Helping Verbs

Understanding Verbs Part 3

Recap

• Linking verbs – Verbs that act as equal signs– That woman is my teacher.

• Action verbs– Tom painted the wall.

Helping Verbs

• Verbs of sentences can be made up of 1 word or more than 1 word. – She drank the tea. – She is drinking the tea. – She has been drinking the tea.

• The main verb is compulsory.

• The other verbs are called helping verbs.helping verbs.

Helping verbs help main verbs express meaning…

• By changing time– My mother cooks

curry. – My mother is cooking

curry.– My mother has been

cooking curry.

Helping verbs help main verbs express meaning…

• By changing the mood– My mother cooks

curry. – My mother can cook

curry.– My mother may cook

curry.– My mother should

have cooked curry.

Helping Verbs• “Be” verbs

• “Have” verbs

• May / Might• Can / Could• Shall / Should• Will / Would

Distinguishing helping verbs and main verbs

• Main verbs are necessary.

• If you only have 1 verb, that verb is the main verb.

• If you have more than 1 verb, the last verb is the main verb.

It is not important to distinguish between helping verbs and main

verbs but to know that the entire phrase is the verb of the

sentence!

Tom’s mother should be arriving.

Linking or Action Verb?Linking or Action Verb?

She could have scored full marks for her Mathematics test.

Linking or Action Verb?Linking or Action Verb?

His relative has been sick for a month.

Summary

• Helping verbs help main verbs express meanings by changing the time or mood.

• It is important to find the entire verb, so that you do not confuse action verbs with linking verbs.

• To see if you have a linking or action verb, look at the main verb, not the helping verb.