Helping Verbs or Auxiliary Verbs

English is a complex language, and understanding the full range of its grammatical concepts can be daunting. One important concept that learners must master involves helping verbs or auxiliary verbs.

This article will discuss helping verbs or auxiliary verbs, examining their nuances and role within the sentence structure. A thorough understanding of this topic is necessary for any learner if they are going to master the English language fully.

What are helping verbs or auxiliary verbs?

What are Helping Verbs or Auxiliary Verbs?

Helping verbs, also known as auxiliary verbs, are words that come before the main verb in a sentence and provide additional meaning. They can indicate tense, aspect, or mood. Common helping verbs include “be” (am, is, are), “have” (has, had), “do ” (does, did), and “will” (shall, should).

Auxiliary Verb Tenses and Aspects

In grammar, tenses express the time of an action or event. Auxiliary verbs are used to indicate the tense of a sentence. The three tenses of verbs are present tense, past tense, and future tense. Meanwhile, aspect refers to the time reference when an action is completed or perfected (perfective) and progresses or repeated (imperfective). Simple, progressive or continuous, perfect, and perfect progressive or continuous are the four aspects of verbs.

Refer to the table below on how auxiliary verbs are used to express tense and aspects:

Tense / Aspect of Time	Simple	Progressive / Continuous	Perfect	Perfect  Progressive / Continuous
Present	is, am, are	is / am /are + (verb + ing)	has / have + past participle	has / have been + (verb + ing)
Past	was, were	was / were + (verb + ing)	had + past participle	had been + (verb + ing)
Future	will + base verb	will be + (verb + ing)	will have + past participle	will have been + (verb + ing)

Here are examples of auxiliary verbs expressing tenses and aspects in sentences:

• Simple Present Tense: My brother is at the mall.
• Present Continuous Tense: He will be going to the mall.
• Present Perfect Tense: He will have gone to the mall by the time you get here.
• Present Perfect Continuous Tense: He has been going to the mall since last week.
• Simple Past Tense: My family was at the park.
• Past Continuous Tense: My family was walking around the park.
• Past Perfect Tense: My family had already left the park when I arrived.
• Past Perfect Continuous Tense: My family had been walking around the park for hours.
• Simple Future Tense: We will attend the New Year’s day celebration.
• Future Continuous Tense: We will be celebrating at midnight.
• Future Perfect Tense: We will have celebrated the New Year by then.
• Future Perfect Continuous Tense: We will have been celebrating for hours by the time it’s over.

Auxiliary Verb Moods

In addition to expressing tense and aspect, auxiliary verbs can also be used to indicate mood. Mood is the attitude of the speaker toward what they are saying. English has five moods: indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive.

Refer to the table below for the meaning and examples of the five moods of verbs:

Mood	Meaning and Function	Examples
Indicative	expresses a statement or states a fact	Quin is helping his mother carry the boxes. He will be arranging the books today.
Imperative	expresses a command, request, or advice	You will greet her, Tom! You are going to ask for forgiveness.
Interrogative	expresses a question	Will you be attending the event? Have you been here before?
Subjunctive	expresses a hypothetical state contrary to the fact like a wish or suggestion.	My father wants that I be present for the family gathering. I wish you were elected instead of him.
Conditional	expresses a possible outcome if certain conditions are met	She might get angry if you would go home late. If I had exercised daily, I might have won the race.

Helping Verbs or Auxiliary Verbs Rules

There are three groups of auxiliary verbs: the be verbs, do verbs, and have verbs. Each has distinct functions and rules.

Rules for Be Verbs

Helping verbs and linking verbs share the “be verbs” in English. The be verbs, such as am, is, are, was, and were, express states of being. Aside from expressing the tenses of the verb, helping verbs contribute to forming the different verb aspects.

Tense / Aspect of Time	Simple	Progressive / Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Progressive / Continuous
Present	is, am, are	is / am /are + (verb + ing)	has / have + past participle	has / have been + present participle
Past	was, were	was / were + (verb + ing)	had + past participle	had been + present participle
Future	will + base verb	will be + (verb + ing)	will have + past participle	will have been + present participle

One question learners often ask is: how to differentiate linking verbs from auxiliary verbs? The answer is simple: linking verbs are used to describe a state of being, while auxiliary verbs are used to express the tense and aspect of the verb. Since linking verbs shows a state of being, an adjective or subject complement comes after it (e.g., He is handsome.). In contrast, auxiliary verbs are followed by the main verb (e.g., He is going to your house.).

Rules for Do Verbs

The “do verbs” are: do, does, and did. “Do” is the base form of this set, “does” is its simple present tense form, and “did” is its past tense. Additionally, “does” is only used when the subject is singular, and “did” can refer to both singular and plural subjects.

The functions and rules for “do verbs are summarized in this table:

Function	Examples
used to express or form interrogative mood	– Do you understand me? – Do they know the clinic will be closed? – Does Mila go to school? – Does your cat scratch you too? – Did he ever tell you the truth?
used for negative interrogative when paired with “not”; the contractions are do not = don’t, does not = doesn’t, and did not = didn’t	– Don’t you have a good sense of direction? – Don’t you like to play basketball? – Didn’t the teachers give you a warning? – Didn’t your mother tell you to be careful? – Doesn’t she know it’s dangerous?
used as short answers to “do verb” questions	Do you understand me? – Yes, I do. Don’t you have a good sense of direction? – No, I don’t. Do they know the clinic will be closed? – No, they don’t. Don’t you like to play basketball? – Yes, I do. Does Mila go to school? – Yes, she does. Didn’t the teachers give you a warning? – No, they didn’t.
used to show contrast or express similarities and differences; used with conjunctions “so” and “neither”	– I don’t like watching TV; neither does she. – My father hates being late, and so does my mother. – His sister runs as fast as he does. – She presented the proposal well so did her competitor. – Bea loves iced coffee, and so does her partner.
used to form negative sentences in the imperative and indicative mood	– Please don’t touch the barbed wire. (imperative) – Don’t be impulsive. (imperative) – She did not accept my apology. (indicative) – The professor doesn’t tolerate cheating. (indicative) – They don’t accept credit cards at this stop. (indicative)
used to give emphasis especially in spoken English	– I do like spending time with you. – Paul never did give Gabrielle flowers. – Who did misplace the keys? – Jekyll always does manage to get in trouble. – I can’t speak Spanish, but I do speak conversational Japanese.

Rules for Have Verbs

The “have verbs” are have, has, and had. “Have” is the base form of this set, “has” is its simple present tense form, and “had” is their past tense. Additionally, “has” is only used when the subject is singular, and “had” can refer to both singular and plural subjects. The “have verbs” are also paired with other auxiliary verbs to show aspects of verbs.

Tense / Aspect of Time	Simple	Progressive / Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Progressive / Continuous
Present	is, am, are	is / am /are + (verb + ing)	has / have + past participle	has / have been + present participle
Past	was, were	was / were + (verb + ing)	had + past participle	had been + present participle
Future	will + base verb	will be + (verb + ing)	will have + past participle	will have been + present participle

Another use of “have verbs” is forming affirmative and negative interrogative and indicative sentences. Here are examples of that function:

Affirmative Indicative	Negative Indicative	Affirmative Interrogative	Negative Interrogative
I have been living in New York.	I have never lived in New York.	Have you been living in New York?	Have you never lived in New York?
She will have arrived at the airport by now.	She will not have arrived at the airport by now.	Will she have arrived at the airport by now?	Will she not have arrived at the airport by now?
He had forwarded your message.	He had not forwarded your message.	Had he forwarded your message?	Had he not forwarded your message?

Examples of Helping Verbs or Auxiliary Verbs

Here are fifteen examples of auxiliary verbs used in sentences:

1. I am writing a letter.

2. She has been studying for hours.

3. We had been waiting for the bus since morning.

4. Will you be joining us?

5. Does she not know the answer?

6. The farmers will be harvesting soon.

7. Had they been warned about the storm?

8. Celine did not buy the dress.

9. They had been discussing the issue for weeks.

10. Have they not seen the movie yet?

11. I have been studying for the test all day.

12. Ian avoids traveling so does his wife.

13. Toni wishes she were taller.

14. My daughter doesn’t like to swim; neither do I.

15. Nora has been practicing the piano for years.

Helping Verbs or Auxiliary Verbs Exercises with Answers

Choose which among the auxiliary verbs in the parentheses completes the sentences below:

1. The students (are, were, have, is) discussing the project when I last checked on them

2. (Do, Does, Did) your brother like to play chess?

3. She (has, had, have) been crying since yesterday.

4. We (had, have, has) not seen each other for years.

5. (Do, Does, Did) your parents know about the plan?

6. She (do not, have not, does not) understand why he left.

7. They (have, had, has) been living in this city since they were kids.

8. If I (am, was, is, were) the president, I would prioritize that everyone has access to education.

9. Lian really likes to read novels and so (is, does, do, did) her cousin.

10. After the fire, they (had, have, has) to rebuild the house.

Answers:

1. The students were discussing the project when I last checked on them

2. Does your brother like to play chess?

3. She has been crying since yesterday.

4. We have not seen each other for years.

5. Did your parents know about the plan?

6. She does not understand why he left.

7. They have been living in this city since they were kids.

8. If I were the president, I would prioritize that everyone has access to education.

9. Lian really likes to read novels, and so does her cousin.

10. After the fire, they had to rebuild the house.

Helping Verbs or Auxiliary Verbs List

Helping Verbs or Auxiliary Verbs List
am	were
is	being
are	been
be	has
was	have
had	do
does	did

Advice for ESL Students & English Language Learners

English grammar, like any language, is a complex subject to study. Understanding and applying grammar rules can be challenging, especially for English language learners. However, your success in learning the language is dependent on your learning plan.

First, know that there are different levels of language proficiency. Knowing your status allows you to align it with your study materials and learning strategy. To keep your motivation, select beginner-friendly materials instead of university textbooks when starting. In doing so, you will feel less intimidated by the topics you should learn.

Second, focus on the basics: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Learn how to use them correctly in sentences and understand their meaning. It will help you build a strong foundation for your English language learning journey. Divide those topics into subtopics and learn each concept and rule one by one.

Third, find a reliable source of learning materials. Online resources such as websites, blogs, and YouTube videos are mostly free. LillyPad’s blog, for example, is a great resource for English language learning materials. Additionally, you can find books and other printed materials in your local library or bookstore.

Fourth, practice speaking the language with native speakers or other English learners. It will help you understand how to use the language correctly in conversations and improve your pronunciation.

Finally, be patient with yourself and don’t give up. Learning a language takes time and effort, so set realistic goals and celebrate your achievements along the way.

Additionally, it is important for learners to properly understand linking verbs and modal verbs.

Common Mistakes Made by English Learners

Learning a new language can be difficult, and English is no exception. Even experienced English learners make mistakes when speaking or writing in the language. Here are some of the most common mistakes made by English learners:

Common Mistake	Why it Happens	Correction	Examples
Confusing auxiliary verbs with linking verbs	Learn the tenses of verbs using the chart provided in this blog. Start with the simple tenses before moving into the other aspects of verbs. Memorizing the tense formula is also helpful.	Linking verbs function as the main verb of a sentence. For example: Georgina is beautiful.   Notice that there are no other verbs in the sentence. On the other hand, auxiliary verbs can’t stand on their own and need a main verb to make sense. For example: I will be cooking today.	Linking verb: The child is energetic. Auxiliary verb: The child is playing marbles. Linking verb: He is smart. Auxiliary verb: Jayden has been acing his exams.
Confusing verb tense	There are twelve verb tenses in English grammar which makes it confusing to study.	Learn the tenses of verbs using the chart provided in this blog. Start from the simple tenses before moving into the other aspects of verbs. Memorizing the tense formula is also helpful.	Simple Present Tense: I am here at the library. Simple Past Tense: I was at the library. Simple Future Tense: I will stay at the library this afternoon.
Incorrect subject-verb agreement	There are a number of parts of speech that functions as a subject. Aside from nouns, pronouns gerunds, and infinitives can be subjects of a sentence.	The first step is learning how to identify singular from plural subjects. For example I, she, he, and it are singular pronouns. Always remember that singular subjects take singular verbs while plural subjects take plural verbs.	The dog is barking loudly. (singular subject, singular verb) The dogs are barking loudly. (plural subject, plural verb) To cross the road while using your phone is dangerous. (singular subject, singular verb)

Linking Verbs Learning Strategies and Best Practices

A holistic approach to learning a language makes it easier to understand and remember. The five macro skills, reading, listening, viewing, speaking, and writing, should be developed and used in the learning process for better language acquisition. The table below lists activities you can do when learning linking verbs:

Learning Strategies and Best Practices for Auxiliary Verbs
Reading	– Use flashcards to know basic English sight words and their meaning. – Search for a material that contains translations of common expressions from your native language to English. – Select study materials appropriate for your language proficiency.
Listening	– Listen to an audiobook or a song and write what you hear to improve your retention of English words. – Compare and contrast two audio materials like TV ads and a speech. – Summarize a podcast, movie, audiobook, and other English audio materials.
Viewing	– Observe how native speakers speak and try to mimic it. – Watch English movies, interviews, and tutorials. – Use pictographs to learn and remember new words.
Speaking	– Join a community of English language learners and communicate with them to improve and gain feedback. – Integrate the language in your daily life and try to speak using English. – Participate in speech organizations (e.g. debate club, theatre groups)
Writing	– Write a journal of your learning journey in English. – Answer practice tests and create your own sentences. – Create a reflection essay on the media you watch or listen to.

Helping Verbs or Auxiliary Verbs Frequently Asked Questions