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This page pertains to UD version 2.

aux: auxiliary

An aux (auxiliary) of a clause is a function word associated with a verbal predicate that expresses categories such as tense, mood, aspect, voice or evidentiality. It is often a verb (which may have non-auxiliary uses as well).

In English, an auxiliary of a clause is a non-main verb of the clause, e.g., a modal auxiliary, or a form of be, do or have in a periphrastic tense. This includes the passive auxiliary, which we give the subtype aux:pass. We allow the get-passive (The book got stolen) as an auxiliary, but not other xcomp-taking verbs such as become.

(Contrary to the older SD and arguments of Pullum (1982) and following, infinitive to is not analyzed as an auxiliary. Instead, it is analyzed as a mark.)

Reagan has died
aux(died-3, has-2)
Reagan might have been lying
aux(lying-5, might-2)
aux(lying-5, have-3)
aux(lying-5, been-4)
He should leave
aux(leave-3, should-2)
He was to be released before dawn
nsubj:pass(released, He)
aux(released, was)
aux:pass(released, be)

aux in other languages: [bej] [bg] [bm] [cop] [cs] [de] [el] [en] [es] [et] [eu] [fi] [fr] [fro] [gsw] [gub] [hy] [id] [it] [ja] [ka] [kk] [ky] [myv] [no] [pcm] [pt] [qpm] [ro] [ru] [sl] [sv] [swl] [tr] [u] [urj] [vi] [yue] [zh]