The suffixes of auxiliary verbs Worksheet Practice Exercises with Answers

Lesson 36: The Suffixes of Auxiliary Verbs

Each helping verb is truly a two-part package. There's the helping verb itself, and then there's the impact that the helping verb has on the verb that comes after it.

Progressive Be

Look at the sentences below. In each of them, the helping verb is a form of progressive be (underlined). What impact does progressive be have on the verb that comes after it?

(1) The children were working hard.
(2) I am considering a new job offer.
(3) Nothing was limiting his development.
(4) Many new advances are emerging.
(5) Sam is watching his favorite TV show.

You can see that the verb after the form of be always has -ing added to its base. This -ing form of the verb is referred to as the present participle in traditional grammar.

Quick Tip 36.1

When the helping verb is progressive be, the next verb always has -ing added to its base form. Example: is sleeping. The -ing verb form is called the present participle.

Question 1. Underline the be verb and the -ing ending of the following verb: She is leaving on the ten o'clock train.
Answer: She is leaving on the ten o'clock train. The helping verb is "is" and the verb with the -ing ending is "leaving".
In simple words: Find the form of be (is, are, was, were) and underline it. Then underline the -ing at the end of the next word.

Exam Tip: Always check for the be form first, then mark the verb that comes right after it with the -ing ending.

Question 2. The curtains were masking the view.
Answer: The curtains were masking the view. The helping verb is "were" and the verb with the -ing ending is "masking".
In simple words: Identify the be form and the -ing verb that follows it.

Exam Tip: Remember that progressive be includes all forms: is, am, are, was, were, being, been.

Question 3. I was wondering about his behavior.
Answer: I was wondering about his behavior. The helping verb is "was" and the verb with the -ing ending is "wondering".
In simple words: Mark the be form and the present participle that comes right after it.

Exam Tip: The -ing verb form always immediately follows the be helping verb in the progressive pattern.

Question 4. Paul is leaning on his wife's chair.
Answer: Paul is leaning on his wife's chair. The helping verb is "is" and the verb with the -ing ending is "leaning".
In simple words: Spot the be form, then mark the verb ending in -ing.

Exam Tip: Look for the be verb first; the present participle always follows directly.

Question 5. They are sounding rather defensive.
Answer: They are sounding rather defensive. The helping verb is "are" and the verb with the -ing ending is "sounding".
In simple words: Find the form of be and the -ing verb that follows it.

Exam Tip: The present participle always carries the -ing suffix when it follows progressive be.

Perfect Have

In each of the following sentences, the helping verb is a form of have (underlined). What impact does have have on the verb that comes after it? (This is a little trickier than the pattern with be.)

(6) She had greeted me happily.
(7) They have eaten dinner early today.
(8) That had interested the reporter.
(9) Sarah had managed to pry apart the shells.
(10) Carla and Raphael have written many books together.
(11) He and Bill had shaken hands.

The verb following have most often has the suffix -en or -ed added to it. The form of the verb following the helping verb have is traditionally called the past participle.

Quick Tip 36.2

When have is the helping verb, the next verb typically has -ed or -en added to its base form. Examples: has eaten, have watched. The verb form following the helping verb have is called the past participle.

Question 6. Underline the have and the -ed or -en ending of the following verb: The women had spoken to each other recently.
Answer: The women had spoken to each other recently. The helping verb is "had" and the past participle is "spoken".
In simple words: Find the form of have (has, have, had) and underline it. Then mark the past participle that comes right after it.

Exam Tip: Past participles often end in -ed or -en, but some irregular verbs change their vowel or stay the same.

Question 7. Unfortunately, the heroine had married the villain.
Answer: Unfortunately, the heroine had married the villain. The helping verb is "had" and the past participle is "married".
In simple words: Identify the have form and mark the verb with the -ed or -en ending.

Exam Tip: The past participle follows directly after the have helping verb.

Question 8. Andy and George have enjoyed themselves enormously.
Answer: Andy and George have enjoyed themselves enormously. The helping verb is "have" and the past participle is "enjoyed".
In simple words: Find have and the verb with -ed or -en added.

Exam Tip: When you see have, have, or had, look for the past participle right after it.

Question 9. My student has written an interesting essay on technology.
Answer: My student has written an interesting essay on technology. The helping verb is "has" and the past participle is "written".
In simple words: Mark the have form and the past participle that comes after it.

Exam Tip: Remember that "written" is an irregular past participle; it doesn't follow the -ed pattern.

Question 10. The hockey game has ended in a tie.
Answer: The hockey game has ended in a tie. The helping verb is "has" and the past participle is "ended".
In simple words: Find the have form and the verb with the -ed or -en suffix.

Exam Tip: Regular past participles add -ed; irregular ones may change vowels or stay the same.

Past Participle Patterns

The -ed and -en suffixes are the most common endings for past participles. However, for historical reasons, there are truly several ways to build past participles. Note the following patterns of some typical verbs:

Another way to build past participles is by changing a vowel of the verb base, sometimes also adding the suffix -en. Some examples are:

Sometimes no change at all is made to the verb:

There is no magic or hard rule to decide what the past participle of a particular verb is. We just have to learn it when we study English.

Modal Helping Verbs

In each of the following sentences, the helping verb is a modal (underlined). What impact does a modal have on the verb that comes after it?

(12) The piano salesman should consider his actions.
(13) He will recognize it immediately.
(14) Sam could be a star quarterback.
(15) The major may speak to you later.

Quick Tip 36.3

When the helping verb is a modal, the next verb is always in its base form. Example: can study.

Question 11. Underline the modal and put a squiggly line under the verb following it, which will be in its base form: Richard will believe the truth.
Answer: Richard will believe the truth. The modal is "will" and the base form verb is "believe".
In simple words: Mark the modal (can, could, may, might, should, would, will, shall, must) and then mark the simple verb form that comes after it.

Exam Tip: Modals always bring the base form of the verb with them; no -ing, no -ed, no -en.

Question 12. The waiter might bring it.
Answer: The waiter might bring it. The modal is "might" and the base form verb is "bring".
In simple words: Find the modal word and the simple verb that follows it.

Exam Tip: All modals require the base form of the verb to follow them.

Question 13. They may be home late.
Answer: They may be home late. The modal is "may" and the base form verb is "be".
In simple words: Mark the modal and the base verb that comes right after it.

Exam Tip: Even when the base form is "be," the pattern stays the same - modals take the base form.

Question 14. We shall overcome this obstacle.
Answer: We shall overcome this obstacle. The modal is "shall" and the base form verb is "overcome".
In simple words: Find the modal and mark the plain verb form that follows it.

Exam Tip: The base form never has -ing, -ed, -en, or any other suffix when it follows a modal.

Question 15. I would do it in an instant.
Answer: I would do it in an instant. The modal is "would" and the base form verb is "do".
In simple words: Find the modal and the simple verb in its base form.

Exam Tip: Base form verbs used with modals show no special ending or change in form.

Multiple Helping Verbs

What takes place to the following verb if there is more than one helping verb in a sentence? Is the pattern the same when a helping verb is followed by another helping verb, rather than the main verb? The patterns we have talked about are the same, whether there is one helping verb or more than one helping verb in a sentence. You can see this in the following sentences:

(16) They have been seeing the doctor regularly.
(17) You have been observing the situation closely.

Since have (in bold) is a helping verb in these sentences, the next verb, be, gets the -en ending (also in bold). And since be (underlined) is also a helping verb, the verb after be gets the -ing ending (also underlined).

We can also see consistent patterns in the following two sentences:

(18) They should have seen the doctor regularly.
(19) You might be observing the situation closely.

In sentence 18 the modal (in bold) causes the next verb, have, to be in its base form. The have helping verb then changes the form of the next verb, the main verb see, which shows up in its past participle form, seen. Similarly, in sentence 19 the modal, might, causes the next verb, be, to be in its base form. Then the be changes the form of the next verb, the main verb observe, which shows up in its present participle form, observing.

What takes place if a sentence has all three kinds of helping verbs? The pattern still remains the same, as you can see in the next set of examples:

(20) They should have been seeing the doctor regularly.
(21) You might have been observing the situation more closely.

The modal, which is the first helping verb (in bold), causes have to be in its base form. The have helping verb (underlined) causes the next verb, be, to show up in its past participle form, that is, with the -en suffix (also underlined), and be (with a squiggly line) causes the next verb, the main verb, to be in its present participle form, that is, ending in -ing (also with a squiggly line).

So the overall pattern is completely consistent, whether a sentence has one, two, or three helping verbs.

Gerunds

As we've seen, when progressive be is the helping verb, the next verb always has -ing added to it. But sometimes verbs ending in the -ing suffix have a different use, as we can see in these next sentences:

(22) Skiing energizes me.
(23) I love cooking.

In these sentences, the -ing word does not come after the helping verb be. Instead, the -ing ending shifts the verb into a noun. In fact, notice that the -ing word can be replaced with a typical noun in these sentences, for example: Sugar energizes me, I love Mary. A noun that consists of a verb and the suffix -ing is called a gerund.

Quick Tip 36.4

A noun that consists of a verb and the suffix -ing is called a gerund. Example: Entertaining is fun.

Here are some more examples of sentences with gerunds:

(24) Reading is one of life's pleasures.
(25) Thinking can be hard work!
(26) The criminal admitted lying.
(27) They stopped worrying about it.

Question 16. Decide if each underlined word ending in -ing in the following sentences is being used as a verb, part of the progressive be "package," or as a noun, that is, as a gerund. To help you decide, see whether or not the -ing word follows the helping verb be: She likes walking the dog.
Answer: "Walking" is a gerund (noun) in this sentence. It does not come after a form of be. The word "likes" is the main verb, and "walking" is what is being liked. You can test this by replacing it with a noun: "She likes dogs."
In simple words: If the -ing word doesn't come right after be, then it's a noun (gerund), not a verb part.

Exam Tip: Ask yourself: "Does this -ing word follow a form of be (is, are, was, were)?" If no, it's a gerund.

Question 17. They are constructing small homes in that part of town.
Answer: "Constructing" is a verb used with progressive be. The sentence has the form "are constructing," so "constructing" is part of the be verb package with the -ing ending, not a gerund.
In simple words: The -ing word comes right after "are," so it is a verb part, not a noun.

Exam Tip: When you see be + -ing verb, it's always the progressive pattern, not a gerund.

Question 18. He was looking for Jonas.
Answer: "Looking" is a verb used with progressive be. The sentence has the form "was looking," so "looking" is part of the be verb package, not a gerund.
In simple words: The -ing word follows "was," so it's a verb, not a noun.

Exam Tip: Remember: be + -ing = progressive verb pattern, not a gerund noun.

Question 19. The candidate thought about refusing.
Answer: "Refusing" is a gerund (noun) in this sentence. It does not come after a form of be. Instead, it comes after the preposition "about." You can test this by replacing it with a noun: "The candidate thought about quitting."
In simple words: The -ing word doesn't follow be, so it's a noun used after the preposition "about".

Exam Tip: When an -ing word comes after a preposition (about, of, for, etc.), it's usually a gerund.

Question 20. Giving to charity is an old American tradition.
Answer: "Giving" is a gerund (noun) in this sentence. It acts as the subject of the sentence. You can tell because "is" is the main verb, and "Giving" is what the sentence is about. Test it: "A gift to charity is an old American tradition."
In simple words: The -ing word sits in the subject spot and is what the sentence talks about, so it's a noun (gerund).

Exam Tip: If an -ing word is the subject of the sentence, it's always a gerund.

Question 21. I should have thought of responding earlier.
Answer: "Responding" is a gerund (noun) in this sentence. It comes after the preposition "of," not after a form of be. "Thought" is the main verb, and "responding" is what the person should have considered. Test it: "I should have thought of it earlier."
In simple words: The -ing word comes after the preposition "of," so it's a noun, not part of a be verb.

Exam Tip: Gerunds follow prepositions; progressive -ing verbs follow forms of be.

Question 22. Last night we were having lots of fun.
Answer: "Having" is a verb used with progressive be. The sentence has the form "were having," so "having" is part of the be verb package with the -ing ending, not a gerund.
In simple words: The -ing word follows "were," so it's a progressive verb, not a noun.

Exam Tip: Progressive be patterns always have the -ing word right after the be form.

Question 23. The employee was being honest with you.
Answer: "Being" is a verb used with progressive be. The sentence has the form "was being," so "being" is part of the be verb package with the -ing ending, not a gerund.
In simple words: The -ing word comes right after "was," so it's a verb part.

Exam Tip: Even when the -ing word is a form of be itself, it's still a progressive verb if it follows another be form.

Question 24. She enjoys listening to her iPod.
Answer: "Listening" is a gerund (noun) in this sentence. It does not come after a form of be. Instead, it comes after the verb "enjoys" and is the object of that verb. Test it: "She enjoys music."
In simple words: The -ing word is what is being enjoyed, so it's a noun used as the object of the verb.

Exam Tip: When an -ing word is the direct object of a verb, it's a gerund.

Question 25. Some doctors recommend taking vitamin pills.
Answer: "Taking" is a gerund (noun) in this sentence. It does not come after a form of be. Instead, it comes after "recommend" as the object of that verb. Test it: "Some doctors recommend vitamins."
In simple words: The -ing word is what doctors urge people to do, so it's a noun used as the object.

Exam Tip: Gerunds can be objects of verbs or follow prepositions; progressive verbs never do.

Question 26. I am considering your offer seriously.
Answer: "Considering" is a verb used with progressive be. The sentence has the form "am considering," so "considering" is part of the be verb package with the -ing ending, not a gerund.
In simple words: The -ing word comes right after "am," so it's a progressive verb, not a noun.

Exam Tip: Always check whether the -ing word follows be; if it does, it's progressive, not a gerund.

Summary Table: Helping Verbs and Following Verbs

Two additional helping verbs will be discussed in Lessons 52 and 53.