Helping Verbs Study Guide
What are Helping Verbs?
Helping verbs, also known as auxiliary verbs, are used in combination with main verbs to express shades of meaning and time. They "help" the main verb by adding extra information about the action or state of being.
Examples of Helping Verbs
Common helping verbs include: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, have, has, had, do, does, did, can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, must.
Functions of Helping Verbs
- Expressing Tense: Helping verbs indicate the time of the action or state of being. For example: He is studying for the test. (Present tense)
- Forming Questions: Helping verbs are used to form questions. For example: Are you coming to the party?
- Forming Negatives: Helping verbs are used to create negative statements. For example: She does not like spinach.
- Expressing Possibility or Necessity: Helping verbs can express possibility or necessity. For example: You must finish your homework.
Identifying Helping Verbs
To identify a helping verb, look for a verb that is combined with another verb to form a complete verb phrase. For example: She is singing beautifully.
Practice Exercise
Identify the helping verbs in the following sentences:
- They have finished their homework.
- We are going to the park.
- He has read that book already.
- She will be cooking dinner tonight.
[Helping Verbs] Related Worksheets and Study Guides:
.◂English Language Arts Worksheets and Study Guides Fifth Grade. Literary Genres
Worksheet/Answer key
Literary Genres 
Worksheet/Answer key
Literary Genres Worksheet/Answer key
Literary Genres Worksheet/Answer key
Literary Genres
Worksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyThe resources above cover the following skills:
Reading Standards for Literature
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the Grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently. [RL.5.10]
Reading Standards: Foundational Skills
Fluency
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. [RF.5.4]
Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. [RF.5.4b]