Forms of Helping Verbs | Quiz

Forms of Helping Verbs

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Helping verbs are also called "auxiliary verbs".

All helping verbs are used with a main verb (either expressed or understood*). There are 2 groups of helping verbs:

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:

But if somebody walked into the room and said "Hello. I can", we would understand nothing!

Helping Verbs
PrimaryModal
do(to make simple tenses, and questions and negatives)cancould
be(to make continuous tenses, and the passive voice)maymight
have(to make perfect tenses)willwould
shallshould
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 verb in a particular form:
  • do + V1 (base verb)
  • be + -ing (present participle)
  • have + V3 (past participle)
"Ought" is followed by the main verb in 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)
"Do", "be" and "have" can also function as main verbs.Modal helping verbs cannot function as main verbs.