VERB
There are 12 verb tenses in English. The verb action can take place in the past the present or the future. There are usually word clues that give a guide as to when the verb action occurs. Within each of these times there are four different situations that occur. Simple tenses occur at a point in time, or on a repeated or habitual basis. A progressive or continuous tense indicates that the action takes place over time and these tenses always use part of the verb “be” as the first part of the verb phrase and end with the main verb + ing. A perfect tense always uses part of “have” as the first part of the verb phrase and ends with the past form of the main verb.
A perfect progressive tense starts with the relevant part of the verb “have” followed by “been” and ends with the main verb + ing. If you remember these basic rules, you can always identify the verb tense being used, or use the verb tense you need without having to continually refer to a text book or table.
Meanwhile, a chart like the one given here can provide a quick and easy reference until you feel comfortable using the various verb tenses. Also pay attention to the time clues in the following chart; while some of them can be used with more than one verb tense, they do restrict the number of possibilities and help you to understand which verb tense is being used, or which verb tense you should use.
Simple tenses occur either in a single moment, or as a repeated, habitual action.
The simple past is formed by changing the verb in one of these two ways: either adding ‘ed’ to the end or using the past form of the verb.
A continuous or progressive tense (often referred to as the gerund) happens over a period of time. This tense is always formed with a form of the verb ‘to be’, the main verb and the ending ‘-ing’. Thus the formula could be written like this: (subject) + (be) + (main verb) + -ing.
The perfect tense is used to compare actions or when the time of the action is not clear. This tense is always formed with the verb ‘have’ and a special part of the main verb in the past called the ‘past participle’. The formula would be: (subject) + (have) + (past participle of the main verb).
AUXILIARY VERB
A verb which combines with ordinary verbs or main verbs (which depict action to us like ‘hit’, ‘eat’, ‘open’, ‘wash’, ‘bath’, ‘cook’, etc) to form tenses, passive forms, and question tags is called as Auxiliary Verb.
The most common auxiliary verbs are "be," "do," and "have", and you may also use these verbs on their own. You use "Will" and "shall" to express future time.
In each of the following examples, a verb commonly used as an auxiliary verb appears as a simple predicate:
She is the chief engineer.
The tea cups are in the china cabinet.
Garth does this kind of thing frequently.
My roommates and I do the laundry every second week.
I can't complete my assignment because he still has my notes.
They have several kinds of gelato in the display case.
Several words may intervene between the auxiliary and the verb which goes with it, as in the following sentences:
They have not delivered the documents on time.
The treasure chest was never discovered.
The health department has recently decided that all high school students should be immunized against meningitis.
Will you walk the dog tonight?
The ballet corps was rapidly and gracefully pirouetting about the stage.
Function and Uses of Auxiliary verbs:
1. Auxiliary verbs are used to form tenses like Present Continuous, etc.
Examples:
a) He is eating.
b) They are playing.
c) We have done our work.
Explanation of above examples:
a) and b)The auxiliary verb ‘is’ when added to Present Participle ‘playing’ gives us the Present Continuous tense. Similarly, when ‘am’ and ‘are’ are added to a Present Participle, a Present Continuous tense is formed.
c) When auxiliary verb ‘have’ is combined with past participle ‘done’ then it gives us the Present Perfect tense.
Examples:
a) Do you come daily? Yes, I do.
b) Had you completed the task? Yes, I had.
3. Auxiliary Verbs are also used while adding a Question Tag.
Examples:
a) They are hungry, aren’t they?
b) We cannot come, can we?
c) I did come to your house, didn’t I?
4. Modal Auxiliaries combine with infinitives to indicate certainty, obligation, possibility, necessity, permission, ability, etc.
Examples:
1) You must do your homework. (Auxiliary verb indicates obligation)
2) They may come to my office. (Auxiliary Verb indicates permission)
3) I can do this. (Auxiliary Verb indicates ability)
Auxiliary Verbs are the verbs be, do, have, will when they are followed by another verb (the full verb) in order to form a question, a negative sentence, a compound tense or the passive.
