For more information on helping verbs, see verbs: helping verbs. For instance, in the examples below, make becomes making, leave becomes left, and decide becomes decided:įor more information on verb phrases, see verb phrase. With these helping verbs, the main verb changes its form. In these examples, the main verb is in its base form (the form in which it is listed in the dictionary).īut that is not the case when the helping verb is a form of the verb be ( am, is, are, was, were, been, being) or have ( has, had). In the verb phrases below, the main verbs are see, be, finish and go. to change its tense or mood, to ask a question, etc.). The other verbs in the phrase are there to help the main verb (e.g. Auxiliary (or Helping) verbs are used together with a main verb to show the verbs tense or to form a negative or question. See how the causative verbs 'make,' 'get,' 'have. In a verb phrase (a verb of two or more words), the main verb is always the last verb and expresses the chief idea in the verb phrase. A causative verb works in either of two ways: (1) although the subject doesnt perform the action of the operative verb, the causative can cause someone or something else to do it or (2) the causative enables the intransitive verb to surmount its handicap of being unable to act on an object. verb agreement with indefinite pronounsĪ main verb is any verb that is not a helping verb.verb agreement: sentences beginning with there.verb agreement in the case of interrupting words.

verb agreement: compound subjects with or.verb agreement: compound subjects with and.

What is a helping verb