| a word used in construction with and preceding certain forms of other verbs, as infinitives or participles, to express distinctions of tense, aspect, mood, etc., as did in Did you go?, am in I am listening, have in We have spoken, or can in They can see. |
| Main Entry: | helping verb |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | an informal term for an auxiliary verb, which combines with a main verb to help it express tense, mood, and voice |
| Example: | Common helping verbs are be, do, have, can, may, will, shall. |
A “helping” verb that modifies the main verb, as in “Gail can win,” “Gail did win,” “Gail could have won.” A question often begins with an auxiliary verb: “Did Gail win?” “Could Gail lose?” The various forms of the verbs can, have, is, and does frequently act as auxiliaries.
