Questions tagged [auxiliary-verbs]
Use this tag if you are asking about the usage of Auxiliary/Helping Verbs. Auxiliary/Helping Verbs are verbs that are used with other full verbs to make the different tenses, voice or modality in a sentence.
590
questions
48
votes
6
answers
56k
views
Is "she don't" sometimes considered correct form?
Recently I was exposed to a lot of uses of "She don't + infinitive" (3rd person singular + don't), instead of "she doesn't + infinitive" (3rd person singular + doesn't). I'm not sure if it is a ...
- 27k
27
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why there are two 'were's in one sentence?
But, as time went on, it became increasingly obvious that many of the programs were not available, and the ones that were were written in a particularly obscure form of BASIC.
(Probability Theory: The ...
- 1,329
26
votes
6
answers
17k
views
"None of the kids were hungry" Or "None of the kids was hungry"
Were is used with plural pronouns
The kids were hungry.
And we can add "None of":
None of the kids were hungry.
But I read a lot of articles and books use "was" with "None of":
None of the ...
- 4,520
22
votes
4
answers
16k
views
Who is/are they?
A:I assume you know about the latest goings-on with Hessington oil.
B:I wouldn't be much of a partner if I didn't.
A:Now they've decided to take on Ava Hessington personally.
B:Who is ...
- 1,443
21
votes
2
answers
116k
views
When to use "is" vs. "does" when asking a question?
When do I use is or does when I ask a question? For example,
Is your item still for sale?
Does your item still for sale?
I am not sure which one to use.
michael
18
votes
3
answers
271k
views
Should I say "what does it means" or "what does it mean"?
Sometimes, especially on this forum, I am wondering wether I should say "what does it mean" or "what does it means" ?
And should I say "it means that..." or "it mean that..." ?
- 1,911
14
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why do we have to use 'have got' instead of 'got'?
I saw the sentence on the internet like this:
I don't know how much money he has got.
I think that
I don't know how much money he got.
is only possible here.
What is the difference between ...
- 3,311
14
votes
5
answers
83k
views
Help explaining "Where am I?" vs "...where I am"
I would like to explain to a non-native girlfriend that it's correct to say "Where am I?" on its own as a question, but if you want to say "Can you guess where I am?" or "Do you know where I am?" or "...
- 241
13
votes
2
answers
20k
views
Conditional: "are not" vs. "don't be"
Consider the following phrases (someone is talking with a friend who is challenging some mobsters):
If you are not careful, they will catch you.
or
If you don't be careful, they will ...
- 697
11
votes
5
answers
5k
views
What does "ain't" mean in "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it"?
This question is a follow up question of my previous question Meaning of "ain't" in: "...we ain't know what it meant"
According to the Oxford Dictionary, ain't is used ...
- 1,733
11
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why is "I'll be", wrong as a short answer?
I was writing a text in English to an Italian girl friend of mine whose English is very good. In the text, I asked:
Will you be coming to the staff party on Thursday?
and she replied
Yes, I'll ...
- 26.2k
10
votes
9
answers
54k
views
Grammatically correct: 'are you hurt' and 'do you hurt'
"Are you hurt?" is grammatically correct. However, is it correct to ask someone in pain "Do you hurt?"?
- 211
10
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Use "got" or "have got"?
Could you please tell me if you got some time to read the report?
In this sentence, I have to use got or have got ? what is the difference between these two w.r.t. the meaning of the sentence?
- 477
10
votes
3
answers
22k
views
Have to / having to?
As fas as I know, "have to" is the commoner version of the two,
but I'm finding more and more that "having to" is also used instead of "have to".
She has to / is having to look after herself now.
...
- 101
10
votes
2
answers
16k
views
it is you who has vs. it is you who have
There is already a similar question here, but it is about forming questions:
Which is the correct question ("Who has" vs "Who have")?
When combining who with you in a statement, ...
- 4,012
8
votes
2
answers
11k
views
Which is the correct phrasing: Do any or Does any?
Recently while writing the title of a question, I encountered trouble when choosing the correct grammatical syntax from the followings:
Do any philosophy believe that..?
Does any philosophy believe ...
- 1,192
8
votes
3
answers
1k
views
'I wish' and counterfactual
What's the difference between the following sentences?
(a) I wish they wouldn't make so much noise.
(b) I wish they were not making so much noise.
(c) I wish they did not make so much noise.
...
- 5,894
8
votes
4
answers
768
views
Is the interrogative structure "Is X to do with Y" grammatical?
I don't know precisely why, but the interrogative structure "Is X to do with Y?" sounds weird and not natural English.
In fact, if I transform "Is X to do with Y?" into the related affirmative form I ...
user114
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What's the difference between "Was this supposed to be...” and “Wasn't this supposed to be…"?
Was this supposed to be ‘cupboard’ instead of ‘cupbard’?
Wasn’t this supposed to be ‘cupboard’ instead of ‘cupbard’?
I was asking about a spelling error and I was confused if I should use "was&...
7
votes
2
answers
940
views
Can the auxiliary verbs be optional sometimes?
His son was smart and his daughter intelligent.
His son was smart and his daughter was intelligent.
This website has been shut down and its name turned over by court order.
This website ...
- 3,451
7
votes
3
answers
156k
views
Does anyone "has" or "have"
I have read a similar question here but that one talks about the usage of has/have with reference to "anyone". Here, I wish to ask a question of the form:
Does anyone has/have a black pen?
What ...
- 173
7
votes
2
answers
13k
views
Should I use the past tense with did?
Should I use the past tense with did? For example, I was to say:
The important question is: Did they knew what it means or not?
Or should I say:
The important question is: Did they know what it ...
- 181
7
votes
4
answers
381
views
Phrasing a question
How ungrammatical/colloquial is to structure questions without the usage of an auxiliary verb? Is it possible to communicate well using only the second type? What impression does this make on an ...
- 205
7
votes
2
answers
148k
views
difference between won't and wouldn't
I hoped you won't mind when I told you the truth.
I hoped you wouldn't mind when I told you the truth.
First of all, I would like to know what differences do the use of won't and wouldn't ...
- 274
7
votes
1
answer
13k
views
.... I was being! / what does it mean?
I could hardly believe how bold I was being!
I got detention because a teacher said I was being contumacious
.....
What does the word being here mean ? and what are the tenses in these sentences ...
- 2,089
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How do I use the auxiliary "do" in questions?
Consider these two sentences:
Who left the door open?
and
Who do you want to speak to?
In the first question auxiliary do cannot normally be used, but in the latter question it can. Why is ...
- 4,869
7
votes
2
answers
10k
views
"Why had you to" or "why did you have to"
I was solving a test on modals and there was the following line:
What was the problem? Why _ leave early?
The proposed fill-in combinations were:
had you to
did you have to
must you
you had to
...
- 36.5k
6
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Repeating HAVE (or other auxiliary verb) in one sentence
My question is the following:
Is it correct to use the auxillary verb HAVE only one time in the following type of a sentence:
"I HAVE written a letter and I sent it"
or should I repeat the ...
- 480
6
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What is the short answer for "Nobody has to know"?
This is from "The Lion King":
Nala: And your mother, what will she think?
Simba: She doesn't have to know. Nobody has to know.
Nala: Of course they do!
Why doesn't she reply: "Of ...
- 287
6
votes
4
answers
9k
views
"I will be loving you 'til we're 70" vs. "I will love you 'til we're 70"
From Ed Sheeran's song Thinking Out Loud:
And, darling, I will be loving you 'til we're 70
Why is it not
And, darling, I will love you 'til we're 70
?
Why is progressive used here?
- 1,596
6
votes
3
answers
46k
views
Is it wrong to say "I sent you many emails this week"?
When I'm writing to a person who didn't reply to a lot of emails I sent him, is it wrong to say "I sent you many emails this week but I haven't received any replies"? Must I say "I've sent you many ...
- 1,761
6
votes
1
answer
229
views
Why "Windows XP won't install" instead of "Windows XP don't install"?
OK. In my native language usage (non English) using don't looks better than won't. But still I'm seeing lot of won't instead of don't. So is don't unacceptable in this situation?
Reference link: Tom'...
- 649
6
votes
2
answers
23k
views
Use of "could have had" "would have had" "had had" "has/have had" and such words?
Can anybody please tell me the uses of the words I have mentioned in the title?
Someone please tell me where and when I am supposed to use them and how to properly use them?
Like in the following ...
- 795
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is using two consecutive verbs grammatically correct? [duplicate]
I go sing karaoke at bars.
An engineer goes camping.
The verbs go and sing and go and camp with -ing have been used consecutively in the above two sentences respectively. Are they grammatically ...
- 61
5
votes
6
answers
8k
views
'Wouldn't wake up' vs. 'didn't wake up'
I'm reading an article about two pets rescuing their owners. After the cat managed to wake up the mother, she tried to wake up other members but they wouldn't wake up.
Cathy tried to tell her ...
- 7,553
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
"May (might,can) could have" and "Must should have/should must have" impossible?
My colleague and I were discussing Auxiliary Verbs and Modal Verbs when we came to a point where we started experimenting and we came to "May (might,can) could have" and "Must should have" whereupon ...
- 24.9k
5
votes
2
answers
930
views
Do I use 'was' or 'did' as an auxiliary in an interrogative clause?
Which is correct?
Was the cheese taste delicious?
or
Did the cheese taste delicious?
I know that we should use 'did' when we want to ask some question in the past simple form, but I'm not sure ...
- 53
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
She is at next door
My sister lives next door.
My mother went to my sister's house.
My son is looking for his grandmother.
"Where is grandmother?" my son asked.
"She went next door."
"She is at next door."
...
- 927
5
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Use of "have to" vs "am to"
Suppose my friend invites me to play football. But I have planned to study. So, what of the followings should be my reply:
I have to study. (Since, I am not obliged by someone else, should I use it? ...
- 445
5
votes
1
answer
852
views
Emphatic do-form with do as main verb
It is possible to use do as an auxiliary verb to denote emphasis:
I do like ice cream
Is it also possible to use it when do is the main verb as well? E.g.:
I did do (it).
He does do (it).
...
- 153
5
votes
2
answers
7k
views
hadn't better; had better not
[i] He hadn’t better tell them. (CGEL, p.113)
[ii] He had better not tell her. (CGEL, p.196)
According to CGEL, negation can be marked after or before better. But I can’t find any examples of [i] ...
- 24k
5
votes
1
answer
7k
views
When to use "does" and when to use "would"?
I found these two sentences on an online English tutorial, and I'm confused about why one sentence uses "does" and the other uses "would":
How much does it cost to fly to Europe?
How much ...
- 153
5
votes
4
answers
5k
views
'Easy to be solved' versus 'Easy to solve'
a) This problem is easy to solve.
b) This problem is easy to be solved.
Which sentence is more natural, a) or b)?
- 391
5
votes
1
answer
3k
views
When do we use "do" and "be" in questions?
I'm stuck upon a particular example, should we use "do" or "be" in question below:
Does it exist?
Is it exist?
Thank you in advance!
- 153
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Does 'pretended not to see me' have the same meaning as 'pretended that he didn't see me' in this sentence?
I really can't understand why in the following sentence I don't need to use the auxiliary verb do:
He pretended not to see me to avoid an awkward situation.
Does
He pretended that he didn't ...
- 153
5
votes
2
answers
39k
views
Difference between "didn't" and "hadn't"
Is didn't or hadn't correct below? What is the difference?
Please do not dock my pay as I was in the office but didn't brought my ID card.
or
Please do not dock my pay as I was in the office ...
- 2,273
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
"Why didn't he make the decision?" versus "Why hasn't he made the decision?"
Which auxiliary verb should I put in a question like this and why?
Why didn't he make the decision?
Why hasn't he made the decision?
- 105
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Confusion understanding this sentence: Could you speak English before you came here?
I stumbled upon this one sentence in an EFL book.
Could you speak English before you came here ?
The whole chapter is dedicated to can and could.
There are no other sentences around the above ...
- 407
5
votes
2
answers
18k
views
I want to vs I need to vs I would like
What is the difference between these expressions :
I want to do something
I need to do something
I would like to do something
Specially when you want to ask for help (In doing something).
and is "I'...
- 2,080
5
votes
2
answers
32k
views
Why do we use "have" with does and not "has"?
Does and has both are used with singular pronouns (He has the bottle , He does play cricket , etc) whereas Do and have are used with plural pronouns ( They have the bottle , Do they like cricket? , ...
- 233