Helping verbs, also known as auxiliary verbs, are verbs that help the main verb in a sentence. They work together with the main verb to show the time or how the action is happening.
The most common helping verbs are is, am, are, was, were, be, been, have, has, had, will.
Here’s how they work:
1. ‘Is’, ‘Am’, ‘Are’ (Present Tense)
- Is – Used with a singular subject (he, she, it)
- Example: She is playing.
- Am – Used with the subject “I”
- Example: I am reading.
- Are – Used with plural subjects (they, we, you)
- Example: They are singing.
2. ‘Was’, ‘Were’ (Past Tense)
- Was – Used with a singular subject (he, she, it)
- Example: He was running.
- Were – Used with plural subjects (they, we, you)
- Example: We were laughing.
3. ‘Have’, ‘Has’, ‘Had’ (Perfect Tense)
- Have – Used with “I”, “you”, and plural subjects
- Example: I have finished my homework.
- Has – Used with singular subjects (he, she, it)
- Example: She has a pet dog.
- Had – Used with both singular and plural subjects in the past
- Example: They had a great time.
4. ‘Will’ (Future Tense)
- Will – Used to show an action that will happen in the future
- Example: I will go to the park tomorrow.
Examples in Sentences:
- She is reading a book. (Helping verb: is)
- We are playing outside. (Helping verb: are)
- They have finished their work. (Helping verb: have)
- I will visit my grandmother. (Helping verb: will)