Auxiliary Verbs Guide
What are Auxiliary Verbs?
Auxiliary verbs are "helping verbs" used with main verbs to form different tenses, voices, moods, and aspects.
When to Use:
- To form questions or negatives (e.g., "Do you like pizza?" / "She doesn’t eat meat.")
- To create verb phrases (e.g., "She is eating." / "He has finished.")
- To express necessity, possibility, permission, ability, or obligation (modal auxiliaries like must, can, should, etc.)
Sample Sentences:
She is reading a book.
They have finished their homework.
Can you help me with this?
Auxiliary Verb Table
| Auxiliary Verb | Meaning | When to Use | Key Word / Function | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Be | State of being, used for continuous tenses | To form continuous tenses and passive voice | am, is, are, was, were, be | She is studying. |
| Have | Possession / completion | To form perfect tenses | have, has, had | They have finished. |
| Do | Action helper | To form questions and negatives in simple tenses | do, does, did | Do you like apples? |
| Can | Ability / possibility | To express ability or possibility | modal | She can swim. |
| Could | Past ability / polite requests | Past ability, permission, suggestions | modal | He could play guitar. |
| May | Permission / possibility | To ask permission or express possibility | modal | May I come in? |
| Might | Weak possibility | To show a small chance of something happening | modal | It might rain later. |
| Shall | Future intention / suggestion | Future plans (formal) or offers/suggestions (British English) | modal | Shall we go now? |
| Should | Advice / expectation | To give advice, express obligation or expectation | modal | You should sleep early. |
| Will | Future certainty / promise | To express future actions, promises, or willingness | modal | I will call you later. |
| Would | Hypothetical / polite requests | To talk about unreal situations, past habits, or polite offers/requests | modal | Would you help me? |
| Must | Obligation / necessity | To express strong obligation or logical necessity | modal | You must wear a helmet. |
| Ought to | Moral duty / advice | To give advice or express what is right or expected | modal | You ought to apologize. |
| Need (to) | Necessity | Sometimes used as modal to express necessity | semi-modal | You need to finish this today. |
| Dare (to) | Boldness / challenge | Sometimes used as modal (formal/literary) to challenge or show courage | semi-modal | Dare he speak that way to her? |
| Used to | Past habits/states | To talk about repeated actions or states in the past that are no longer true | semi-modal | I used to play outside daily. |
Important Notes
WILL
Type: Modal Auxiliary
Meaning: Shows a decision made at the moment of speaking, or expresses a future fact, promise, or prediction.
- Instant decisions
- Promises or offers
- Predictions based on opinion
- Future facts
Examples:
I will help you carry that! (instant decision)
Don’t worry, I will call you later. (promise)
I think it will rain tomorrow. (opinion-based prediction)
GOING TO
Type: Future Construction (be + going to + base verb)
Meaning: Shows a planned future action or a prediction based on evidence now.
- Planned actions or intentions
- Predictions based on what you see or know
Examples:
I’m going to study medicine. (plan)
Look at those clouds! It’s going to rain. (evidence-based prediction)
They’re going to visit their grandma this weekend. (arranged plan)
Comparison Table: "Will" vs. "Going to"
| Feature | WILL | GOING TO |
|---|---|---|
| Decision time | Made at the moment | Decided before speaking (already planned) |
| Type of future | Instant / general / uncertain | Planned / certain / evidence-based |
| Used for | Offers, promises, future facts, opinions | Intentions, arrangements, predictions with proof |
| Example | I’ll open the door. | I’m going to buy a new phone. |
| Prediction type | Based on feeling or belief | Based on current situation or signs |