Helping Verbs I 3rd Grade
What This Section is About:
In this section, students will learn about helping verbs, which are small but important words that come before the main verb in a sentence. Helping verbs work with the main verb to show when something happens (past, present, or future) or to make the meaning clearer. Students will explore common helping verbs like is, are, was, were, have, has, had, will, and can, and practice using them correctly in sentences. By the end of this section, students will be able to spot helping verbs and use them to make stronger, clearer sentences.
Helping Verbs: Support in Sentences
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Identify helping verbs in a sentence.
Understand how helping verbs work with main verbs.
Use common helping verbs (am, is, are, was, were, has, have, had, will, shall, do, does, did, can, could, may, might, must) in sentences.
Write their own sentences using helping verbs correctly.
Examples and Explanation:
What is a Helping Verb?
A helping verb is a verb that comes before the main verb to help show tense or meaning.
✅ Helping Verb + Main Verb = Complete Verb Phrase
Examples:
She is running fast.
Helping Verb: is
Main Verb: running
We have finished our homework.
Helping Verb: have
Main Verb: finished
They were watching a movie.
Helping Verb: were
Main Verb: watching
I will eat lunch soon.
Helping Verb: will
Main Verb: eat
Fun Practice Activities
1. Activity Worksheet
2. Test Yourself: Interactive Practice Quiz
Offline Homework:
Part A: Identify the Helping Verb
Underline the helping verb and circle the main verb.
She was singing loudly.
We have eaten already.
He is going to the store.
I will call you tomorrow.
They had finished the project.
Part B: Fill in the blanks with a helping verb.
I ___ reading my book.
They ___ playing soccer yesterday.
She ___ bake a cake tomorrow.
We ___ done our work already.
He ___ swim well.

