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Modal Auxiliaries (Helping Verbs)

What are Modal Auxiliaries?

Modal Auxiliaries are also called, helping verbs. So what does this really mean? As their name suggests, they help the main verb in a sentence by extending the meaning of the verb. They add detail to how time is conveyed in a sentence. As a result, helping verbs are used to create the most complicated verb tenses in English: the progressive and the perfect aspects. These verbs also function to convey complicated shades of meaning like expectation, permission, probability, potential, obligation, and direction.

Progressive - Modal Auxiliaries

When the main verb in a sentence ends in –ing, the progressive aspect is often being used. This aspect is used to convey the notion that an action is occurring in an ongoing fashion. The forms of the helping verb to be (am, is, are, was, and were) are used to create this aspect. The following sentences are examples of helping verbs being used to express this action:

• I am renting my guest house to my neighbor.
• Steve is starting a new personal training business for the elderly.
• Christopher and Bernadette are moving to Baton Rouge.
• It was raining when we got to Portland.
• The presidential candidates were debating in Philadelphia.

Perfect Aspects

There are three different forms of the perfect aspect in English: past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect. The standard perfect aspect is used to explain an action that is/was/will be in a state of progress and is/was/will be completed before a particular time. However, the perfect aspect can also be used in the continuous form to show actions that are in a state of progress but are ongoing. Forms of the verb to have (has, have, and had) and will and won’t are often used to create the various perfect aspects. The perfect aspect is subdivided into past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect. The following sentences demonstrate how helping verbs are used to create these aspects:

• She had stolen the car already by then. (past perfect)
• I had been dreaming about you when you called. (past perfect continuous)
• What will we do now that Barbara is gone?(future perfect)
• Jennifer won’t be going to the dinner. (future perfect)
• Dave has been working on the task all day. (present perfect continuous)
• Have you worked here long? (present perfect)

7th Grade: Grammar Lab Assignment

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, will be to:

• Explain what Modal Auxiliaries in Present means.
• Provide examples 5 sample sentence with the modal auxiliary in parenthesis and after the sentence, indicate the verb string.

To post your answers. Click on comments just below this post, enter your comment with your first and last name at the end, select anonymous and post your comment.

8TH GRADE POST HERE The Chocolate War Ch. 1-8: Questions and Vocabulary

POST YOUR QUESTIONS BY CLICKING ON comments just below.

14 Rules for Subject - Verb Agreement - Do it. Do it.

Subject Verb Agreement

Basic Rule: states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.

NOTE: The trick is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb.

Hint: Verbs do not form their plurals by adding an s as nouns do. In order to determine which verb is singular and which one is plural, think of which verb you would use with he or she and which verb you would use with they.

Example: talks, talk

Which one is the singular form? Which word would you use with he? We say, "He talks." Therefore, talks is singular. We say, "They talk." Therefore, talk is plural.

Rule 1: Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.

Ex: My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.

Rule 2: Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb as in Rule 1.

Ex: Neither Juan nor Carmen is available. Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.

Rule 3: When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow it with the singular verb am.

Ex: Neither she nor I am going to the festival.

Rule 4: When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.

Ex: The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.

Rule 5: When a singular and plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.

Ex: Neither Jenny nor the others are available.

Rule 6: As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.

Ex: A car and a bike are my means of transportation.

Rule 7: Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb.

Ex: The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly. Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause

of her shaking.

Rule 8: The pronouns each, everyone, every one, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody are singular and require singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of.

Ex: Each of the girls sings well. Every one of the cakes is gone.

NOTE: Everyone is one word when it means everybody.Every one is two words when the meaning is each one.

Rule 9: With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and so forth —look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.

Ex: Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.

Pie is the object of the preposition of.

Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.
Pies is the object of the preposition.

One-third of the city is unemployed.

One-third of the people are unemployed.

NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions.

All of the pie is gone.

All of the pies are gone.

Some of the pie is missing.

Some of the pies are missing.

None of the garbage was picked up.

None of the sentences were punctuated correctly.

Of all her books, none have sold as well as the first one.

Rule 10: When either and neither are subjects, they always take singular verbs.

Ex: Neither of them is available to speak right now. Either of us is capable of doing the job.

Rule 11: The words here and there have generally been labeled as adverbs even though they indicate place. In sentences beginning with here or there, the subject follows the verb.

Ex: There are four hurdles to jump. There is a high hurdle to jump.

Rule 12: Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time.

Ex: Ten dollars is a high price to pay. Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.

Rule 13: Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

Ex: Salma is the scientist who writes/write the reports.

The word in front of who is scientist, which is singular. Therefore, use the singular verb writes.

He is one of the men who does/do the work.

The word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.

Rule 14: Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either singular or plural depending on their use in the sentence.

Ex: The staff is in a meeting.

Staff is acting as a unit here.

The staff are in disagreement about the findings.
The staff are acting as separate individuals in this example.

The sentence would read even better as:
The staff members are in disagreement about the findings.

MoRe GrAmMaR GaMeS

Grammar Bytes: Exercises

Comma splices, fused sentences, fragments, irregular verbs, commas, pronoun agreement, pronoun case, pronoun reference, subject-verb agreement, word choice.