Auxiliary verbs

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There is a small sub-category of verbs called the auxiliary verbs. They have the NICER properties.

N   Negation with not       Lee will not eat apples.   *Kim eats not apples.
I    Inversion in questions       Lee has eaten apples → Has Lee eaten apples?   *Eats Lee apples?
C   Contracted negative form       didn’t, shouldn’t   *eatn’t, *keptn’t
E   Ellipsis       Kim was eating, and Lee was ___, too.   *Kim kept eating, and Lee kept ___, too.
R   Rebuttal       I did tóo/só read it. (did not!)   *I tried tóo/só to read it. (*tried not!)

These include the modal auxiliaries:

will   won't   would   wouldn't
shall   shan't   should   shouldn't
may   --   might   mightn't
can   can't   could   couldn't
must   mustn't   --   --

And a few others

be (for passive and progressive), do (for questions), and have (for perfect)
need, dare (not for North American English)

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