WHAT ARE AUXILIARY VERBS?

WHAT ARE AUXILIARY VERBS?

          Auxiliary verbs are helping verbs.  They are used quite often, to help the main or action verbs in sentences, in both written and spoken English.   You, our reader, reading this article, have used several auxiliary verbs today.

            Auxiliary Verbs (also called Helping Verbs) are used together with a main verb to show the verb’s tense or to make a positive, negative or question form of a sentence. The most common auxiliary verbs, according to experts, are have, be, and do.  But there are many others.

Furthermore, an auxiliary verb adds functional or grammatical meaning to the clauses in which they appear. They perform their functions in several and different ways.  While a main verb indicates the kind of action or condition taking place, an auxiliary verb accompanies the main verb and conveys other nuances that help the reader (or hearer) gain specific insight into the event that is taking place.

                Let us now use the following two sentences to illustrate the role of auxiliary verbs:

1.     I can teach English

2.     I can’t write French

3.     Does Charles Oviri read Urhobo?

The first sentence, I can teach English, has ‘can’ as an auxiliary verb to help the main verb ‘teach’.  The auxiliary verb, ‘can’, helps us to understand that the person making the statement has the ability to teach English.

In the second sentence, I can’t write French, the auxiliary verb is ‘can’t’, and it negates the action of ‘write’.    In other words, it helps us to know that the person making the statement is not able to write French.   

In the third sentence, Does Charles Oviri read Urhobo?, the auxiliary verb is ‘does’, and it helps us to ask whether Charles Oviri reads Urhobo or not.  If the auxiliary verb were lacking, the question would not be understandable.

So, we can now see that auxiliary verbs help us to make sentences or statements with more clarity, or to ask questions with lucidity.

Having talked much about auxiliary verbs, let me add other types of verbs which we have in English, and as well make explanations on them.

Linking Verbs:

Linking verbs which are also called Copulative Verbs (or Copulas) are verbs that link the subjects to complements. The complement can be a word, phrase, or clause.   Linking verbs do not tell us what the subject does, but what the subject is.

Some common linking verbs are:  appear, become, feel, grow, look, seem, smell, sound, taste (depending on usage).  Linking verbs also include auxiliary verbs like: am, is, are, was, were.

Examples of Sentences with Linking Verbs:

i.                   Ngozi appears calm.

ii.                 The teacher grew impatient with the dull pupil.

iii.              The idea sounds good, but needs verification.

iv.              Okorotete seemed to be angry with his room-mate.

v.                 My aunt looked beautiful in her English suit.

vi.              Umukoro is a handsome boy.

vii.            Nigeria was peaceful before the insurgence of the Boko Haram.

viii.         I am tired.

Action Verbs:

An action verb is used for an action that has happened, or is still happening at the time of speaking/writing, or is done habitually.

Example of Sentences with Action Verbs:

i.                   Okorode trekked to his farm.

ii.                 Okorode is trekking to his farm.

iii.              Okorode treks to his farm.

iv.              Tom read his English textbook this morning.

v.                 Tom reads his English textbook every week.

Please take note that an action verb conveys the same meaning when used in different tenses, as shown in the examples above.

State Verbs:

          A State Verb, which is also known as Non-Action Verb, refers to the condition of someone/something or the state they are in.

Example of Sentences with State Verbs:

i.                   The lady looks gorgeous in her new dress.

ii.                 I have two bags, one leather, the other, rubber.

iii.              The students are happy with their new school uniforms.

iv.              For reasons unknown to us, he is being very hostile.

Finite Verbs:

A finite verb is one that changes with the person and number of the subject because it is limited, as the name implies.  It has the present or past form.  This means finite verbs have tenses.

Examples of Sentences with Finite Verbs:

i.                   We eat three times daily.

ii.                 He eats heavily.

iii.              John writes prolifically.

iv.              They write slowly.

v.                 Charity plays about

vi.              The children play about.

In the sentences given above, the finite verbs changed according to the

number of  the subject (or person/persons) in each.

Non-Finite Verbs:

The non-finite verb does not change to reflect singular or plural forms or tenses.  This is because they are unlimited, as the name, non-finite, implies.  As they are used for singular subjects, that is how they are also used for plural subjects.

Examples of Sentences with Non-Finite Verbs:

i.                   John is running to the class.

ii.                 They are running to the class.

iii.              I am eating coconut rice.

iv.              They are eating coconut rice.

v.                 Mary has eaten.

vi.              They have eaten.

vii.            I am using only pencil for the test.

viii.         They are using only pencil for the test.

In all the examples given above, the non-finite verbs used with both singular subject and plural subject remained in the same tense.

Phrasal Verbs:

Phrasal Verbs are actually not verbs in the real sense of grammar.  Rather, they are made up of a verb and a preposition.  The preposition gives the verb a different meaning than it would have, if standing alone. For example, while the word look means to see or behold, the phrasal verb look-up means to search for, or to check.

Other Examples of Phrasal Verbs:

i.                   Peter has collected his NYSC call-up letter.

ii.                 Please find-out the truth of the matter.

iii.              The governor has decided to put-off the project indefinitely.

iv.               James made a write-up for the proposed expedition.

v.                 The turn-out of the press men was very encouraging.