HELPING VERBS
Helping verbs that do not change form.
can | I can go. | I am able to go. |
could | I could go. | I have permission to go. |
may | I may go. | It is possible that I will go. |
might | I might go. | I could go but probably will not. |
must | I must go. | I will go because I do not have a choice. |
shall | I shall go. | It is inevitable that I will go. |
should | I should go. | I should go but don’t want to. |
will | I will go. | It is certain that I will go. |
would | I would go. | I would go if I could, but I cannot. |
These helping verbs do not change form with person or time. For example: I might go. He might go. You might go. We might go. They might go.
Helping verbs that change form.
Verb | Regular forms | Negative forms |
TO DO | do, does, did | don’t, doesn’t, didn’t |
TO HAVE | have, has, had | haven’t, hasn’t, hadn’t |
TO BE | be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been | isn’t, aren’t, wasn’t, weren’t |
These helping verbs change form with person and time. For example: I do go. He does go. You do go. I did go. We did go. They did go. I have gone. He has gone. We have gone. I had gone. She had gone. We had gone.