By Auxiliaries, Negatives

Anonymous wrote: WHICH SENTENCE IS CORRECT DID YOU FLY IN? OR DID YOU FLEW IN? When you use an auxiliary verb in the simple past tense, that is in negatives and questions, you better use bare infinitive.

<<rarely, hardly, scarcely, and barely are typical examples of negative polarity items.>> CJ made a very good point . Most people tag the question often based on how the auxiliary word is configured into the sentence. Adverbs ( as those pointed out ) bearing negative connotation...

Hi, Could you help me to distinguish (what is the difference between these...?) these two confused sentences? Before you do, please explain clearly. Thank you. 1. I did play. 2. I played. Both are OK, although you would usually say #2 instead of #1. Various tenses involve both main and...

Note the definition: Operators are the modals (can, could, will, would, etc.) and forms of be -- and also forms of do or have used as auxiliaries. The negative adverb not can only be carried by an operator, i.e., can only be used when accompanied by an operator. To negate a sentence...

<although somewhere in the back of my mind I vaguely remember reading the combination I usen't to .... > Chambers says: used to There is often uncertainty about the correct negative form of used to. The following are all acceptable (note that when an auxiliary verb is used, it is did,...

Wow, I didn't know that, thank you.So it is interesting to notice that the positive short forms are possible (me too, us too, them too, etc.), but the negative ones are not (only "me neither" is possible, but not "us neither", "them meither", or somethng else like that). You have to repeat the...

A question tag mostly (there are exceptions) uses the same auxiliary as in the main clause, but in the affirmative form if the main clause is negative, and in the negative form if the main clause is affirmative. Which solution would you choose?

Another set of patterns occurred to me. These sometimes give learners trouble, and it's a good idea to practice them until they are automatic. They are drills on 'subject pronoun + auxiliary verb' contractions. Type X1: he's, she's, I'm, you're, we're, they're Type X2: he'll, she'll,...

Hi, First of all, write a headline to your essay because the effect of gap between rich and poor is the subject of the argumentative esssay it is not a headline.In your first paragraph you don't tell us what you will talk about I mean, there is a gap between them but what kind of a gap is...

Hi redliddyI am not so sure what to say about your 'Others' group but the difference between 'Modals' and 'Semi-modals' is very clear. I have always called 'modals' defective auxiliaries, by the way, but I do know that your term is also used.With the modals you never use do in questions and...