Be Is Used with the Present Participle in Continuous (Progre

Auxiliary Verbs Seanan

Auxiliary Verb Tense Structure Example Be Present Continuous √ S+ am/is/are+ verb(ing) I am writing now. (now) X S+am/is/are+not+verb(ing) I am not singing now. (Be is used with ? Am/Is/Are+s+verb(ing) Are you listening now? the Present Participle in Continuous Past Continuous √ S+was/were+verb(ing) I was sleeping last night. (Progressive) (action of duration in the X S+was/were+not+verb(ing) I was not drinking last night. Verbs). past) ? Was/Were+s+verb(ing) Were you drinking last night?

Future Continuous √ S+will+be+verb(ing) I will be watching TV tonight at 8pm. (An action of duration in the X S+will not/won’t +be+verb(ing) I won’t be listening to music tonight at 8pm. future) ? Will+s+be+verb(ing) Will you be watching TV tonight at 8pm?

Present Perfect √ S+have/has+been+verb(ing) I have been studying English for 5 years. Continuous X S+have/has+not+been+verb(ing) I have not been waiting long. (action started in the past ? Have/Has+s+been+verb(ing) Have you been waiting long? and maybe/maybe not continues to now (but always connected to now)

Past Perfect Continuous √ S+had+been+verb(ing) I had been watching CNN before I came to school. (action of duration in the X S+had+not+been+verb(ing) I had not been talking about you before you came. past happening before ? Had+s+been+verb(ing) Had you been eating before class started? another past action)

Future Perfect Continuous √ S+will+have+been+verb(ing) I will have been watching TV for 2 hours at 8pm tonight. (an action of duration X S+will not/won’t+have+been+verb(ing) I won’t have been watching TV for too long at 8pm tonight. happening in the future, ? Will+ s+have+been+verb(ing) Will you have been watching TV for long at 8pm tonight? finished before a particular future time)

(Be is also used with the Past Participle in the Passive).

Auxiliary Verb Tense Structure Example Do Present Simple √ S+ v I swim. (Do is used in Simple (always) X S+ don’t/doesn’t+v I don’t swim. Forms) ? Do/Does+s+v? Do you swim?

Past Simple √ S+v I swam (an action started and X S+ didn’t+v I didn’t swim finished in the past – no ? Did+s+v? Did you swim? connection to now)

Auxiliary Verb Tense Structure Example Have Present Perfect Simple √ S+ have/has+past participle I have eaten. (have is used in Perfect (an action started in the X S+ have not/has not+ past participle I have not eaten. Forms past but connected to ? Have/Has+s+past participle? Have you eaten? now either through- continuation, result or experience)

Past Perfect Simple √ S+ had+past participle I had eaten before I came to school. (a past action started X S+ had not+past participle I had not eaten before I came to school. before another past ? Had+s+past participle Had you eaten before you came to school? action. All actions are finished in the past and not connected to now)

Future Perfect Simple √ S+ will+have+past participle I will have eaten dinner by 9pm tonight. (a future action finished X S+ will not+ have+past participle I will not have eaten dinner by 7pm tonight. before a particular time ? Will+s+have+past participle? Will you have eaten dinner by then? in the future)

Past Perfect √ S+had+been+verb(ing) I had been watching CNN before I came to school. Continuous X S+had+not+been+verb(ing) I had not been talking about you before you came. (action of duration in the ? Had+s+been+verb(ing) Had you been eating before class started? past happening before another past action)

Future Perfect √ S+will+have+been+verb(ing) I will have been watching TV for 2 hours at 8pm tonight. Continuous X S+will not/won’t+have+been+verb(ing) I won’t have been watching TV for too long at 8pm tonight. (an action of duration ? Will+ s+have+been+verb(ing) Will you have been watching TV for long at 8pm tonight? happening in the future, finished before a particular future time)

Note: 1. An auxiliary verb can only come in a sentence with another verb. ie. I am Irish = s+v+adj= be is not an auxiliary verb, but be = MAIN VERB (STATE) I am not hungry = s+v+not+adj= be is not an auxiliary verb, but be = MAIN VERB (STATE) Are you tired? = v+s+adj= be is not an auxiliary verb, but be = MAIN VERB (STATE)

I am going to Ireland. = s+be+v(ing)…= be is an auxiliary verb. Go is the MAIN VERB (ACTION)

2. An auxiliary verb helps to make tenses

BE = Continuous forms (ing) = Passive forms

D0= Simple forms (X,?)

HAVE= Perfect Forms

Try not to say things like:

Do you eating pizza? Are you swim? I eating pizza. Do you eaten ice cream?