Auxiliaries
Concept: The Secret to Using 'are'
Definition
- The word ‘are’ is an auxiliary or a helping verb that is used with a main verb to build a sentence.
- It is also used to show the action happening in the present.
- It is used with only plural nouns and plural pronouns like you, they, we, etc.
- The auxiliary verb ‘are’ can also be called a ‘be-verb’.
Example:
- We are playing hockey.
- They are my students.
- You are doing a wonderful job.
- Ravi and his pet are walking in the park.
a) More Than One Person:
We used ‘are’ in the above sentence because the speaker is talking about more than one person.
b) More Than One Animal:
- In the sentence, we used the auxiliary be-verb ‘are’ to talk about more than one cat.
- The action (playing) is also taking place in the present.
- The auxiliary verb ‘are’ is used with the main action word ‘playing’ to build a sentence.
c) More Than One Place:
In the above example, the speaker is describing more than one place. Therefore, we used ‘are’ to talk about plural nouns.
d) More Than One Object:
- In the above sentence, the auxiliary verb ‘are’ is used to speak about more than one fruit.
- We used ‘are’ because the speaker is talking about the fruits that he is eating in the present.
Common Mistakes:
1. Don’t use ‘are’ with singular pronouns like I, he, she, it. Always use ‘am’ with I and ‘is’ with he, she, it.
Examples:
- He is a doctor.
- He are a doctor.
- I am a student.
- I are a student.
2. Don’t use ‘are’ if you are talking about pairs because one pair can’t be considered a plural noun. Instead, one pair is considered as one unit or thing; hence ‘a’ is used with the words ‘pair of’.
Example:
- A pair of gloves is on the table.
- A pair of gloves are on the table.
Exception:
Always use ‘are’ with ‘you’ even if the pronoun is describing a singular person.
Example:
- You are a very smart girl.
- You is a very smart girl.