Next, there is other verbs used in verb + verb structures are not usually
called auxiliary verbs. An important different between auxiliary verbs and other verbs is that in auxiliary verb structures, questions are made by simply changing
the order of the subject and auxiliary verbs. In other verb + verb structures, the
auxiliary do has to be added. Here are the examples below:
a.
She seems to understand.
b.
He is swimming.
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2. Kinds of Auxiliary
In English, we use special forms of the verb phrase to express a lot of important meanings
– for example, questioning, willingness, possibility, obligation, certainty etc. The problem is that English verbs do not have many
different forms: the maximum is five. So to express all of these meanings we use a
special kind of verbs called auxiliaries. There are three kinds of auxiliary verbs: primary auxiliaries, modal
auxiliaries , and other verbs.
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Michael Swan in his book suggest that: Primary auxiliaries are Do, Be, and Have.
“Do is used to make question and negative
forms of simple tenses, and for some other purposes. Be is used with participles - ing and
–ed forms to make progressive and passive verb-forms. Have is used to make perfect verb-forms. Do, be, and have
also have other „non-auxiliary‟ uses.”
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Besides this kind of auxiliary, there are modal auxiliary verbs and other verbs. Here are the explanations related to modal verbs which is defined as the
verbs are used with other verbs to express various ideas, mostly to do with degrees
of certainty or obligation, they are: will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might
, must, ought to, have to, etc. Next, there is other verbs used in verb + verb structures are not usually
called auxiliary verbs. An important different between auxiliary verbs and other verbs is that in auxiliary verb structures, questions are made by simply changing
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http:esl.about.comodgrammarintermediateaa_auxiliary.html
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http:esl.about.comodgrammarintermediateaa_auxiliary.html
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Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, Oxford University Press, 1980, p. 90.
