What is an auxiliary verb?

Definition
	An auxiliary verb is a verb which
	accompanies the lexical verb of a verb phrase, and expresses grammatical distinctions not carried by the lexical verb, such as person number tense aspect, and voice.

Examples (English)
	can may do

Generic
	An auxiliary verb is a kind of
	What is a verb? (Linguistics)

Sources
	Crystal 1985 326
	Crystal 1980 38–39
	Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik 1985 79–80, 120
	Hartmann and Stork 1972 24
	Mish 1991 118

Context for this page:

Concept module: auxiliary verb
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): A
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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