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Vector Verbs

Among the auxiliary verbs of English, there is a group with special uses. I call these vector verbs. Vector verbs are required for certain meanings, such as the negative (with not) or the interrogative (questions). Be careful, because not all auxiliary verbs are vector verbs. Here is a list of the vector verbs, and some auxiliaries which are not vectors:

Vector verbs: be, do, have, can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, must. Need is special - see below.

Not vector verbs: go, want

This is a positive statement: She speaks English. It contains a finite verb, speaks.

The vector verb do can be added to make it an emphatic positive statement: She DOES speak English. The verb do is now finite, while the word speak is a non-finite form, an infinitive.

In this case, the vector verb is stressed in speech (it has high prominence).

To make a positive statement into a negative statement, we must attach the negative not to a vector verb. If there is not a vector verb already in the sentence, we must add a vector verb, usually do:


Positive statement Negative statement
Sentence with be (a vector verb) This is easy. This is not easy.
Sentence with will (a vector verb) I will be there. I will not be there.
Sentence with no vector verb She speaks English. She does not speak English.

In the sentence with no vector verb in the positive, speaks has been converted to does speak, and then not has been attached to the vector verb. In this case, the statement is not emphatic and the vector verb is not stressed (it has low prominence).

Note: Negatives other than not, such as never and nowhere, do not require a vector verb:
He never speaks.
We are going nowhere.

To make a positive statement into a positive question, we must reverse the order of the subject and vector verb. As before, if no vector verb is already present, we must add one, usually do:


Positive statement Positive question
Sentence with be (a vector verb) This is easy. Is this easy?
Sentence with will (a vector verb) I will be there. Will I be there?
Sentence with no vector verb She speaks English. Does she speak English?

In the sentence with no vector verb in the positive, speaks has been converted to does speak, and then the order of the subject and the vector verb has been reversed. As before, the statement is not emphatic and the vector verb has low prominence.

Note: Even though have is a vector verb, it is still usual to add do to form questions and negatives. Thus it is more usual to hear Do you have it? and I don't have it. than to hear Have you it? or I haven't it. Also, have got is very often used instead of just have.

To make a negative question, start with a positive statement. First, make it negative (add a vector verb if there is not one already, and add not), then make it a question (reverse the order of the vector verb and the subject):


Positive statement Negative statement Negative question
Sentence with be (a vector verb) This is easy. This is not easy. Is this not easy?
Sentence with will (a vector verb) I will be there. I will not be there. Will I not be there?
Sentence with no vector verb She speaks English. She does not speak English. Does she not speak English?

However, if the vector verb is contracted with not, the contraction is treated as a single word for purposes of reversing word order:


Positive statement Contracted negative statement Contracted negative question
Sentence with be (a vector verb) This is easy. This isn't easy. Isn't this easy?
Sentence with will (a vector verb) I will be there. I won't be there. Won't I be there?
Sentence with no vector verb She speaks English. She doesn't speak English. Doesn't she speak English?

Note the difference:

With a negative statement, the contracted form has the same order of elements as the uncontracted form:

You are not ready.
You aren't ready.

But with a negative question, the elements have a different order in the contracted and uncontracted forms:

Are you not ready?
Aren't you ready?

The sentence Aren't you ready? appears to be a contraction of **Are not you ready?, which does not exist.

Contracted sentences

If we say only the start of a sentence, but leave the rest out because it is obvious from context, we often say a vector verb but not the main verb. This often happens in replies:

A: Do you speak Finnish?
B: No I don't.

Both the main verb and its object are removed, but the vector verb remains. This happens with most of the vector verbs:

A: Can you see it?
B: Yes I can.

A verb may be used even if that particular verb has not been previously mentioned:

A: Will you go?
B: I might.

If the vector verb which governs an infinitive with to, the word to remains even though the infinitive is omitted:

A: Why are you going to London?
B: I don't want to. I have to.

A Special Case: Need

The verb need can function as a vector verb in certain limited circumstances, but its behaviour is unusual.

Need may be treated as a non-vector verb or as a vector verb. If you want to ignore these special forms, you can treat need as a normal non-vector verb like want. In this case, it can take an object, or a verb in the infinitive with to:


need governs verb need governs object

Uncontracted form Contracted form Uncontracted form Contracted form
Positive statement I need to leave. No contraction I need a drink. No contraction
Negative statement I do not need to leave. I don't need to leave. I do not need a drink. I don't need a drink.
Positive question Do you need to leave? D'you need to leave? Do you need a drink? D'you need a drink?
Negative question Do you not need to leave? Don't you need to leave? Do you not need a drink? Don't you need a drink?

But if need governs a verb instead of an object, you may (you do not have to) treat it as a vector verb. The vector is slightly different from the non-vector form. It has these properties:

1. The third person singular non-past does not have the usual suffix -s: it is need rather than needs.

2. The word to is not used to mark the infinitive of the governed verb.

This gives the following forms:


Normal form Vector form
Positive statement He needs to stop. He need stop. (very unusual)
Negative statement He does not need to stop. He need not stop. (contraction: needn't)
Positive question Does he need to stop? Need he stop?
Negative question Does he not need to stop? Need he not stop?

It is very unusual to use the vector form of the positive statement. It is more likely to occur in conditional cluases, but even then this is only likely in the usage of more educated and old-fashioned speakers:


Conditional clause Optative clause
Old-fashioned form If he need do it, let him.
Usual form If he needs to do it, let him.

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