By Auxiliaries, Contractions

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,...

Thank you so much. CalifJim wrote: Not contracting auxiliary have is relatively rare in conversation.Yeah, I usually hear contractions, so I've never really paid much attention to non-contracted forms.Anyway, I see they are all pronounced as /hav/, a like in cat. My dictionaries and...

The passage below has been taken from American Heritage Book of English. ought as auxiliary verb. Ought is an auxiliary verb that usually takes to with its accompanying verb: We ought to go. Sometimes the accompanying verb is dropped if the meaning is clear: Should we begin soon? Yes, we...

Nona Nona The Brit wrote: Yes Paco I am perfectly aware that 200 years ago the construction 'is arrived' was acceptable. So what? If you are so, why did you give such a message as below? If you had written in previous post just that "is arrived" is not incorrect but rather an archaic collocation,...

HSS wrote: All that having been said and pondering what I have heard and read, I gather the "be going to" form gives you an impression of more determinedness of the speaker whereas the present progressive one of more certainty of the result of the action. Aren't I right? Something like, "I'm...

Hello Ruslana. 1. If someone wants to know more, let's contact me. 2. If someone wants to know more, let contact me. 3. If someone wants to know more, contact me. In your examples, both sentence #1 and sentence #2 are incorrect, at least in my understanding. The verb 'let' has varieties of...

according to the houghton mifflin company's amreicsan heritgae dictionary of the english language::: will (n.) 1. the mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action; volition 2. an instance of the exercising of this faculty; a deliberate...

Hi, Pieanne, The first two are easy. The same ideas presented for the affirmative forms I've got a book. / I have a book. apply to the negative forms I haven't got a book. / I don't have a book. The third is even easier. In British English, but not in American, "have" used as a...

"cannot", not "can not", for "can't" "I'd" = "I had" or "I would"; same for all the others - we'd, you'd, ... I've been to Mexico twice. Correct. No "I've" when "have" is the main verb; contraction is possible only for auxiliary "have", and even then not always: "You have been to Mexico, and...