1.
Auxiliary verbs (also known as helping verbs) are used in conjunction with main
verbs to form various constructions, such as:
2. Tense constructions (e.g., "He is running" for present continuous or "She has
finished" for present perfect).
3. Passive voice (e.g., "The book was written by the author").
4. Question formation (e.g., "Did you finish the work?").
5. Negation (e.g., "He does not like ice cream").
6. Modal auxiliary constructions (e.g., "You must finish your homework").
7. Exercise 2
8. be – lexical (copula) verb
9. was – progressive auxiliary
10. was – passive auxiliary
11. was – lexical (copula) verb
12. was being – progressive auxiliary
13. was being – progressive auxiliary
14. been – progressive auxiliary
15. been – lexical (copula) verb
16. was – lexical (copula) verb
17. was – progressive auxiliary
18. was – passive auxiliary
19. was – passive auxiliary
20. been – passive auxiliary
21. was – passive auxiliary
In summary:
22. Lexical (copula) verb: 1, 4, 8, 9
23. Progressive auxiliary: 2, 5, 6, 7, 10
24. Passive auxiliary: 3, 11, 12, 13, 14
25. Exercise 3
26. They might even have slipped out for a smoke.
o NP: They
o AdvP: might even
o PP: out
o NP: a smoke
27. She always has dyed her hair a strange colour.
o NP: She
o AdvP: always
o NP: her hair
o NP: a strange colour
o AP: strange
28. The exercises should have been much easier.
o NP: The exercises
o AP: much easier
o AP: easier
29. I will be happily looking after your charming children.
o NP: I
o AdvP: happily
o PP: after your charming children
o NP: your charming children
o AP: charming
30. William must have surreptitiously shown Millie the answers.
o NP: William
o AdvP: surreptitiously
o NP: Millie
o NP: the answers
31. We had already run out of sausages by ten pm.
o NP: We
o AdvP: already
o PP: out of sausages
o NP: sausages
o PP: by ten pm
o NP: ten pm
32. They were peeling the bananas and slicing them lengthways.
o NP: They
o NP: the bananas
o NP: them
o AdvP: lengthways
33. They will do the work and hand it in tomorrow.
o NP: They
o NP: the work
o NP: it
o PP: in tomorrow
34. I can’t watch it for another ten minutes. (Ambiguous!)
o NP: I
o NP: it
o PP: for another ten minutes
o NP: another ten minutes
o NP: ten minutes
