Help with understanding verbs

Question

HiI am struggling to understand the different types of verbs I am having to say if some sentence be have and do are being used as Main verbs or Auxiliary verbs I know auxiliary verbs help other verbs form phrases but it still doesn't help me. Can someone please explain for me so I can understand. I have lookied all day in grammar books and on the internet but I am still no understanding. Also some of the sentences do not have be have and do so it is more hard i thinkI give couple of examples1. she is getting more beautiful every day.2. I dont like ice cream3. she has lnog black hair4. it is a lovely day5. he does his homework every night

Dokterjokkebrok · Accepted Answer

Hello

There are 3 main categories of verbs.

1. lexical verbs -> I work at home.

2. auxiliary verb -> I should work at home.

3. linking verbs -> I am very kind.

What you should remember:

- A lexical verb does not require an auxiliary verb, but an auxiliary verb exists only to help a lexical verb. It cannot exist alone.

- if there's only one verb in the sentence, it's either an auxiliary or a linking verb. (With the exception of question tags and perhaps a few other minor exceptions).

- linking verbs are a special type of verb. They link a subject and a feature/quality of this subject together.
e.g. I am nice. She seems old. John appears ready. The verbs used as linking verbs are typically verbs such as 'seem', appear', look, feel, etc. but they can all be replaced by the a form of 'to be'

1. she is getting more beautiful every day. is=aux getting=lex
2. I dont like ice cream don't=aux like=lex
3. she has lnog black hair has=lex
4. it is a lovely day is=linking verb
5. he does his homework every night does=lex

Regards

Dokterjokkebrok

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Yaggy,

I'm no expert, but perhaps I can help.

She is getting more beautiful every day. I get, you get, he/she/it gets is the simple present tense. I am getting, You are getting, He is getting is the present continuous - the actions is now, but carries on. The 'is' is therefore an auxiliary, and get is the main verb.

I don't like ice cream. This is the normal English negative form; I like; I do not like. So 'do' is an auxiliary. You can also say 'I do like' if you want to emphasise the phrase. For example, if someone says 'You don't like ice cream, do you? and you think that you might lose out on your favourite food, you would say, 'Yes, I do like ice cream' The simple verb is I like; if you say 'I do like', 'do' is an auxiliary.

She has long black hair. This is the simple present tense; I have, You have; She has. the verb is the main verb in the sentence.

It's a lovely day. There's only one verb, and so it must be a Main Verb. The infinitive is 'To be'; the present tense is 'I am, You are, He/she/it is, we are, you are (plural), they are'. It's, or 'it is' is the simple present tense.

He does his homework every night. Again, there is only one verb (does), and so it must be a Main verb. An auxiliary doesn't really have any meaning (that's why it's called an auxiliary - it merely expands a verb into a more complicated form). But 'He does his homework' is a simple present tense - I do, you do, he does, and it means something - he sits down and works.

In general, look to see which is the main verb in a sentence or clause - the 'doing' word. If there's only one, it must be a Main Verb. If there's a 'be', 'do', 'has' etc as well, then it will be an auxiliary.

Can you see the difference between 'He does his homework' and 'He does do his homework'? The second one is emphatic - someone has suggested that he doesn't do his homework, and you are saying, No, that's wrong - the homework is getting done. So 'do' is the main verb (in the infinitive), and 'does' is an auxiliary - it gives emphasis to the doing.

There are other auxiliaries; how about 'I will go', 'Will you be going? (Future tenses); Would you like some? (Like is the main verb); I have been to London (past tense); They had been to London (emphatic past tense (is it called the Pluperfect?) (someone suggested that they hadn't been)(and been is the past infinitive of To be - main verb). I would have liked to have gone to London (but I was ill) - I had to think about that one myself! Simple verb is I like. I would have liked is a conditional past tense, so would have are auxiliaries. 'To have gone' is the past infinitive of 'To go', so have is an auxiliary and gone is the main verb of the clause which is the object of the liking. The basic sentence is 'I like to go to London'; the auxiliaries are the ones that alter the meaning of the main verbs.

That's probably enough to be (auxiliary) going (main verb) on with! I'm getting out of my depth!

Sorry - correct English shouldn't normally end with a preposition, but 'to go on with' is such a common phrase that we get lazy!

Regards

Roger B

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