Second Grade English: Linking & Helping Verbs (am, is, are, was, were, have, has)
While action verbs show movement, sports, and physical energy, another essential family of verbs works quietly behind the scenes. These gentle, hardworking words are called linking verbs and helping verbs. Instead of describing an action like jumping or singing, linking verbs connect a subject to words that describe it, while helping verbs join hands with main action verbs to create complex tenses. In this chapter, you will master the most famous state-of-being verbs in English am, is, are, was, were, have, and has and learn how to identify their roles in sentences.
The State-of-Being Family (The "Be" Verbs)
The most common linking and helping verbs are forms of the verb to be. They do not describe something you can physically do; they describe a state of existing!
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| THE "TO BE" VERB DIRECTORY |
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| Time Period | Singular Subject | Plural Subject |
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| Present Time | I am | We are |
| (Right Now) | He is / She is / It is | They are |
| Past Time | I was | We were |
| (Yesterday) | He was / She was / It was | They were |
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What Is a Linking Verb?
A linking verb acts like an equal sign (=) in mathematics. It connects the subject at the beginning of the sentence to an adjective or noun in the predicate that describes or renames the subject.
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| THE LINKING VERB EQUAL SIGN |
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| Sentence: The kitten [ IS ] playful. |
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| Math Model: The kitten [ = ] playful |
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| The word "is" does not show an action; it links the subject |
| "kitten" to the descriptive adjective "playful!" |
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Linking Verb Examples
"Leo was tired after the long hike." (Was links Leo to the adjective tired). "The clouds are dark and heavy." (Are links clouds to dark and heavy). "I am a second grade reader." (Am links I to the noun reader).
What Is a Helping Verb?
A helping verb (also known as an auxiliary verb) does not stand alone. Instead, it stands right beside a main action verb to "help" express when the action happened or show continuous action.
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| THE HELPING VERB PARTNERSHIP |
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| [ HELPING VERB ] + [ MAIN ACTION VERB ] |
| is + running |
| were + singing |
| has + finished |
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| Together, they form a complete VERB PHRASE! |
| "Maya IS RUNNING in the race." |
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The Helping Verbs Have and Has
The verbs have and has can also act as helping verbs when paired with past-tense action verbs: "Carlos has finished his spelling test." (Has helps finished). "We have visited the science museum twice." (Have helps visited).
How to Tell the Difference: Linking vs. Helping
To determine whether a verb like is or was is acting as a linking verb or a helping verb, use this simple check: Look at the word immediately following it: Is there another action verb right next to it? If YES -> It is a HELPING VERB ("She is reading a book"). If NO (followed by adjective or noun) -> It is a LINKING VERB ("She is happy").
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Identify whether the underlined verb in each sentence is a Linking Verb or a Helping Verb: "The soup was delicious." "The children were splashing in the pool." "I am excited for the weekend." "Leo has lost his yellow pencil."
Exercise 2: Write two sentences using the verb "is": once as a Linking Verb, and once as a Helping Verb.
Exercise Solutions
Solution to Exercise 1: In sentence 1, was is a Linking Verb (links soup to delicious). In sentence 2, were is a Helping Verb (helps the action splashing). In sentence 3, am is a Linking Verb (links I to excited). In sentence 4, has is a Helping Verb (helps the action lost).
Solution to Exercise 2: A student could write for the Linking Verb: The garden is beautiful. For the Helping Verb: The puppy is chewing a rubber bone.