Printable worksheet designed to help students master the identification of helping verbs and main verbs.

Let's solve this step by step. The task is to underline the main verbs and the helping verbs in each sentence.

First, recall:

- Helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs) help the main verb express tense, mood, or voice.
- Common helping verbs: *are, is, do, will, would, should, has, have, may, might, can, could, must, etc.*
- The main verb is the primary action or state of being in the sentence.

We'll go through each sentence and identify both the helping verb(s) and the main verb.

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1. You should finish your homework tonight.

- Helping verb: *should*
- Main verb: *finish*

✔ Underline: should, finish

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2. It might rain tomorrow.

- Helping verb: *might*
- Main verb: *rain*

✔ Underline: might, rain

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3. Have you seen my keys?

- Helping verb: *have* (present perfect tense)
- Main verb: *seen* (past participle of "see")

✔ Underline: Have, seen

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4. Where will you move to?

- Helping verb: *will*
- Main verb: *move*

✔ Underline: will, move

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5. They are thinking about a change in venue.

- Helping verb: *are* (present continuous)
- Main verb: *thinking* (present participle of "think")

✔ Underline: are, thinking

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6. We would like to go with you tomorrow.

- Helping verb: *would*
- Main verb: *like* (Note: "to go" is an infinitive phrase; "like" is the main verb)

> Important: In “would like to go,” "would" is the helping verb, "like" is the main verb. "To go" is part of the infinitive object.

✔ Underline: would, like

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7. He is working at the mall this week.

- Helping verb: *is*
- Main verb: *working* (present participle of "work")

✔ Underline: is, working

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8. I do not want you to get sick.

- Helping verb: *do* (used for emphasis/negation)
- Main verb: *want*

✔ Underline: do, want

> Note: "do" here is used as an auxiliary verb to form negative or emphatic statements.

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9. Could you help him with that?

- Helping verb: *could*
- Main verb: *help*

✔ Underline: Could, help

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10. He might listen to you.

- Helping verb: *might*
- Main verb: *listen*

✔ Underline: might, listen

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11. We have done our best.

- Helping verb: *have* (present perfect)
- Main verb: *done* (past participle of "do")

✔ Underline: have, done

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12. She can borrow this book.

- Helping verb: *can*
- Main verb: *borrow*

✔ Underline: can, borrow

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✔ Final Answer (with underlined words):

1. You should finish your homework tonight.
2. It might rain tomorrow.
3. Have you seen my keys?
4. Where will you move to?
5. They are thinking about a change in venue.
6. We would like to go with you tomorrow.
7. He is working at the mall this week.
8. I do not want you to get sick.
9. Could you help him with that?
10. He might listen to you.
11. We have done our best.
12. She can borrow this book.

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Summary:

- Always look for modal verbs (*can, could, will, would, should, might, must*) — they are always helping verbs.
- Verbs like *have, has, had, do, does, did, is, am, are, was, were* often act as helping verbs when followed by another verb.
- The main verb is usually the actual action word, sometimes in past participle or present participle form.

Let me know if you'd like a printable version or a worksheet format!