In English grammar, verbs often work in teams. This article explores two crucial teamwork-based categories: helping verbs (also known as auxiliary verbs) and multi-word verbs. Understanding how these verbs work together helps you build more accurate, expressive, and fluent sentences — especially when forming questions, negatives, or complex tenses.

Whether you’re learning English or teaching it, mastering helping verbs and multi-word verbs is essential for expressing time, intention, voice, and nuance. This knowledge strengthens your ability to write clearly and speak naturally in various contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

🔧 What Are Helping Verbs?

Helping verbs assist the main verb in a sentence by forming questions, negatives, tenses, moods, or voices. They don’t carry the main meaning on their own but are essential for grammatical structure.

• Primary helping verbs: be, do, have
• Modal helping verbs: can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, must

Examples:

• She is watching a movie. (be + verb-ing = present continuous)
• I have eaten already. (have + past participle = present perfect)
• We should go now. (modal + base verb)
• Did you see that? (do + base verb = past interrogative)
• They do not agree with the policy. (do + negative + base verb = present negative)

Helping verbs are indispensable in forming complex verb structures, especially in questions and negatives. They make it possible to manipulate tense and mood efficiently.

🪄 What Are Multi-Word Verbs?

A multi-word verb consists of a main verb plus one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs). Together, they create meanings that are often very different from the meaning of the main verb alone. These are essential in both formal and informal English, often adding color or idiomatic flair to language.

There are three main types:

1. Phrasal Verbs

Definition: Verb + particle (adverb) = new meaning

• Examples: give up, run into, look after

In a sentence: He gave up smoking last year.

More examples:

• We ran into an old friend at the market.
• She looks after her younger siblings every weekend.

2. Prepositional Verbs

Definition: Verb + preposition (fixed combination)

• Examples: believe in, listen to, depend on

In a sentence: I believe in second chances.

More examples:

• You should listen to your teacher’s advice.
• They depend on donations to fund their work.

3. Phrasal-Prepositional Verbs

Definition: Verb + adverb + preposition

• Examples: put up with, get away with, look forward to

In a sentence: She looks forward to the holidays every year.

More examples:

• I can’t put up with this noise anymore.
• He got away with cheating on the test.

🧠 Quick Quiz: Name That Verb Type!

They have been looking into the issue for weeks.

Answers:

• have been – helping (auxiliary) verbs
• looking into – phrasal-prepositional verb

Challenge: Identify the verb types in the sentence below:

She must have been putting up with a lot of stress lately.

• must have been – modal + helping verbs
• putting up with – phrasal-prepositional verb

🌟 Why Helping Verbs and Multi-Word Verbs Matter

These verb combinations make your English richer, more flexible, and more accurate. You need them to:

• Express time and continuity (e.g., present perfect, future progressive)
• Form polite requests, opinions, and suggestions (using modals)
• Convey idiomatic meaning that isn’t always literal (especially with phrasal verbs)
• Construct formal writing and spoken English effectively

They are not just grammar rules — they are the gears that power real-world English communication. A good grasp of helping verbs and multi-word verbs allows learners to navigate everyday language more naturally and confidently.