An auxiliary verb is a grammatical verb that combines with a lexical verb to express grammatical categories such as tense, aspect, mood, modality, voice, agreement, and polarity [1][2]. It typically contributes grammatical rather than primary lexical meaning and forms part of a larger verb phrase or auxiliary verb construction. Auxiliary verbs generally occur with a main verb, which may appear in a non-finite or participial form, although their morphological and syntactic properties vary across languages [1][3]. In English, the principal auxiliary verbs include be, have, and do, together with modal auxiliaries such as can, may, must, and will [1][2].
- Auxiliary Verb
- Lexical Verb
- Verb Phrase
- Tense
- Aspect
- Modality
- Voice
- Grammaticalization
Linguistics and Terminology Studies • Language and Linguistics • Arts and Humanities • Social Sciences
References
- Bronwyn M Bjorkman. Auxiliaries; Oxford University Press (OUP): Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, 2013. [CrossRef]
- Gregory D. S. Anderson; Auxiliary Verb Constructions (and Other Complex Predicate Types): A Functional–Constructional Overview. Lang. Linguist. Compass 2011, 5, 795-828. [CrossRef]
- Luis García Fernández; Diego Gabriel Krivochen. 12 Auxiliary verbs; Walter de Gruyter GmbH: Berlin, Germany, 2024; pp. 325-344. [CrossRef]