Auxiliary verbs: Different uses – English Grammar Test for B2
Grammar » Grammar Test for B2 » Auxiliary verbs: Different uses – English Grammar Test for B2
Reading Passage: A Day Without “Do”
Last Monday, something strange happened to Emma, an English teacher who always reminded her students how important auxiliary verbs were in communication. She decided, just for fun, to spend a whole day without using any of them. It sounded easy in the morning, but as soon as she started speaking, problems appeared.
When her husband asked, “Do you want some coffee?”, Emma tried to answer without do. She smiled and said, “Yes, I want,” which sounded rather robotic. Later, when a student asked, “Do we have homework?”, she replied, “You have,” and the student looked completely confused.
Throughout the day, Emma realized how much English depended on auxiliary verbs like do, be, and have. They help to form questions, negatives, and short answers that sound natural and polite. Without them, even simple sentences felt awkward or unclear.
At lunchtime, she met a friend who teased her by asking, “Are you hungry?” Emma tried to keep her rule and answered, “I hungry.” Her friend laughed so hard that Emma finally gave up. “Okay,” she said, “I am hungry! I can’t live without auxiliaries anymore!”
That evening, she told her husband, “I’ve learned a lesson: small words like do or be carry big power. Without them, English just doesn’t sound right.”
1 Why did Emma decide not to use auxiliary verbs for a day?
(a) She wanted to improve her grammar.
(b) She was testing her students.
(c) She wanted to try a funny experiment.
(d) She forgot how to use them.
2 Which auxiliary verb appears in her husband’s question?
(a) have
(b) be
(c) do
(d) shall
3 How did Emma answer her husband’s question?
(a) “Yes, I do.”
(b) “Yes, I want.”
(c) “I’d love to.”
(d) “Sure, please.”
4 Why did her student look confused?
(a) Emma used incorrect pronunciation.
(b) Emma didn’t answer with do.
(c) Emma spoke too quickly.
(d) Emma didn’t understand the question.
5 What function do auxiliary verbs have in English?
(a) They describe objects.
(b) They make language formal.
(c) They help build questions and negatives.
(d) They replace main verbs.
6 How did Emma feel about speaking without auxiliaries?
(a) It was simple and fun.
(b) It was easy at first, then confusing.
(c) It made her more confident.
(d) It improved her pronunciation.
7 Which sentence from the text shows her speech sounded unnatural?
(a) “I hungry.”
(b) “I’ve learned a lesson.”
(c) “I am hungry!”
(d) “They help to form questions.”
8 What happened when Emma met her friend at lunchtime?
(a) Her friend corrected her grammar.
(b) Her friend refused to talk to her.
(c) Her friend laughed at her funny answer.
(d) Her friend asked for her advice.
9 What did Emma finally realize?
(a) She could speak English without auxiliaries.
(b) Auxiliaries are not very useful.
(c) English sounds incomplete without auxiliaries.
(d) She should use more vocabulary instead.
10 Why did Emma say, “I can’t live without auxiliaries”?
(a) She was angry.
(b) She missed her students.
(c) She had broken her own rule.
(d) She didn’t know what they meant.
11 Which auxiliary verb expresses existence or identity?
(a) have
(b) be
(c) do
(d) can
12 Which sentence from the story includes the present perfect tense?
(a) “I hungry.”
(b) “She smiled and said.”
(c) “I’ve learned a lesson.”
(d) “Her friend laughed.”
13 Why does the author call do, be, and have “small words”?
(a) They are short but very important.
(b) They are only used by beginners.
(c) They are used only in writing.
(d) They are easy to forget.
14 What was Emma’s profession?
(a) A student
(b) A teacher
(c) A journalist
(d) A linguist
15 Which word best describes Emma’s experiment?
(a) Useless
(b) Challenging
(c) Serious
(d) Relaxing
16 How did Emma’s friend react to “I hungry”?
(a) She got angry.
(b) She ignored her.
(c) She laughed loudly.
(d) She corrected her politely.
17 What does “carry big power” mean in the last paragraph?
(a) They are heavy to pronounce.
(b) They have strong grammatical importance.
(c) They can replace main verbs.
(d) They are difficult to learn.
18 What word shows that Emma’s decision was made for enjoyment?
(a) reminded
(b) sounded easy
(c) for fun
(d) communication
19 What problem did Emma face first?
(a) She couldn’t ask questions naturally.
(b) Her students didn’t listen.
(c) Her husband stopped talking.
(d) She forgot vocabulary.
20 When did Emma break her rule?
(a) At breakfast
(b) During class
(c) At lunchtime
(d) In the evening
21 “She smiled and said, ‘Yes, I want’” shows that Emma…
(a) was confident.
(b) tried to keep her promise.
(c) was proud of her mistake.
(d) corrected her husband.
22 Which of the following is NOT an auxiliary verb?
(a) do
(b) make
(c) be
(d) have
23 Why did her student misunderstand her?
(a) She didn’t use do in her answer.
(b) She used an unknown word.
(c) She changed the subject.
(d) She asked too many questions.
24 What lesson did Emma learn by the end of the story?
(a) Grammar is not important.
(b) Small words can change meaning completely.
(c) Students should speak without auxiliaries.
(d) Learning English is easy.
25 Which expression means “stopped following her own challenge”?
(a) gave up
(b) set up
(c) put up
(d) took up
26 Why did the friend “tease” her?
(a) To test her grammar
(b) To make her laugh
(c) To show politeness
(d) To confuse her
27 Which auxiliary verb can be used to make suggestions?
(a) must
(b) shall
(c) have
(d) did
28 Which form expresses permission politely?
(a) may I
(b) must I
(c) do I
(d) had I
29 Which auxiliary verb did Emma find most difficult to avoid?
(a) have
(b) do
(c) be
(d) can
30 The phrase “sound right” in the last line means:
(a) have correct pronunciation
(b) make sense and feel natural
(c) be loud enough to hear
(d) seem boring or repetitive
Answer
1 (c) – She did it for fun as an experiment.
2 (c) – The question: “Do you want some coffee?”
3 (b) – She answered: “Yes, I want.”
4 (b) – Student was confused because she skipped do.
5 (c) – Auxiliaries help make questions/negatives.
6 (b) – It seemed easy first, but became confusing later.
7 (a) – “I hungry” is unnatural without am.
8 (c) – Friend laughed at her strange reply.
9 (c) – She realized English depends on auxiliaries.
10 (c) – She broke her rule and admitted defeat.
11 (b) – Be expresses state or identity.
12 (c) – “I’ve learned a lesson” → present perfect.
13 (a) – Short but powerful grammatical function.
14 (b) – She’s an English teacher.
15 (b) – It was a challenge, not a serious experiment.
16 (c) – The friend laughed loudly.
17 (b) – “Carry big power” means they are essential for meaning.
18 (c) – “For fun” shows the purpose.
19 (a) – She couldn’t answer questions naturally.
20 (c) – She broke her rule at lunchtime.
21 (b) – She kept her rule by avoiding do.
22 (b) – Make is a main verb, not an auxiliary.
23 (a) – The student expected “Yes, you do.”
24 (b) – She learned small words can change meaning.
25 (a) – “Gave up” means she stopped following her plan.
26 (b) – Teasing = joking to make someone laugh.
27 (b) – Shall can express suggestion.
28 (a) – May I... = polite permission.
29 (c) – She failed with be (“I am hungry”).
30 (b) – Means to sound natural and make sense.