The anomalous finites do, does and did can be placed before the verb to show emphasis. Note that after do, does and did, we use a verb in its present tense form.

I do want you to come. (More emphatic than I want you to come.)
I did invite them. (More emphatic than I invited them.)
She did accept the invitation. (More emphatic than She accepted the invitation.)

Notes on the anomalous finites

Is, am, are, was, were

These verbs are usually anomalous and their negatives are formed by the simple addition of not or n’t.

She isn’t very intelligent.
You aren’t hard working.
They weren’t expected to come.
She wasn’t anxious about it.

Interrogatives are formed by the simple inversion of subject and verb without the use of do.

Isn’t she very intelligent?
Wasn’t she anxious about it?

Has, have and had

These are anomalous when used as auxiliaries to form the present perfect and past perfect tenses.

I have seen him. Have I seen him? I haven’t seen him.
I had told him. Had I told him? I hadn’t told him.
They have disappeared. Have they disappeared? They haven’t disappeared.

Has, have and had can be used as anomalous when used as a principal verb expressing the idea of possession.

She has a car. Has she a car? She hasn’t a car.
I have a watch. Have I a watch? No, I haven’t a watch.
She has long hair. Has she long hair? No, she hasn’t long hair.

Note that the questions ‘Has she a car?’, ‘Have I a watch?’, etc., are uncommon in American English. Instead, Americans use a structure with got.

I have got a watch. Have I got a watch? No, I haven’t got a watch.

Questions and negatives made with do/does/did are also common.

Do I have a watch? (More common than Have I a watch?)

No, I don’t have a watch. (More common than I haven’t a watch.)

Note that has, have and had aren’t anomalous when they express other ideas. In this case questions and negatives are formed with do and did.

I had (= experienced) an accident.
Did I have an accident? (NOT Had I an accident?)
I didn’t have an accident. (NOT I hadn’t an accident.)
I have (= take) a bath in the morning.
Do I have a bath in the morning?
I don’t have a bath in the morning.

I know him.
I don’t know him. (NOT I know not him.)
She cheated me.
She did not cheat me. (NOT She cheated not me.)
They invited us.
They did not invite us.

You will have noticed that in the sentences given above the anomalous finites help to turn positive sentences into negative sentences.

Will you come? No, I won’t.
Can I do it? No, you can’t.
Should I go? No, you shouldn’t.

In the sentences given above the verbs will, can and should are anomalous. When the verb itself is an anomalous finite negatives are made by the simple addition of not or n’t.

To form questions

Questions are usually made by putting the anomalous finite before the subject of the sentence.

He is my teacher. Is he my teacher?
They have won the race. Have they won the race?
He will come. Will he come?
She should obey. Should she obey?

Note that only the anomalous finites can be put before the subject to form questions. In the case of other finites, the auxiliary do and its forms have to be used.

He fell off the ladder. Did he fall off the ladder?
She went to the market. Did she go to the market?
She likes to watch movies. Does she like to watch movies?
I want to be a writer. Do I want to be a writer?

To form negative questions

He does not like her. Does he not like her? Doesn’t he like her?
She did not mean it. Did she not mean it? Didn’t she mean it?
He did not come. Did he not come? Didn’t he come?

Note that the forms does he not, did she not etc., are very formal. In informal speech and writing the forms doesn’t he, didn’t she etc., are preferred.

To avoid repetition of principal verbs

Do you want this? Yes, I do. (= Yes, I want that.)
Can you hear me? Yes, I can. (= Yes, I can hear you.)
Who broke my window? John did. (= John broke the window.)

To form the tag question

It is hot today, isn’t it?
She didn’t come, did she?
She can sing very well, can’t she?
They shouldn’t wait, should they?

You will have noticed that when the statement is in the positive, the tag question is in the negative and vice versa.

Present Tense: Is, am, are, has, have, do, does, shall, will, can, may, must, ought, need and dare
Past tense: was, were, had, did, should, would, could, might, used

You will have noticed that these are all auxiliaries. Some of them are also used as main verbs. As auxiliaries they help main verbs to form their tenses and moods. As anomalous finites they serve other purposes.

Note that anomalous finites are irregular verbs because they do not form the past tense in the regular manner by the addition of –ed, -d or –t, but by a change in the root vowel. Some anomalous finites such as must, ought, need and dare have no past tense forms at all.

These irregular verbs, however, are different from other irregular verbs in their function and hence are called anomalous finites or special finites.

One of the major differences is that unlike other finites, anomalous finites can be used along with n’t, the shortened form of not.

It isn’t true. (= It is not true.)
We aren’t coming. (= We are not coming)
You shouldn’t wait. (= You should not wait.)

Here is a list of the contracted forms of the anomalous finites + not. The uncontracted form is given in the brackets.

Ain’t (I’m not – colloquial)
Isn’t (is not), aren’t (are not), wasn’t (was not), weren’t (were not), haven’t (have not), hasn’t (has not), hadn’t (had not), don’t (do not), doesn’t (does not), didn’t (did not), shan’t (shall not), shouldn’t (should not), won’t (will not), wouldn’t (would not), can’t (cannot), couldn’t (could not), mayn’t (may not), mightn’t (might not), mustn’t (must not), oughtn’t (ought not), needn’t (need not), daren’t (dare not)

Read the sentence given below:

I haven’t posted the letter.

Here have is an auxiliary verb because it helps to form the present perfect of post. It is also anomalous because it combines with n’t.

The use of anomalous finites

To make negative sentences

In modern English, you can’t make a negative sentence by simply adding not to the positive sentence. In fact, only the anomalous finites can form their negatives by the simple addition of not.