Couple #1: AUXILIARY & LEXICAL – A Lesson in Dominance
Much like butter on pancakes, soda with pizza, or beer with a burger, this is a fascinating pairing. Sure, each element can be taken separately, but they’re so much better together. LEXICAL is the main verb, able to stand on its own, the main source of action which the subject is engaged. On the other hand, AUXILIARY is a helping verb, conveying LEX’s tense and mood by using a variety of tools such as be, have, do, can, may, must, will.
LEXICAL doesn’t truly need AUXILIARY, but AUXILIARY can’t exist alone. In fact, AUXILIARY exists only to help LEXICAL.
So while I know that I Will Survive in the future, I also know that today…today, I Can’t Stand The Rain.
Wait! That doesn’t make sense. How about I Am What I Am or Where Are You Now? or Where Have You Been?
None of those have LEX. Only AUXILIARY…so what are you talking about?
The answer is simple. Indeed, there are times when, in a fight for independence, AUXILIARY breaks free from LEXICAL’s influence. In those instances, AUXILIARY undergoes a personality shift and becomes a LINKING VERB where its purpose is to indicate a state of being rather than an action (more on LINKING VERBS in a later post). In other words, when LEXICAL leaves the house, it takes AUXILIARY along, leaving LINKING in its place.