( To) be is also used in the passive voice.Īs an auxiliary verb, do performs quite a few functions.ġ. We were practicing for two hours by the time the coach finally arrived. Beatrice is explaining what went wrong yesterday. In other words, be shows that an action is or was happening continuously. They also help create questions, negate statements, or add emphasis.īe and its conjugated forms- am, are, is, was, were-help indicate the progressive (or continuous) aspect. They are only considered helping verbs if followed by another verb.Īuxiliary verbs help establish tenses. Keep in mind that be, do, and have can be the main verb of a sentence. In this section, we’ll be focusing on those three (and their forms) before we move on to modal verbs. We’ll explain which words fall under these categories, and what information they add to the main verb.īe, do, and have are the most frequently used auxiliary verbs. In other words, all helping verbs are auxiliaries, but not all auxiliaries are modals. Be, do, and have (and all their forms) are the most common type of auxiliary verbs, but modal auxiliaries (sometimes known as modals or modal verbs) are also a type of auxiliary verb. Helping verbs are also known as auxiliary verbs (or auxiliaries). Just in case you need a refresher, verbs are words that express action or state of being.

Helping verbs add information to the main verb, whether it be by indicating time, voice, possibility, necessity, obligation, other vital information, or by helping form a question.

Modal auxiliaries include can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, and must.The most common auxiliary verbs are be, do, and have (and their conjugated forms).Helping verbs (also known as auxiliary verbs) help the main verb of a sentence by adding grammatical information to it, like tense, voice, or possibility.

What are modals