1. Author: Chris Van Allsburg Genre: Photo Essay
Big Question: What patterns in nature guide the lives of animals?
Author:
Chris Van Allsburg
Genre:
Photo Essay

2. Grammar Main and Helping Verbs

3. Main and Helping Verbs The whales are swimming in the bay.
Are swimming is a verb phrase. It consists of a main verb (swimming) and a helping verb (are).

4. Main and Helping Verbs
A verb that has more than one word is called a verb phrase. A verb phrase is made up of a main verb and one or more helping verbs.
The main verb shows action.
The helping verb or verbs tell more about the action.

5. Main and Helping Verbs
Common helping verbs are am, is, are, was, were, will, would, should, has, have, had, do, does, did, can, and could.
In the following sentenced, the main verb is underlined once and the helping verb is underlined twice.
Adelina has lived in La Laguna all her life.
The whales were swimming under the boat.

6. Main and Helping Verbs
The helping verbs am, is, and are show present time.
Was and were show past time.
Will shows future time.
The helping verbs has, have and had show that an action started in the past.

7. Main and Helping Verbs
In the following sentences, the helping verb have shows action that started in the past, and the helping verb will shows future time.
The whales have returned to La Laguna every year.
The whales will continue their journey north.

8. Main and Helping Verbs Find the verb phrase in each sentence.
Adelina’s grandfather will photograph the whales.
will photograph
The whales are playing in the bay.
are playing
One whale is swimming close to the boat.
is swimming

9. Main and Helping Verbs Find the verb phrase in each sentence.
Many people could visit the bay.
could visit
I am writing a letter to Adelina.
am writing

10. Main and Helping Verbs Underline the main verb once and the helping verb twice.
Adelina has learned a lot about whales.
has learned
More visitors have arrived in buses.
have arrived
Everybody is taking photographs.
is taking
Some whales are diving deep into the bay.
are diving

11. Main and Helping Verbs Underline the main verb once and the helping verb twice.
Those whales were watching us.
were watching
I will look at a whale up close.
will look
The village of La Laguna did become famous.
did become