Helping Verbs

Helping verbs have no meaning on their own. They are necessary for the grammatical structure of a sentence, but they do not tell us very much alone. We usually use helping verbs with main verbs. They "help" the main verb (which has the real meaning). There are only about 15 helping verbs in English, and we divide them into two basic groups:

Primary helping verbs (3 verbs)

These are the verbs be, do, and have. Note that we can use these three verbs as helping verbs or as main verbs. On this page we talk about them as helping verbs. We use them in the following cases:

• be
• to make continuous tenses (He is watching TV.)
• to make the passive (Small fish are eaten by big fish.)

• have
• to make perfect tenses (I have finished my homework.)

• do
• to make negatives (I do not like you.)
• to ask questions (Do you want some coffee?)
• to show emphasis (I do want you to pass your exam.)
• to stand for a main verb in some constructions (He speaks faster than she does.)

Modal helping verbs (10 verbs)

We use modal helping verbs to "modify" the meaning of the main verb in some way. A modal helping verb expresses necessity or possibility, and changes the main verb in that sense. These are the modal verbs:

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

Here are examples using modal verbs:

·        I can't speak Chinese.

·        John may arrive late.

·        Would you like a cup of coffee?

·        You should see a doctor.

·        I really must go now.

Main Verbs

Main verbs have meaning on their own (unlike helping verbs). There are thousands of main verbs, and we can classify them in several ways:

Transitive and intransitive verbs

A transitive verb takes a direct object: Somebody killed the President. An intransitive verb does not have a direct object: He died. Many verbs, like speak, can be transitive or intransitive. Look at these examples:
transitive:

• I saw an elephant.
• We are watching TV.
• He speaks English.

intransitive:

• He has arrived.
• John goes to school.
• She speaks fast.

Linking verbs

A linking verb does not have much meaning in itself. It "links" the subject to what is said about the subject. Usually, a linking verb shows equality (=) or a change to a different state or place (>). Linking verbs are always intransitive (but not all intransitive verbs are linking verbs).

• Mary is a teacher. (mary = teacher)
• Tara is beautiful. (tara = beautiful)
• That sounds interesting. (that = interesting)
• The sky became dark. (the sky > dark)
• The bread has gone bad. (bread > bad)

Dynamic and stative verbs

Some verbs describe action. They are called "dynamic", and can be used with continuous tenses. Other verbs describe state (non-action, a situation). They are called "stative", and cannot normally be used with continuous tenses (though some of them can be used with continuous tenses with a change in meaning).
dynamic verbs (examples):

• hit, explode, fight, run, go

stative verbs (examples):

• be
• like, love, prefer, wish
• impress, please, surprise
• hear, see, sound
• belong to, consist of, contain, include, need
• appear, resemble, seem

Regular and irregular verbs

This is more a question of vocabulary than of grammar. The only real difference between regular and irregular verbs is that they have different endings for their past tense and past participle forms. For regular verbs, the past tense ending and past participle ending is always the same: -ed. For irregular verbs, the past tense ending and the past participle ending is variable, so it is necessary to learn them by heart.
regular verbs: base, past tense, past participle

• look, looked, looked
• work, worked, worked

irregular verbs: base, past tense, past participle

• buy, bought, bought
• cut, cut, cut
• do, did, done

Regular Verbs List

There are thousands of regular verbs in English. This is a list of 600 of the more common regular verbs. Note that there are some spelling variations in American English (for example, "practise" becomes "practice" in American English).

accept add admire admit advise afford agree alert

allow amuse analyse announce annoy answer apologise appear

applaud appreciate approve argue arrange arrest arrive ask

attach attack attempt attend attract avoid

back bake balance ban bang bare bat bathe battle beam

beg behave belong bleach bless blind blink blot blush boast

boil bolt bomb book bore borrow bounce bow box brake

brake branch breathe bruise brush bubble bump burn bury buzz

calculate call camp care carry carve cause challenge change charge chase cheat check cheer chew

choke chop claim clap clean clear clip close coach coil collect colour comb command communicate

compare compete complain complete concentrate concern confess confuse connect consider consist contain continue copy correct

cough count cover crack crash crawl cross crush cry cure curl curve cycle

dam damage dance dare decay deceive decide decorate delay delight

deliver depend describe desert deserve destroy detect develop disagree disappear

disapprove disarm discover dislike divide double doubt drag drain dream

dress drip drop drown drum dry dust

earn educate embarrass employ empty encourage

end enjoy enter entertain escape examine

excite excuse exercise exist expand expect

explain explode extend

face fade fail fancy fasten fax fear fence

fetch file fill film fire fit fix flap

flash float flood flow flower fold follow fool

force form found frame frighten fry

gather gaze glow glue

grab grate grease greet

grin grip groan guarantee

guard guess guide

hammer hand handle hang happen harass

harm hate haunt head heal heap

heat help hook hop hope hover

hug hum hunt hurry

identify ignore imagine impress improve include

increase influence inform inject injure instruct

intend interest interfere interrupt introduce invent

invite irritate itch

jail jam

jog join

joke judge

juggle jump

kick kill

kiss kneel

knit knock

knot

label land last laugh launch

learn level license lick lie

lighten like list listen live

load lock long look love

man manage march mark marry match mate

matter measure meddle melt memorise mend mess up

milk mine miss mix moan moor mourn

move muddle mug multiply murder

nail name

need nest

nod note

notice number

obey object observe

obtain occur offend

offer open order

overflow owe own

pack paddle paint park part pass paste pat pause peck pedal peel peep perform

permit phone pick pinch pine place plan plant play please plug point poke polish

pop possess post pour practise pray preach precede prefer prepare present preserve press pretend

prevent prick print produce program promise protect provide pull pump punch puncture punish push

question

queue

race radiate rain raise reach realise receive recognise record reduce reflect

refuse regret reign reject rejoice relax release rely remain remember remind

remove repair repeat replace reply report reproduce request rescue retire return

rhyme rinse risk rob rock roll rot rub ruin rule rush

sack sail satisfy save saw scare scatter scold scorch scrape scratch scream screw scribble scrub seal search separate serve settle shade share shave shelter

shiver shock shop shrug sigh sign signal sin sip ski skip slap slip slow smash smell smile smoke snatch sneeze sniff snore snow soak

soothe sound spare spark sparkle spell spill spoil spot spray sprout squash squeak squeal squeeze stain stamp stare start stay steer step stir stitch

stop store strap strengthen stretch strip stroke stuff subtract succeed suck suffer suggest suit supply support suppose surprise surround suspect suspend switch

talk tame tap taste tease telephone tempt terrify test thank

thaw tick tickle tie time tip tire touch tour tow

trace trade train transport trap travel treat tremble trick trip

trot trouble trust try tug tumble turn twist type

undress unfasten

unite unlock

unpack untidy

use

vanish

visit

wail wait walk wander want warm warn wash

waste watch water wave weigh welcome whine whip

whirl whisper whistle wink wipe wish wobble wonder

work worry wrap wreck wrestle wriggle

x-ray

yawn

yell

zip

zoom

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs are an important feature of English. We use irregular verbs a lot when speaking, less when writing. Of course, the most famous English verb of all, the verb "to be", is irregular.
What is the difference between regular verbs and irregular verbs?

	Base Form	Past Simple	Past Participle
With regular verbs, the rule is simple...
The past simple and past participle always end in -ed:	finish	finished	finished
	stop	stopped	stopped
	work	worked	worked
But with irregular verbs, there is no rule...
Sometimes the verb changes completely:	sing	sang	sung
Sometimes there is "half" a change:	buy	bought	bought
Sometimes there is no change:	cut	cut	cut

Verb Classification

We divide verbs into two broad classifications:

1. Helping Verbs

Imagine that a stranger walks into your room and says:

• I can.
• People must.
• The Earth will.

Do you understand anything? Has this person communicated anything to you? Probably not! That's because these verbs are helping verbs and have no meaning on their own. They are necessary for the grammatical structure of the sentence, but they do not tell us very much alone. We usually use helping verbs with main verbs. They "help" the main verb. (The sentences in the above examples are therefore incomplete. They need at least a main verb to complete them.) There are only about 15 helping verbs.

2. Main Verbs

Now imagine that the same stranger walks into your room and says:

• I teach.
• People eat.
• The Earth rotates.

Do you understand something? Has this person communicated something to you? Probably yes! Not a lot, but something. That's because these verbs are main verbs and have meaning on their own. They tell us something. Of course, there are thousands of main verbs.
In the following table we see example sentences with helping verbs and main verbs. Notice that all of these sentences have a main verb. Only some of them have a helping verb.

	helping verb		main verb
John			likes	coffee.
You			lied	to me.
They			are	happy.
The children	are		playing.
We	must		go	now.
I	do	not	want	any

Tenses

The English Tense System
The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses. In each lesson we look at two aspects of the tense:

• Structure: How do we make the tense?
• Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Some lessons look at additional aspects, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding.
Present Tense
I do do, I do
Present Continuous Tense
I am doing, I am doing tomorrow
Present Perfect Tense
I have done
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
I have been doing
Past Tense
I did do, I did
Past Continuous Tense
I was doing
Past Perfect Tense
I had done
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
I had been doing

Future Tense
I will do
Future Continuous Tense
I will be doing
Future Perfect Tense
I will have done
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
I will have been doing