Auxiliary Verbs Examples

You already know that verbs express action or state of being. You also know that verbs have tense, mood, and voice.

Sometimes, to produce the various tenses, moods, and voices of verbs, you must use auxiliary verbs, or "helping" verbs. Remember that verbs only have five forms, so the auxiliary verbs or "helping" verbs allow us to form all of the various tense, moods, and voices.

How auxiliary verbs help with tense:

Auxiliary verbs are used to form the perfect tenses and the future tense.

How auxiliary verbs help with mood:

Auxiliary verbs are used to form the subjective mood, and can help to add emphasis with the imperative or indicative moods.

How auxiliary verbs help with voice:

Auxiliary verbs are used to form the passive voice.

List of auxiliary verbs:

All forms of "be" can be helping verbs: am is are was were

All forms of "have" can be helping verbs: have has had

All forms of "do": do did

Others: can could shall should will would may might must

Sentences with auxiliary verbs:

1) I will go to school tomorrow. (future tense)

2) Jim had cleaned before Karen came home. (past perfect tense)

3) Uma has eaten most of her hotdog for lunch. (present perfect tense)

4) Quinn will be going to the beach next week. (future perfect tense)

5) If only I had brought my swimsuit! (subjunctive mood)

6) Please, do ask your question now. (imperative mood)

7) Marvin did take the pencil without asking. (indicative mood)

8) The coat was left on the bus. (passive voice)