Main Verbs:
* The heart of the sentence: They express the action or state of being.
* Essential for meaning: The sentence wouldn't make sense without them.
Examples:
* She *walks* to school every day. (Action verb: "walks")
* The book *is* on the table. (State of being verb: "is")
Helping Verbs (Auxiliary Verbs):
* Assist the main verb: They provide more information about tense, mood, or voice.
* Common helping verbs: be, have, do, can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would
* Create verb phrases: Combine with a main verb to form a complete verb.
Examples:
* She *is walking* to school. ("is" helps "walking" express the present continuous tense)
* I *have seen* that movie. ("have" helps "seen" express the present perfect tense)
* They *can play* basketball. ("can" helps "play" express ability)
Here's a table summarizing the differences:
| Feature | Main Verb | Helping Verb |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Expresses action or state of being | Assists the main verb |
| Importance | Essential for meaning | Not essential for meaning |
| Example | *run, sleep, exist* | *am, have, will, could* |
Identifying the Main Verb:
To find the main verb, look for the word that expresses the core action or state of being. You can often identify the main verb by asking "What is the subject doing?" or "What is the subject being?"
Tip: Once you find the main verb, the rest of the words in the verb phrase are the helping verbs.
Let me know if you have any more questions!