Lexical and Auxiliary Verbs

Fill in the gap: A lexical verb expresses the _______ action or state in a sentence.

Answer explanation

A lexical verb is the main verb in a sentence that expresses the primary action or state. Therefore, the correct choice to fill in the gap is 'main', as it highlights the verb's central role.

Which of the following is a lexical verb?

• Should

• Play

• Is

• Must

Answer explanation

The correct answer is 'Play' because it is a lexical verb that describes an action. 'Should' and 'Must' are modal verbs, while 'Is' is a linking verb. Lexical verbs convey specific meanings, unlike the other options.

Identify the auxiliary verb in the sentence below: She is writing a story.

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OFF

Answer explanation

In the sentence "She is writing a story," the auxiliary verb is "is." It helps to form the present continuous tense, indicating an ongoing action.

Fill in the gap: Auxiliary verbs are also known as _______ verbs.

Answer explanation

Auxiliary verbs are also known as helping verbs. They assist the main verb in a sentence by providing additional meaning, such as tense, mood, or voice.

Which of the following is NOT an auxiliary verb?

• Can

• Do

• Eat

• Will

Answer explanation

The correct answer is 'Eat' because it is a main verb, while 'Can', 'Do', and 'Will' are auxiliary verbs used to form different tenses, moods, or voices in English.

Fill in the gap: Modal auxiliary verbs express _______ and _______.

• possibility

• necessity

Answer explanation

Modal auxiliary verbs express possibility, indicating that something may happen, and necessity, indicating that something must happen. The correct choice here is 'possibility', as it directly relates to the function of modal verbs.

Which sentence uses an auxiliary verb correctly?

• They eat dinner together every night.

• He will arrive tomorrow.

• She enjoys singing.

• I run daily.

Answer explanation

The correct sentence is 'He will arrive tomorrow.' because it uses the auxiliary verb 'will' to indicate future tense. The other sentences do not contain auxiliary verbs.

Identify the lexical verb in this sentence: The students are studying for their exams.

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OFF

Answer explanation

In the sentence, 'are studying' is the verb phrase, where 'studying' is the lexical verb indicating the action performed by the students. 'Are' serves as an auxiliary verb.

Fill in the gap: The auxiliary verb 'have' is used to form _______ tenses.

Answer explanation

The auxiliary verb 'have' is used to form perfect tenses, such as the present perfect and past perfect. Therefore, the correct answer to fill in the gap is 'perfect'.

Choose the correct modal auxiliary verb for the sentence: You _______ finish your homework before going out.

• should

• is

• do

• are

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'should' because it indicates obligation or advice. The sentence suggests that finishing homework is necessary before going out, which aligns with the meaning of 'should'.