Types of Helping Verbs

Auxiliary verbs/Helping verbs are 03 types in English’s grammar.

1. Primary Auxiliary
2. Modal Auxiliary
3. Marginal Auxiliary

Type 1: Auxiliary Verbs

The places where auxiliary verbs are used to convey meaning are called auxiliary verbs. Its uses are so common that the main and auxiliary verbs are often used or can be interchangeable. It’s also known as primary auxiliary.

Verbs that are used as Main Verb are defined as Primary Auxiliary Verb. In other words, the Verb to be, Verb to have, and Verb to do are called Primary Auxiliary Verbs. They are mainly used as the main verbs in the sentence.

They are called primary auxiliaries because they help in making many grammatical constructions. As  (I) question, (II) tense, (III) passive voice, and (IV) their forms also keep changing according to the number and person of the subject.

Auxiliary Verb Forms

The 03 common auxiliary verbs are “to be,” “to have” and “to do.” Each of these types has multiple forms:

• to be – am, is, are, was, were, be, been
• to have – have, has, had
• to do – do, does, did

Auxiliary Verb Example Sentences

Example of Verb to be:

• He wants him to be just a friend.
• I am a sports person.
• Is your friend a dancer?
• The doctor and the police are coming here.
• He was innocent.
• They were absent yesterday.
• Gopal had been eating for a hours.
• I’m happy to be a part of this project.

Example of Verb to have:

• You don’t have lots of currency.
• He has a gift.
• You had eaten food.
• I am having a lot of fun watching movies.

Example of Verb to do:

• Do you know about Ram?
• Does she love teddy?
• Raghu Nandan didn’t hear my words.

Type 2: Modal Verbs

Modal Verbs are auxiliary verbs that are used to express ability, possibility, purpose, politeness, request, etc. Can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, and ought, are called the Model Auxiliary. Model Auxiliary has 03 features:

1. Modal auxiliaries are never used alone, it is very important to have a principal verb with them. The principal verb can either be explicit or it can be implied. As; (I) I can go. (II) Will you go? Yes, I will.
2. The present tense of the modal auxiliary remains the same in any person. As; (I) I may pass. (II) You may pass. (III) He may pass.
3. Modal auxiliary does not have infinitive or participle forms. As; to will; to must; maying.

List of Modal Verbs

There is a common number of modal verbs in English grammar.

• could
• may
• might
• will
• would
• shall
• should
• must
• ought to

Modal Verb Example Sentences

• Ram can solve the problem in no time.
• My brother could drive a car at the age of eighteen.
• May I use your laptop?
• You might take a little water.
• students shall pay their fees by the 10th of every month.
• People should obey the traffic laws of the country.
• We will try to help you in this UPSC examination.
• Every morning he would go for a long walk.
• He must go home.
• we ought to help the poor.

In English grammar, a Helping verb is a verb that comes before a main verb or lexical verb in a sentence. An auxiliary/helping verb and a main verb together form a verb phrase. Helping verbs & auxiliary verbs are mostly equal. we often get confused about how to use main verbs and helping verbs in sentences. In this article, we will try to understand how a helping verb can be used.