Identify main verbs and helping verbs

Key Notes:

🌟 Identify Main Verbs and Helping Verbs 🌟

What is a Verb?

A verb is a doing word. It tells us what someone or something is doing.

Example:

• 🏃‍♂️ She runs fast.
• 🍎 He eats an apple.

Main Verb (🌟 Action or State)

The main verb shows the main action or state of being.

It can stand alone in a sentence.

Examples:

• She dances beautifully. 💃
• He is happy. 😊
• They play football. ⚽

✅ Tip: Ask yourself – “What is happening?” The answer is usually the main verb.

Helping Verb (Auxiliary Verb) 🤝

A helping verb helps the main verb to make different tenses, questions, or negatives.

Common helping verbs:

• is, am, are, was, were, has, have, had, do, does, did, will, shall, can, could, may, might, must

Examples:

• She is running fast. 🏃‍♀️ (is = helping verb, running = main verb)
• They have eaten lunch. 🍽️ (have = helping verb, eaten = main verb)
• He will come tomorrow. 🕒 (will = helping verb, come = main verb)

✅ Tip: Helping verbs cannot stand alone. They always need a main verb.

How to Identify Main and Helping Verbs

• Find the action or state – that’s your main verb. 🕵️‍♂️
• Check for extra words helping the main verb – these are helping verbs. 🧩

Examples:

1. She is writing a letter. ✍️

• is → helping verb
• writing → main verb

2. They have finished their homework. 📚

• have → helping verb
• finished → main verb

Quick Tricks 🔑

• Helping verbs often come before the main verb. ⬅️
• Main verbs tell what happens, helping verbs tell when or how. ⏰
• If the verb can stand alone – it’s usually a main verb.

Fun Examples 🎉

• I am reading a book. 📖 → am = helping, reading = main
• She can swim very fast. 🏊‍♀️ → can = helping, swim = main
• We were playing in the park. 🌳 → were = helping, playing = main

Emoji Memory Aid 🧠

• Main Verb = 🎯 (targets the action)
• Helping Verb = 🛠️ (helps the main verb)

Let’s practice!