How many auxiliary verbs are there?

There isn't a fixed number of auxiliary verbs in English. The reason is that some verbs can function as both auxiliary and main verbs, depending on the context.

Here's a breakdown:

Primary Auxiliary Verbs: These are always auxiliary verbs.

* be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been

* have: has, have, had, having

* do: do, does, did, doing

Modal Auxiliary Verbs: These are always auxiliary verbs.

* can, could

* may, might

* must

* shall, should

* will, would

Semi-Auxiliary Verbs: These can function as either auxiliary or main verbs.

* *need*, *dare*, *ought to*, *used to*

Example:

* I am eating breakfast. (Here, "am" is the auxiliary verb helping the main verb "eating".)

* I am a doctor. (Here, "am" is the main verb, not an auxiliary.)

Therefore, the number of auxiliary verbs is flexible depending on how you categorize them. You can say there are:

* 12 primary auxiliary verbs: (be, have, do)

* 9 modal auxiliary verbs: (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would)

* 4 semi-auxiliary verbs: (need, dare, ought to, used to)

* A total of 25 auxiliary verbs: (including the semi-auxiliary verbs)

Keep in mind that even these numbers aren't completely rigid, as new words can develop and become used as auxiliaries over time.