Free English Grammar Course

MODULE 01 · LESSON 3 OF 11

Be, have and do: main verbs and helpers

Your goal: Tell when be, have and do are the main verb and when they help another verb.

Level: FoundationAbout 10 to 15 minutes6 questions

Grammar words in this lesson

main verb: the verb that carries the meaning in a sentence, such as swim in “She can swim”
auxiliary: a helping verb. Be, have and do can help a main verb to make questions, negatives and other forms.
base form: the verb with no ending, as you find it in a dictionary: work, go, be

Three verbs with two jobs

Be, have and do are special. Each one can be the main verb of a sentence. Each one can also help another verb. A helping verb is called an auxiliary.

Verb	As the main verb	As a helper
be	The room is quiet.	They are waiting.
have	We have a balcony.	We have finished.
do	I do the shopping on Fridays.	Do you live here?

Forms such as are waiting and have finished are taught step by step in Module 04, starting with Module 04, lesson 2: Present continuous: happening now and around now. For now, learn to see which job the verb is doing.

Do helps ordinary verbs

Most verbs cannot make a question or a negative alone. They need do or does as a helper: Do you live here? Does Omar play the piano? I do not eat meat.

After do or does, use the base form: the verb with no ending. Say Does Omar play?, not Does Omar plays?

Be is different. It makes questions and negatives without do: Are you ready?

Have and have got

For something you own, you can say I have a ticket or I have got a ticket. Both are correct. Have got is more common in British English and in speech.

Each form makes questions and negatives in its own way. Do not mix them.

	have	have got
Question	Do you have a ticket?	Have you got a ticket?
Negative	I do not have a ticket.	I have not got a ticket.

For the past, use had: We had a small garden.

What does ’s mean?

The short form ’s can mean is or has. Look at the next word. She’s tired means she is tired. She’s finished the report means she has finished the report. She’s got a car means she has got a car.

Common mistakes

Not this	Say this
Does she has a car?	Does she have a car?
Do you have got a pen?	Do you have a pen? / Have you got a pen?
I am have a bicycle.	I have a bicycle.

Practice: answer first, then check

Say or write your answer before you open it. Your answers are not sent or saved.

Choose: Does her brother (work / works) here?
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: work
Why: After does, use the base form. Does already shows he, she or it, so the main verb takes no -s.
Choose: (Do / Are) you tired?
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: Are
Why: Tired is a description, so the verb is be. Be makes its own questions without do.
Complete: ___ you have a pen I can borrow?
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: Do
Why: Here have is an ordinary main verb, so the question needs the helper do. With have got you would say Have you got a pen?
Write the full form: He’s written the address down.
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: He has written the address down.
Why: Written is the form used after has (has written), and it has an object after it: the address. So ’s means has here, not is.
Make negative: We have a garden.
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: We do not have a garden.or We don’t have a garden.
Why: Have as a main verb makes its negative with do not, like other ordinary verbs. With have got you would say We haven’t got a garden.
Correct the mistake: Does your sister has a car?
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: Does your sister have a car?
Why: The helper does carries the he, she, it form. The main verb goes back to its base form, have.

Make it yours

Write two sentences about things you have. Turn one into a question and one into a negative.

More practice

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