Helping Verb

List of Helping Verbs

There are 13 verbs that can be used as helping verbs in English. Some of these verbs have multiple forms, bringing the total to 26:

1. be (including am, is, are, was, were, been)
2. have, has had
3. do, does, did
4. can
5. could
6. may
7. might
8. will
9. would
10. shall
11. should
12. must
13. ought to

Different helping verbs are used for different purposes in sentences. One of their main functions is to situate the action of a sentence in a particular aspect of time. The two main aspects that helping verbs play a role in are the progressive aspect and the perfect aspect.

Progressive Aspect

When the main verb in a sentence ends in –ing, the progressive aspect is often being used. This aspect is used to convey the notion that an action is occurring in an ongoing fashion.

The forms of the helping verb to be (am, is, are, was, and were) are used to create this aspect.

The following sentences are examples of helping verbs being used to express this action:

• I am renting my guest house to my neighbor.
• Steve is starting a new personal training business for the elderly.
• Christopher and Bernadette are moving to Baton Rouge.
• It was raining when we got to Portland.
• The presidential candidates were debating in Philadelphia.

Perfect Aspects

There are three different forms of the perfect aspect in English: past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect.

• The standard perfect aspect is used to explain an action that is/was/will be in a state of progress and is/was/will be completed before a particular time.
• The perfect aspect can also be used in the continuous form to show actions that are in a state of progress but are ongoing.

Forms of the verb to have (has, have, and had) and will and won’t are often used to create the various perfect aspects.

The perfect aspect is subdivided into:

• past perfect
• present perfect
• future perfect

The following sentences demonstrate how helping verbs are used to create these aspects:

• She had stolen the car already by then. (past perfect)
• I had been dreaming about you when you called. (past perfect continuous)
• What will we do now that Barbara is gone? (future perfect)
• Jennifer won’t be going to the dinner. (future perfect)
• Dave has been working on the task all day. (present perfect continuous)
• Have you worked here long? (present perfect)

Other Uses for Helping Verbs

Helping verbs perform other specific tasks to further modify the action or meaning of the main verb. When functioning in this manner, they are known as modal helping verbs. The verbs can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, and must are most commonly used for this purpose.

The following sentences are examples:

Sal can’t name the first president.

You should go home and lie down.

When it’s your time, you must go.

I may be late for the meeting.

Would you mind if I stayed here for awhile?

Important Final Rule

The verb phrase in a sentence can include no more than three helping verbs.

When used properly, helping verbs perform some of the most intricate work in English verb phrases. The more complex aspects, progressive and perfect, should be approached by writers who already have an advanced understanding of English sentence structure.

For second language learners, helping verbs can pose particular problems and should therefore be studied after a solid foundation of simple verbs has been achieved.