Understanding auxiliary verbs

If you want to improve your writing and grammar, understanding auxiliary verbs and how they’re used in the written word is a great place to start. Luckily, auxiliary verbs aren’t too complicated. Learn more about what auxiliary verbs are, and how they form a fundamental component in your writing, no matter what you’re working on.

What is an auxiliary verb?

Auxiliary verbs, also known as helping verbs, are verbs that helps other verbs by modifying their tense, voice, or mood. The most common auxiliary verbs are:

To do
To be
To have

However, these verbs aren’t auxiliary verbs on their own. They must be used with another verb to be considered an auxiliary verb.

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Here’s an example of a sentence without an auxiliary verb:

Christine helped her mom.

Here’s the same sentence, but with an auxiliary verb:

Christine has helped her mom.

In this sentence, had is the auxiliary verb that adds to the verb helped. While the original sentence used the simple past tense, adding has to this sentence turned it into the present perfect tense. Adding an auxiliary verb changed the meaning and tense of the sentence. The original sentence described a situation that already happened, while the revised sentence in the present perfect describes a situation that happened in the past but is connected to the present.

Let’s look at ways auxiliary verbs can change the tense of a sentence. Take a look at this sentence that does not contain an auxiliary verb:

I go to college.

Let’s modify the above sentence with an auxiliary verb:

I am going to college.

In this sentence, am is the auxiliary verb. The original sentence was in the simple present tense, but the addition of the auxiliary verb in the second sentence makes it the present continuous tense.

Here, by adding the auxiliary verb “am” to the second sentence, it becomes clear that going to college is a temporary scenario. Simple tenses, like the first sentence, are used to discuss fixed situations.

Auxiliary verbs can also be used to form negative statements. For example:

Jon hasn’t come to class.

In this sentence, the auxiliary verb ‘have’ is used in the contracted form (hasn’t) before the verb “come.” Here’s another example of another negative statement that uses an auxiliary verb:

We don’t like fish.

This sentence uses the auxiliary verb “do” before the verb “like.”

Asking questions with auxiliary verbs

Auxiliary verbs aren’t limited to just statements. You can also create questions with auxiliary verbs. Here are some examples of auxiliary verbs being used to ask questions:

Have you seen the movie?

In this sentence, “have” is the auxiliary verb. “You” connects the auxiliary verb to the base verb. Let’s look at another question with an auxiliary verb:

Does Hannah like sushi?

In this sentence, “does” is the auxiliary verb that is connected to the base verb “like” through the subject, Hannah.

Understanding auxiliary verbs are essential if you want to become a better writer: you’re one step closer to becoming a grammar expert. Now that you have a handle on helping verbs, learn about modal verbs, which are similar to auxiliary verbs.