Use of Helping Verbs
Helping verbs, also known as auxiliary verbs, are essential for forming different tenses, voices, and questions. They support the main verb to give sentences precise meaning.
Present Tense: "is," "am," "are"
These verbs help describe actions happening now or current states.
| Helping Verb | Used With |
|---|---|
| is | He, She, It, Singular Nouns |
| am | Only with "I" |
| are | You, We, They, Plural Nouns |
Examples:
- I am reading a book.
- She is cooking dinner.
- They are playing football.
Past Tense: "was," "were"
These verbs help describe actions that were happening in the past.
| Helping Verb | Used With |
|---|---|
| was | I, He, She, It, Singular Nouns |
| were | You, We, They, Plural Nouns |
Examples:
- I was sleeping at 10 PM.
- They were playing cricket.
In Negative Sentences
Helping verbs are used to form negative sentences by adding "not".
- He is not working.
- We were not playing.
In Questions
To ask a question, the helping verb comes before the subject.
- Are you coming?
- Was he angry?
Conclusion
Helping verbs like "is," "am," "are," "was," and "were" are small but essential words for building correct English sentences. Mastering their use will significantly improve your grammar and confidence in both writing and speaking.