shall read it to the class." has no meaning without the principal verbs
_writing_, _finished read_; but the meaning is rendered more definite,
especially with regard to time, by the auxiliary verbs _am_, _have_,
_shall_.

There are nine auxiliary or helping verbs, viz., _Be_, _have_, _do_,
_shall_, _will_, _may_, _can_, _ought_, and _must_. They are called
helping verbs, because it is by their aid the compound tenses are formed.


TO BE

The verb _To Be_ is the most important of the auxiliary verbs. It has
eleven parts, viz., _am, art, is, are, was, wast, were, wert; be, being_
and _been_.


VOICE

The _active voice_ is that form of the verb which shows the Subject not
being acted upon but acting; as, "The cat _catches_ mice." "Charity
_covers_ a multitude of sins."

The _passive voice_: When the action signified by a transitive verb is
thrown back upon the agent, that is to say, when the subject of the verb
denotes the recipient of the action, the verb is said to be in the
passive voice. "John was loved by his neighbors." Here John the subject
is also the object affected by the loving, the action of the verb is
thrown back on him, hence the compound verb _was loved_ is said to be in
the _passive voice_. The passive voice is formed by putting the perfect