Auxiliary and modal verbs help form tenses, voices, and moods. There are primary auxiliaries like be, have, and do as well as modal auxiliaries like shall, should, will, would, may, might, can, could, must, ought to, used to, need and dare. Auxiliary verbs are used in short answers, to avoid repetition, with so and neither, in "echo" questions, to show emphasis, and in question tags. Question tags are formed with an auxiliary verb and pronoun and are used to check something believed to be true or to ask for agreement.

1. AUXILIARY & MODAL VERBS

2. AUXILIARY & MODAL VERBS
• Auxiliary or helping verbs are verbs
which help to form tenses, voices or
moods.
• There are primary auxiliaries: be, have
and do and modal auxiliaries: shall,
should, will, would, may, might, can,
could, must, ought to, used to, need
and dare

3. AUXILIARY & MODAL VERBS
USES:
1.In short answers
2.To avoid repetition
3.With so & neither
4.With “echo” questions
5.To show emphasis
6.With question tags

4. SHORT ANSWERS
• We use them instead of answering just
YES or NO. It sounds more polite and
natural.
Examples:
• Do you speak German? No, I don’t.
• Are they at home? Yes, they are.
• Can we stay here? Yes, you can.

5. TO AVOID REPETITION
• To avoid repeating the main verb / verb
phrase:
Examples:
• I love comedies, but my husband doesn’t.
• Erin is studying, but John isn’t.
• They can say what they want, but we can’t.

6. SO & NEITHER
• We use SO and NEITHER to agree with
what someone has just said.
• If someone says something positive and we
agree with them we can use
SO + aux/modal + pronoun.
• If someone says something negative and we
agree with them we can use
NEITHER + aux/modal + pronoun.

7. SO & NEITHER
Examples:
• A:I love comedies.
• B: So do I.
• A: Shhh! Erin is studying.
• B: So am I.
• A: I can’t open the door.
• B: Neither can I
• A:I won’t say anything
• B: Neither will I.

8. TO SHOW EMPHASIS
• It is common to use auxiliary verbs in positive
sentences when we contradict or deny what
someone has said or when we want to give
extra emphasis.
• In these sentences the auxiliary is stressed
strongly.
Examples:
• A: Are you a vegetarian?
• B: I do eat meat, but I prefer fish.
• A: You didn’t lock the door.
• B: I did lock the door.

9. “ECHO” QUESTIONS
• We make “echo” questions to show an
interest in what someone is saying.
• They’re called “echo” questions because
they repeat a part of what the other
speaker has said.
• They have a rising intonation.
Examples:
• A: I love Coldplay.
• B: Do you?
• A: They don’t eat meat.
• B: Don’t they?

10. QUESTION TAGS
Tag questions are used:
• To ask another person to agree with you
It’s a nice day, isn’t it?
(Intonation goes down)
It’s not really a question.
•To check something which you think is true
Jack isn’t your brother, is he?
(Intonation goes up)
It’s a real question.

11. QUESTION TAGS
They are formed by an auxiliary verb and a
pronoun.
Examples:
•Jack isn’t your brother, is he?
•Mabel lives in Cardiff, doesn’t she?
•They have finished their homework, haven’t
they?

12. QUESTION TAGS
Add a negative question tag (-) to a positive
statement (+)
•We get too much homework, don’t we?
Add a positive question tag (+) to a negative
statement (-)
•The police don’t have many clues, do they?

13. QUESTION TAGS
1) Question tags with the verb To Be
He’s a painter, isn’t he?
I’m clever, aren’t I?
2) Question tags with a full verb
You prefer tea, don’t you?
He doesn’t work any more, does he?

14. QUESTION TAGS
3) Question tags with modal verbs
We should write our report today, shouldn’t
we?
We can’t take pictures of the room, can we?
You won’t forget it, will you?
They’ve already finished it, haven’t they?

15. QUESTION TAGS
4) After an order or request with imperatives
Close the door, will you?
Don’t make so much noise, will you?
5) After let’s, we use shall we? to make
suggestions
Let’s go for a swim, shall we?
Let’s get something to eat, shall we?

16. ANSWERING TAG QUESTIONS
You have coffee every morning, don’t you?
Agree Disagree
Yes, I do. No, I don’t.
You don’t like classical music, do you?
Agree Disagree
No, I don’t. Yes, I do.

17. AUXILIARY & MODAL VERBS
• By Fernanda González