CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH 8: LANGUAGE WORKSHEET 1.

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Language worksheet 1.1

In this worksheet, you will focus on identifying auxiliary verbs.
There can be two types of verb in a verb phrase: main verbs and auxiliary verbs.
Main verbs contain key meanings, such as walk, talk, dream, think, eat, sleep. They change their
form to reflect past and present tense – for example: walked/walking/walks or eaten/ate/eating/eats.
They also change their form to indicate singular and plural in subject-verb agreement: the ball
bounces/the balls bounce or the bird flies/the birds fly.
Auxiliary verbs ‘help’ the main verb to express whether something is past or present tense and also
whether it is singular or plural (subject-verb agreement). The main auxiliary verbs are be, have and
do. These verbs change their form:
 be, being, been, is, was, were, are, am
 have, has, having, had
 do, does, did
Note that these verbs can function as both auxiliary and main verbs:

Subject Auxiliary Main verb Object

I do have time.

He is doing homework.

She has done everything.

They were having dinner.

Nine other auxiliary verbs are special ‘modal’ verbs, which express mood, attitude or judgement:
can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must. Modal verbs cannot be used as main verbs.
Examine the verb phrases in the following grouped sentences. Tick () the sentences that use
auxiliary verbs in the verb phrase. Underline the auxiliaries in your ticked sentences.
1 He read that book.

He has read that book.

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Cambridge Lower Secondary English 8 – Creamer, Clare & Rees-Bidder © Cambridge University Press 2021
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH 8: LANGUAGE WORKSHEET 1.1

2 They did complete all of the exercises.

They did all of the exercises

3 They are inside.

They are going inside.

4 She has found the answer.

She found the answer.

5 I have the money.

I do have the money.

6 They collect jigsaw puzzles.

They did collect jigsaw puzzles.

7 They have it all.

They do have it all.

8 She left the group.

She must have left the group.

9 You could go outside.

You may go outside.

You go outside.

10 I will have prepared.

I have prepared.

I could have prepared.

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Cambridge Lower Secondary English 8 – Creamer, Clare & Rees-Bidder © Cambridge University Press 2021