2. Main Verbs & Helping Verbs

3. HELPING VERBS
Main VerbS

4. Functions
•Used to tell tense.
•Can be used in negation or
interrogation.
•Used in short answers
•Used to form question tags

5. Kinds of Auxiliaries
Primary auxiliaries
Modal auxiliaries
Semi Modals/Marginal

6. Primary Auxiliaries
•Be: be, is, am, are, being,
been, was, were
•Have: have, has, had
•Do: do, does, did

7. Modal/Modal Auxiliaries
Will, would, can,
could, may, might,
shall, should, must,
ought

8. Semi Modal / Marginal
•need, used &
dare

9. Shall/Should
Future Tense-
I shall go to Shillong next year.
Express suggestion/advice-
Shall we go to play football now?
Expresses duty/ obligation-
You shouldn’t travel without a ticket.
Used when seeking advice-
What should I do now?

10. Will/Would
To express future tense-
He will like your idea.
To express wish/ determination-
Given a chance, I would certainly go to the
Himalayas.
I will like to go on a cruise.
To express an invitation
Will you join us for lunch?( use would with
please)

11. Can/Could
Express ability, capability or capacity-
He can lift this log with ease.
Make a request-
Can you help me with this sum?
Could I borrow your vehicle for a day?(Too
polite)
Express permission-
You can go out to play.
Express past ability-
I could write neatly when I was young.

12. May/Might
To seek/give permission-
May I help you with your bag?
You may go out to ply now.
To express a curse/wish-
May you suffer bitterly for every mean act
you do.
May God bless you.
To express strong possibility-
It may rain this afternoon.

13. Must
To express duty/obligation-
We must do as our teacher tells us to do.
We must look after our parents in their old
age.
To express compulsion/ necessity-
You must be punctual in all matters.
You must hurry, otherwise you will miss the
bus.

14. Ought To
Used to express sense of obligation/
duty-
We ought to respect our teachers.
We ought to help the orphans.
Sense of necessity/ advice-
You ought to reach home before dark each
day.

15. Note:-
‘ Ought to have’ is the Past tense of
ought to.
Must expresses more compulsion
but less obligation than ought to.
Ought to expresses more moral
obligation than should and must.

16. Dare
Used to convey sense of courage-
How dare you enter without knocking?
How dare he speak to you like that?
He dares me to break this window.
Daren’t is used to express lack of
courage-
I daren’t go there.
They daren’t open the door.

17. Need
Used to convey a sense of obligation
usually in an interrogative sentence
Need she speak more?
You need to pass a driving test.
Needn’t used in negative sense.
You needn’t stay there anymore.
You needn’t yell your guts out.

18. Used To
Used to express a past habit/state
which has ceased now.
We used to walk all the way to school.
I am not used to waking up late in the
mornings.
I used to play football at school.

19. Permission- Can/may/could
Ability- can/could
Possibility- may/might/could
Make requests- can/could/would
Make Offers- can/shall/will
Give/seek Advice- should
Probability- should/will/must
Obligation- should/must/ought to
Necessity- must/have to/need to
Habit- used to/ would

21. Let’s check...................
o You ______read in dim light.
o I _____ my essay by tomorrow.
o He _______ speak English fairly well.
o I ______ have made some mistakes.
o I ____ run faster than you.
o We _____ to study at the time of
examination.
oHe ______ know when the train will arrive.
oI _______ read a lot of books when I was
young.

22. 1. Should not
2. Have to
3. Can/can’t
4. Might/must
5. Can
6. Ought
7. Might
8. Used to