English verbs are classified into two major classes.
(i) Lexical Verbs
(ii) Auxiliary Verbs
(i) Lexical Verbs: Lexical verbs are also known as ordinary verbs. They have independent means and are used as main verbs in a sentence. They have v1, v2, v3, v4(-ing), and v5(-s/es) forms.
Ex - Ram eats a mango.
He is running.
What do you want?
(ii) Auxiliary Verbs: The verbs that help main verbs to form Tense, Mood, Voice and required expressions is known as Auxiliary Verbs.
Ex - I am going.
He has eaten.
It might rain today.
Note: Auxiliary verbs such as am, is ,are, have, has etc. are used as main verb in independent way in a sentence. Again Auxiliary verbs such as be, do, have, need and dare are also used as Lexical verbs.
Ex - I am a boy. (am - main verb)
He has a car. (has - main verb)
He is doing the work. (doing - lexical verb)
What do you have? (have - lexical verb)
(i) Lexical Verbs
(ii) Auxiliary Verbs
(i) Lexical Verbs: Lexical verbs are also known as ordinary verbs. They have independent means and are used as main verbs in a sentence. They have v1, v2, v3, v4(-ing), and v5(-s/es) forms.
Ex - Ram eats a mango.
He is running.
What do you want?
(ii) Auxiliary Verbs: The verbs that help main verbs to form Tense, Mood, Voice and required expressions is known as Auxiliary Verbs.
Ex - I am going.
He has eaten.
It might rain today.
Note: Auxiliary verbs such as am, is ,are, have, has etc. are used as main verb in independent way in a sentence. Again Auxiliary verbs such as be, do, have, need and dare are also used as Lexical verbs.
Ex - I am a boy. (am - main verb)
He has a car. (has - main verb)
He is doing the work. (doing - lexical verb)
What do you have? (have - lexical verb)
Kinds of Auxiliary Verbs:
According to the uses and structure, Auxiliary verbs are divided into three parts.
(i) Primary Auxiliary Verbs: Verb to be like - be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being; verb to have like - have, has, had, having and verb to do like - do, does, did are known as Primary Auxiliary Verbs.
(ii) Modal Auxiliary Verbs: Can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to are called Modal Auxiliary Verbs.
(iii) Marginal Auxiliary Verbs: Used to, dare and need are called Marginal or Semi Modal Auxiliary Verbs.
Some Important Facts of Auxiliary Verbs:
(i) Modal Auxiliaries are used as helping verbs not as main verbs.
(ii) Modal Auxiliaries do not have v1, v2, v3, v4 and v5 forms. They are used as the same form with all the numbers and persons.
(iii) Generally there is M.v1(first form of main verb) after the Modal Auxiliaries. It means we can not use infinitive with 'to'.
Ex - I can go. (Correct) (go - v1)
I can to go. (Incorrect) (to go - infinitive with to)
(iv) Infinitive with 'to' is used after ought and used.
Ex - We ought to help the poor. ( Correct)
We ought help the poor. ( Incorrect)
(v) Dare and need are used as main verbs.
Ex - He needs my help.
He does not dare to go there.
(vi) Verb to be is used as M.v4(present participle) in Continuous Tense.
Ex - He is taking coffee.
(vii) Verb to be is used as M.v3(past participle) in Passive Voice.
Ex - A letter was written by me.
(viii) Verb to be is used before the v3(past participle) of Intransitive verbs in Passive voice.
Ex - The sun has come out.
Summer is gone.
(ix) Do is used to make negative of an Imperative sentence and to form an Emphatic sentence.
Ex - Don't go there.
Do sing it again.
Uses of Modal auxiliaries:
A. Use of Can:
(i) Can is used to express power, ability and capacity.
Ex - He can lift the box. ( power)
You can speak English. ( ability)
We can climb Mount Abu. ( capacity)
(ii) Can is used to express permission.
Ex - You can go now.
Can i see your diary?
Note: To express Permission, the use of 'May' is better than the use of 'Can'.
(iii) It is used to express theoretical possibility.
Ex - Everyone can make a mistake.
It can't be true.
(iv) It is used to express habit or nature.
Ex - A deceitful person can deceive us.
An honest man cannot harm anyone.
