LESSON 2: VERB PHRASES & HELPING VERBS

Sometimes verbs are made up of more than one word. The words work together to
perform one job: the job of a verb.

When more than one word is acting as the verb, all of the words together are called a
verb phrase.

Verb phrases are two or more verbs acting together as one verb.

They are made from one main verb and one or more helping verbs.

Examples: will run, might have jumped, had painted

Verb phrases must have a main verb.

The main verb is the one that carries the most meaning. There are many, many main
verbs. (teach, jump, skip, climb, learn…)

Verb phrases must also have one or more helping verbs.

Helping verbs help the main verb. They express certain tenses or conditions of
main verbs, and they can’t stand on their own. If you have a helping verb, then
you must also have a main verb.

Examples: will run, might have jumped, had painted, would study, could learn

There are only 24 helping verbs.

You must memorize all 24 helping verbs or your head might explode!

Well, not really, but memorizing them is necessary for learning grammar. You just have
to do it. If you learn them now, you'll save yourself a lot of confusion later on.

Here is a list of the helping verbs.

Helping Verbs

be, am, is, are, was

were, been, being, have, has, had

could, should, would, may, might

must, shall, can, will, do, did

does, having

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One easy way to memorize these words is to sing them to the tune of a song. You can
listen to me sing the helping verbs to the tune of "The Witch Doctor" by David Seville on
the following webpage if you'd like. Check under the section labeled Helping Verbs.

www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com/list-of-verbs.html

You might know this song as "Ooo Eee Ooo Ah Ah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang."

Diagramming Verb Phrases

To diagram a verb phrase, put all of the words in the verb phrase in the place where the
verb goes.

Always write the helping verb(s) first and the main verb last.

Students will learn.

Be sure to take a few moments over the next few days to review the 24 helping verbs.
Say them (or sing them) out loud.

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