Download Forms of Helping Verbs

Forms of Helping Verbs
All helping verbs are used with a main verb (either expressed or understood*). There are 2
groups of helping verbs:


Primary helping verbs, used mainly to change the tense or voice of the main verb,
and in making questions and negatives.
Modal helping verbs, used to change the "mood" of the main verb.
Study the table below. It shows the prinicipal forms and uses of helping verbs, and explains
the differences between primary and modal helping verbs.
* Sometimes we make a sentence that has a helping verb and seems to have no main verb.
In fact, the main verb is "understood". Look at the following examples:


Question: Can you speak English? (The main verb speak is "expressed".)
Answer: Yes, I can. (The main verb speak is not expressed. It is "understood" from
the context. We understand: Yes, I can speak English.
But if somebody walked into the room and said "Hello. I can", we would understand
nothing!
Helping Verbs
Primary
Modal
do
(to make simple tenses, and questions
and negatives)
can
could
be
(to make continuous tenses, and the
passive voice)
may
might
have
(to make perfect tenses)
will
would
shall
should
must
ought (to)
"Do", "be" and "have" as helping verbs have
exactly the same forms as when they are main
verbs (except that as helping verbs they are never
used in infinitive forms).
Modal helping verbs are invariable. They
always have the same form.
Primary helping verbs are followed by the main
"Ought" is followed by the main verb in
verb in a particular form:



do + V1 (base verb)
be + -ing (present participle)
have + V3 (past participle)
"Do", "be" and "have" can also function as main
verbs.
infinitive form. Other modal helping verbs
are followed by the main verb in its base
form (V1).


ought + to... (infinitive)
other modals + V1 (base verb)
Modal helping verbs cannot function as
main verbs.
T h e L i n k i n g Ve r b
Recognize a linking verb when you see one.
Linking verbs do not express action. Instead, they connect the subject of
the verb to additional information about the subject. Look at the examples
below:
Keila is a shopaholic.
Ising isn't something that Keila can do. Is connects the subject, Keila, to
additional information about her, that she will soon have a huge credit card
bill to pay.
During the afternoon, my cats are content to nap on the couch.
Areing isn't something that cats can do. Are is connecting the subject,
cats, to something said about them, that they enjoy sleeping on the
furniture.
After drinking the old milk, Bladimiro turned green.
Turned connects the subject, Bladimiro, to something said about him, that
he was needing Pepto Bismol.
A ten-item quiz seems impossibly long after a night of no studying.
Seems connects the subject, a ten-item quiz, with something said about it,
that its difficulty depends on preparation, not length.
Irene always feels sleepy after pigging out on pizza from Antonio's.
Feels connects the subject, Irene, to her state of being, sleepiness.
The following verbs are true linking verbs: any form of the verb be [am, is,
are, was, were, has been, are being, might have been, etc.], become,
and seem. These true linking verbs are always linking verbs.
Then you have a list of verbs with multiple personalities: appear, feel,
grow, look, prove, remain, smell, sound, taste, and turn. Sometimes
these verbs are linking verbs; sometimes they are action verbs.
How do you tell when they are action verbs and when they are linking
verbs?
If you can substitute am, is, or are and the sentence still sounds logical,
you have a linking verb on your hands.
If, after the substitution, the sentence makes no sense, you are dealing with
an action verb instead. Here are some examples:
Sylvia tasted the spicy squid eyeball stew.
Sylvia is the stew? I don't think so! Tasted, therefore, is an action verb in
this sentence, something Sylvia is doing.
The squid eyeball stew tasted good.
The stew is good? You bet. Make your own!
I smell the delicious aroma of a mushroom and papaya pizza baking
in the oven.
I am the aroma? No way! Smell, in this sentence, is an action verb,
something I am doing.
The mushroom and papaya pizza smells heavenly.
The pizza is heavenly? Definitely! Try a slice!
When my dog Oreo felt the wet grass beneath her paws, she bolted
up the stairs and curled up on the couch.
Oreo is the wet grass? Of course not! Here, then, felt is an action verb,
something Oreo is doing.
My dog Oreo feels depressed after seven straight days of rain.
Oreo is depressed? Without a doubt! Oreo hates the wet.
This substitution will not work for appear. With appear, you have to
analyze the function of the verb.
Swooping out of the clear blue sky, the blue jay appeared on the
branch.
Appear is something a blue jay can do—especially when food is near.
The blue jay appeared happy to see the bird feeder.
Here, appeared is connecting the subject, the blue jay, to its state of mind,
happiness.
Home • Terms • Exercises • Handouts • Rules • Shop • Feedback
©1997 - 2011 by Robin L. Simmons
All Rights Reserved.
More Help and Helping Verb/Linking Verb List
Verbs also use special rules for telling when something happened - in the past, the present, or the future. Here is a
list of examples for each verb tense using the verb break. Try putting other verbs in the place of break.
Present tense – I/you/we/they break, he/she/it breaks
Past Tense – I/you/he/she/it/we/they broke
Future Tense - I/you/he/she/it/we/they will break
Present Perfect Tense – I/you/he/she/it/we/they have broken
Past Perfect Tense – I/you/he/she/it/we/they had broken
Future Perfect Tense – I/you/he/she/it/we/they will have broken
Being Verbs tell about something in a state of being. A noun or pronoun does not always take action. Sometime, it
just is. For that purpose, you use a being verb. Here are the being verbs in all the past, present, and future tenses.
Present tense - I am, you are, he/she/it is, we are, they are
Past Tense - I was, you were, he/she/it, was, we were, they were
Future Tense - I will be, you will be, he/she/it will be, we will be, they will be
Present Perfect Tense - I have been, you have been, he/she/it has been, we have been, they have been
Past Perfect Tense -I had been, you had been, he/she/it had been, we had been, they had been
Future Perfect Tense - I will have been, you will have been, he/she/it will have been, we will have been, they will have
been
Helping verbs do not stand alone or express action. They are part of verb phrases that "help" the main verb. Helping
verbs define the tense (past, present, future) or change the meaning of the main verb. Consider these examples:
Do you need a tissue?
We are helping the third-grade class.
Hank might have been driving the wrong way.
This list has commonly-used helping verbs:
may
being
is
does
would
will
might
been
was
did
have
can
must
am
were
should
had
shall
be
are
do
could
has
Linking verbs do not show action. Instead, they connect nouns and pronouns to other information in the sentence.
Here are some examples:
My sister is smart.
The picture appeared blurry.
Your supper smells delicious.
The most common linking verbs are listed here:
am
be
have/has been
might have been
smell
are
become
is
prove
sound
are
feel
lie
remain
stay
being
get
look
seem
taste
appear
grow
might be
sit
turn
were
Irregular Verbs are verbs that don't follow the rules for changing tense. The best way to understand irregular verbs is
to practice and memorize them.
Here are some common examples shown in the present/past/past participle:
The dog wants to bite me.
The dog bit me.
The dog has bitten me.
My arm hurts.
I hurt my arm yesterday.
I have hurt my arm before.
bite/bit/bitten
choose/chose/chosen
eat/ate/eaten
fall/fell/fallen
hurt/hurt/hurt
go/went/gone
lay/laid/laid
ring/rang/rung
send/sent/sent
teach/taught/taught
write/wrote/written