17 Helping Verbs: Am, Is, Are, Was, Were

orbs ending in -ing cannot be used without Ver

taking the help of other verbs.

Look at these sentences:

(a) Varun is playing football.

() They are waiting for the school bus.

(c) I am feeling thirsty. a) He was sleeping when the bell rang.

(e) We were watching television last night.

Each of the -ing verbs in the above sentences-playing, waiting, feeling,

sleeping, watching-has taken the help of another verb-is, are, am, was, were.

So, we see that am, is, are, was, were belong to a special class of verbs,

because they can be used:

1. As verbs on their own to tell us how or

what a person or thing is:

f) He is a good boy.

(g) Arun is ill.

(h) They are happy.

2.With other verbs as helping verbs.

You should also note that when a helping verb is used with another

verb, the two verbs are treated as one unit:

is + Swimming = is swimming

4M+waiting = am vaiting Was +eating = was eating

are + pulling = are pulling

were + talking = were talking Oere+pushing = were pushin8

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E Can say that waiting, eating, pushing, swimming, pulling and taiking8 are

ne man verbs and am, is, are, was, were are the helping verbs.

he two verbs together make up the actual verb.

derline the verbs ending in -ing in the following sentences. One has

been done for you.

1. We are going to the market to buy vegetables.

2. Veer was staying with his uncle in Pune.

3. Zara and Sana were playing near the pool.

4. I am waiting for the bus.

5. Uday and Ayesha are taking

their pet dog to the vet.

6. Sonu and Niti were walking

down to the beach.

7. We are writing a composition.

8. Meena is filling the jug with water.

9. Tony is playing chess with his sister.

10. Grandmother was telling us a story.

11. Thé baby is crying because it is hungry.

12/My aunt is taking a nap.

Pick out and write the verbs in the given blanks. One has been done

for you.

1. Iam wearing a pair of black shoes. ... AM.WerINS....

2. Nina put the kettle on the kitchen table. vups. 3. Tony sleeps in the afternoon.

4. They were enjoying themselves at the party.

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5. I am feeling very tired. m lung kokede.6. Niti baked a cake today. (0D0

7. We are going to a party today. 8. They were buying new clothes for Diwali. Dlexe.9. This book belongs to Zain. Aoeherngs

10. I am reading a book. Amaodung .-nlarocl.

aking

11. Harry entered the classroom.

12. Nikita is eating chocolate biscuits.

Pick out and write the verbs in the blank spaces. Some sentences may have more than one verb. One has been done for you.

1. Deena and Arjun packed their bags and went to school.

.Packed..verb....wentverb

2. Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet.

3. He lent me the book he was reading. D

.ti...ntal Haadimg..Nekr.. 4. Geeta was sleeping when her fathercame home. SrOD

aepemg...,..Coma.Nl.. 5. Jack and Jill went up the hill and fetched a pail of water.

.r.hetcheo.Nrls. 6. Cinderella was dancing with the Prince

when the clock struck twelve.

AA cdamcung.. ck.Nede

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7.They were bathing in the lake and were enjoying themselves.

Ra �themo.a amxre. myenyamq. Nl.. 8. Veer is running acro[s the field.

uMnenmg..NRNS.. 9. Please open the letterand read it to me.

..em.j.00dMENlr

10. The Little Mermaid sanga sad son8

p9oma...Rrd..

11. Vinit and Ritu are talking to their teacher.

.Ane alRing..1Rds.. ..

12. Amit and Varun wereplaying football in the field and the ball fell

into a pond.

13. Tony learned the song and'sang it in class the next day

.amc..ong..e. 14. Mihir is swimming swiftly across the lake.

.. wimmumg..ekr. 15. Ayush is doing his homework. He is feeling sleepy. J9)

. ng. felingsm.oneusr.

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