Helping or Auxiliary Verbs - Types, Uses & Examples

Table of content

1. Introduction to Helping Verbs

2. What are Helping Verbs?

3. Types of Helping or Auxiliary verbs

4. Use of helping verbs

5. Functions of Helping Verbs

6. Proper Usage of Helping Verbs

7. Common Mistakes with Helping Verbs

8. Conclusion

Understanding Helping or Auxiliary Verbs

1. Introduction to Helping Verbs

In English grammar, helping verbs, also known as auxiliary verbs, play a crucial role in forming tenses, moods, and voices of other verbs. They "help" the main verb in a sentence by adding information about tense, aspect, voice, or mood. Understanding these verbs is fundamental to constructing grammatically correct sentences.

2. What are Helping Verbs?

Helping verbs are a group of verbs that accompany the main verb in a sentence to express nuances such as tense, mood, or voice. They work in conjunction with the main verb to provide additional information.

3. Types of Helping or Auxiliary verbs :

Helping verbs show us time of an action. There are two types of helping verbs.

1. Primary (To be, To have, To do)

• To Be: am, is, are, was, were, been, being

• To Have: have, has, had

• To Do: do, does, did

2. Secondary (Modal auxiliaries)

• Modal Verbs: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would, etc. 

Basically there are three primary helping verbs - To be, To have, To do.

	To be	To have	To do
Present	am, is, are	have, has	do, does
Past	was, were	had	did
Future	will be	will have	will do  (We don't use this)

But these primary helping verbs can be used as main verb also. 

See also : Uses of verb To be, To do, To have

4. Use of helping verbs

1. To do - 

A. do/ does - (Present)

• We use it as a helping verb in Simple Present Tense

Negative -

1. I do not play football daily.
2. He does not play football daily.

Questions :

1. Do I play football daily?
2. Does he play football daily?
3. Where do I play football daily?
4. Where does he play football daily?

B. did - (Past)

• We use it as a helping verb in Simple Past tense

Negative -

1. I did not play Football yesterday.

Questions -

1. Did I play Football yesterday?
2. Where did I play Football yesterday?

2. To be

A. am, is, are - (Present)

• We use it as a helping verb in Present Continuous Tense
• He is playing football.

Negative -

1. He is not playing football.

Questions -

1. Is he playing football?    
2. Where is he playing football?

B. was, were - (Past)

• We use it as a helping verb in Past Continuous Tense
• He was playing football yesterday.

Negative -

1. He was not playing football yesterday.

Questions -

1. Was he playing football yesterday?
2.      
3. Where was he playing football yesterday?

C. will be - (Future)

• We use it as a helping verb in Future Continuous Tense
• He will be playing football tomorrow.

Negative -

1. He will not be playing football tomorrow.

Questions -

1. Will he be playing football tomorrow?
2. Where will he be playing football tomorrow?

3. To have

A. have, has-  (Present)

• We use it as a helping verb in  Present Perfect Tense & Peresent Perfect Continuous Tense

B. had-  (past)

• We use it as a helping verb in Past Perfect Tense & Past Perfect Continuous Tense

C. Will have - (Future)

• We use it as a helping verb in Future Perfect Tense

5. Functions of Helping Verbs

Helping verbs serve various functions in a sentence, each contributing to the overall meaning and structure.

1. Expressing Tense

Helping verbs help indicate the time at which an action takes place. They allow us to distinguish between past, present, and future actions.

 Example:

• Present Tense: She is singing.
• Past Tense: They were playing.
• Future Tense: He will arrive soon.

2. Indicating Voice

Helping verbs also assist in indicating the voice of a verb, whether it's active or passive.

Example:

• Active Voice: He is writing a letter.
• Passive Voice: The letter was written by him.

3. Forming Questions and Negatives

Helping verbs are crucial in forming questions and negative sentences in English.

Example:

• Question: Did she go to the party?
• Negative: She cannot attend the meeting.

6. Proper Usage of Helping Verbs

Understanding when and how to use helping verbs correctly is essential for clear and effective communication.

1. Agreement with the Subject

Helping verbs must agree with the subject of the sentence in terms of number and person.

Example:

1. Singular: He is reading a book.
2. Plural: They are playing outside.

2. Modal Auxiliaries

Modal auxiliary verbs express necessity, possibility, permission, or ability. They add shades of meaning to the main verb.

Example:

1. Ability: She can swim.
2. Permission: You may leave early.
3. Positioning of Helping Verbs

7. Common Mistakes with Helping Verbs

Despite their importance, helping verbs can be tricky to use correctly, leading to common errors in writing and speaking.

1. Double Auxiliaries

Sometimes, writers mistakenly use two helping verbs when only one is necessary.

Incorrect Example:

• She has been had a long day.

2. Confusion with Verb Forms

Confusion may arise between different forms of helping verbs, especially in irregular verbs.

Incorrect Example:

• She did went to the store.

3. Misplaced Modals

Misplacing modal auxiliary verbs can alter the intended meaning of a sentence.

Incorrect Example:

• You will not can leave early.

8. Conclusion

Understanding the role of helping verbs is vital for constructing clear and grammatically correct sentences in English. By mastering their usage, you can enhance your writing and communication skills significantly. Practice identifying and using helping verbs in various contexts to strengthen your command of the English language.