make it next week, but that is too soon and I would have no time to send the invitations. I must decide quickly so I can start planning. I do hope you can come.

4. Students are provided with a list of verbs in simple tense and they add the corresponding continuous tense. Again this can be done orally, on the board or in writing, for example:

hop, hopping

If done as a writing exercise, check the spellings, particularly the doubling of consonants after the short vowel.

a. stay

b. grip

c. enjoy

d. enter

e. forgive

f. wait

g. behead

h. die

i. agree

j. measure

5. Students now fill in the charts on pages 47-49. Other verbs can be substituted for those given in the previous exercise, especially prac­tising any that give trouble, either with spelling or tense form.

Checklist: verbs

Students should now be able to:

• define the term verb clearly and accurately

• explain the term tense and classify past, present and future

• give the past, present and future form of a common noun

• explain the terms finite and infinite/non-finite with examples

• supply a subject for a given verb form

• correctly select a verb in a given sentence, recognising a verb in two parts, i.e. he will laugh

• give examples of the present tense used to indicate habitual action

• complete a tense table using a common verb

• explain the difference between a simple and continuous tense

• change a verb from simple to continuous tense and vice versa

• correctly name the tense of given verbs