PRIMARY VERBS BE, HAVE, and DO
Semantically, the primary verbs as auxiliaries share an association with the
basic grammatical verb (V) categories of tense, aspect, and voice. --- modal
V’s: associated mainly with the expression of modal meanings.
Formal analysis:
BE
Is a main V. (copula: 2.16): Ann is a happy girl.
Aux: is learning ; has been improving ; was broken
Has both sets of finite and non-finite forms in aux. function! (8 different
forms)---Table 3.32 +NOTES!
HAVE
Both an aux (for perfect) and a main V.
As a main V, it takes dir. O. --- meanings: possession.
Negatives: 3 variants : I have not seen her. – I haven’t … I’ve not…
(haven’t is more common; as V3(-ed) form, had is a main V: Have you had
lunch? Or to the have to constr.
HAVE as main V:
A/with stative meaning: shows syntactic variation: i/combines with DOsupport, and ii/, acts as an operator
I, We don’t have any money. Do you have a lighter?
Ii, We haven’t ….
Have you a lighter? (uncommon)
Informal have got: preferred in BrE to stative have:
He has 4 kids.
He has got 4 kids,
Esp. common in neg. and interrogative clauses:
We haven’t any…
haven’t got any… possession
don’t have any…
Have you got any brothers….
Have you any…
relationships + Short answers!!!
Do you have
health
A/ is BrE , formal; b,is BrE informal, c,AmE (and in BrE)
Have to compared with have got to:
I. although the latter has the same meanings as the former (logical necessity,
obligation), the latter tends not to have habitual meaning. When combined
with a V of dynamic meaning, it refers to future:
1. Jim’s got to check the temperature every 12 hours .
2. Jim has to check the t…
Whereas 1. Is as directive for the future, 2.more likely to indicate a habitual
action (present duties)
II. While have to occurs in non-finite forms, have got to doesn’t .
III. Both occur with epistemic (=expressing likelihood, possibility,
probabllity) meaning like must:
Sue has (got) to be telling lies. = She must be telling lies.
B. in dynamic senses: “receive”, “take”, “experience” and in idioms with an
eventive object (have breakfast) : + DO support, NO have got.
Also, have in causatives: DO support
Did they have the house painted?
Did they have you fix their car?
Have + DO support : habitual interpretation +++NOTES!! PEG
DO
Both aux (no non-finite forms) and main V.
DO-support: use of DO as an empty or dummy operator (See 2.49). All uses
of DO as an aux belong here.
a. present, past simple, indicative, negated by not:
She doesn’t / didn’t / like me.
Negative imperatives : do not, don’t ( BUT see 11.30)
b. questions: Does he know… Did he say that? Also, tag q’s.
c. emphatic constructions (emphatic. positives) : He did say he’d do it,
didn’t he?
Also, persuasive imperative: Do sit down.
BUT: see 11.30
d. in reduced clauses: before ellipsis: Did you see it? No, I didn’t but Sue
did.
NO DO-support:
I, for negation in non-finite clauses: Not liking me, he …
Ii, subjunctives: It is important that the mission not fail.
iii.negative words: No one likes him.
iv. Who came first? (no inversion)
vi. *She does must come .
vii. simply as an alternative for simple pres. or past in legal/archaic style:
I, the undersigned, …do this day hereby bequeath….
DO as main V:
Full range of forms, including non-finites.
Combines with a pronoun object to act as a predication referring to some
unspecified action(s). (Object: it, this/that, what, nothing/anything)
Used as pro-predication: She didn’t earn as much as she might have (done).
General-purpose agentive transitive verb (esp. in informal English) The
meaning is narrowed down by the nature of the object.)
Let’s do the dishes ( “wash”)
Who does your car ? (“maintain, service”)
She’s done some really good essays (“written”)
Is the meat done (“cooked”)? ---resultative use.