Lecture 3

Be, Have and Do as main verbs and as auxiliary verbs.

 The verb Be (am /is/ are/ was/ were) is a main verbs in the sentence when it is used as a
linking verbs, e.g.
1. I am a student.
2. Cyprus is an Island.
3. We are friends.
4. Fatima was sick.
5. The children were at school.

 The verb Be is also used with there to express existence:

There is – are / was –were

1. There is a police station near here.

2. There are some letters for you.
3. There was a bakery in this street.
4. There were some mistakes in my homework.

 The verb be is an auxiliary verb when it is used with the present participle (verb + ing) to
form the present and past continuous tenses and with the past participle (V3) to form the
passive voice, e.g
1. I am reading a story now.
2. I was watching TV.
Passive voice, e.g.
3. Tea is grown in India.
4. Ali‟s car was stolen.
5. The cake was eaten by someone.

 The verb have (have/has/had) is a main verb in a sentence when it gives the meaning of
„possess „ , drink, eat, take, find, enjoy, receive,…..e.g.
1. I have a car.(possess)
2. I always have jam for breakfast. (Eat)
3. We have English lessons four times a week. (take)
4. We have difficulty with English grammar. (find)
5. The children had a nice time at the resort yesterday. (enjoyed)
6. I had an email from Ali last night. (received)
We often use got with have especially in the present tense. This does not change the
meaning:
I have got is the same as I have
Have you got? Is the same as Do you have?
She hasn’t got is the same as She doesn’t have

 The verb have is an auxiliary verb when it is used with the past participle to form the
perfect tenses e.g.
I have seen this film before. (Present perfect)

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 The patient had died before the doctor arrived. (Past perfect)

 The verb Do ( do, does ,did) can be a main verb or an auxiliary verb:
I do my homework at night.
Mum does the cooking every day.
Salem Alabd did a good work for us.

 The verb Do is an auxiliary verb when it is used to form the present simple tense and past
simple tense.
They live in zawiyah (Positive)
Do they live in zawiyah? (Question)
They don‟t live in zawiyah. (Negative)

 The verb Do is used for Question – Tags with all verbs that are not auxiliary e.g.
Your father speaks English, doesn‟t he?
You like coffee, don‟t you?

 The verb Do is used to make the emphatic form of verb, e.g.

I do like reading
I did buy some bread.
He does say the truth.

 The verb do is also used to avoid repetition of the predicate especially in short answer, e.g.
Do you know Mr Salih?
Yes I do
Who broke the window?
Ali did.
I like English.
So do I.
I don‟t understand the mathematics teacher.
Neither do I.

 Do not (=don‟t ) is always used to make the negative imperative, e.g.

Don‟t waste your time
Don‟t smoke here.
Study these sentences
1. Be careful! (affirmative imperative)
2. I am from Libya. I‟m Libyan.
3. I am late.
4. I‟m studying English grammar now.
5. I‟m not watching TV.
6. Learning a language is always useful.
7. Ahmed is here.
8. Is this seat free?
9. “Time is money” (A proverb)
10. “there is nothing new under the sun”
11. Are there any vegetable in the fridge?

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 12. Ali is coming now.
13. They are staying in a hotel.
14. You are right.
15. Are you tired?
16. There was football match on TV last night.
17. Ali was here.
18. He was watching the match.
Have: have, has, had
1. Have a nice day.
2. Have lovely weekend.
3. Have a safe nice trip.
4. Have a seat.
5. Have a cup of tea.
6. I always have toast and coffee for breakfast.
7. I have got a cold.
8. I have got examination in French next week.
9. Where have you been?
10. I have been to the new shopping mall.
11. I have no money.
12. I‟m having a lecture now.
13. I‟m going to have my hair cut later.
14. Safa has got blue eyes.
15. She has bought a new dress.
16. Khalid had a serious accident yesterday.
17. I had some guests last night.
18. They had breakfast last night.
19. The children had a great fun at the farm.
20. I had visited my father in the hospital before I went to school.
Do: do, does, did
21. Do your best to help me?
22. Don‟t be late.
23. Don‟t cause trouble to yourself.
24. Ali did me a good favour yesterday
25. What are you doing now?
26. Do you understand me?
Yes I do.
27. I don‟t like that person.
Neither do I
28. Why didn‟t you buy any bread. I did buy some.

There are three fundamental forms for verbs in English

Infinitive Past form Past participle
Live lived Lived
Arrive Arrived arrived
Work Worked Worked
Visit Visited Visited
Finish Finished Finished
Play Played Played

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 Study studied Studied
Watch Watched Watched Regular
Clean Cleaned Cleaned verbs
Water Watered Watered
Stay Stayed Stayed
Welcome Welcomed Welcomed
Open Opened Opened
Rain Rained Rained
Kill Killed Killed
Write Wrote Written
Come Came Come
Make Made Made
See Saw Seen
Teach Taught Taught
Go Went Gone
Read Read Read Irregular
Cut Cut Cut verbs
Meet Met Met
Find Found Found
Buy Bought Bought
Bring Brought Brought
Pay Paid Paid
Lose Lost Lost
Cost Cost Cost