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Helping Verbs

Basic Helping Verbs

Do, does, did, am, is, are, was, were - the words that build questions and negatives.

Mastered by
Brown places the auxiliary forms of be between roughly 2;5 and 4;0
Practice items
31
Sections
4

What this skill is

Helping verbs are small words that do grammatical work without adding much meaning. Their two biggest jobs are asking and denying. To turn "you like it" into a question, English does not change the word order of the main verb - it brings in a helper: "do you like it?" To make it negative, the helper carries the not: "I do not like it." Without the helper, neither is possible.

What to expect

Early questions often skip the helper and rely on rising intonation alone - "you like it?" - and early negatives park a bare "no" at the front: "no want it." Both are normal. Expect the helper to appear in negatives before it appears in questions, and expect the double-marked stage ("did he went?") on the way through, which is a sign the rule is being applied rather than missed.

Try this at home

Play a guessing game where asking is the whole game. Hide an object and let them question you: "Is it big? Does it have wheels? Did you put it in the drawer?" Guessing games are one of the only everyday activities where a child produces dozens of questions instead of answering them.

When to refer

No helping verbs in questions or negatives by about 4, or questions still marked by intonation alone past 4;6.

Print it

Basic Helping Verbs worksheet31 items across 4 sections, with answer key · PDF

Building Questions with Do

8 items

Turn each sentence into a question using do, does or did.

  1. 1.You like pizza.Do you like pizza?
  2. 2.She wants a turn.Does she want a turn?
  3. 3.They went to the park.Did they go to the park?
  4. 4.He has a bike.Does he have a bike?
  5. 5.You finished your snack.Did you finish your snack?
  6. 6.The dog needs water.Does the dog need water?
  7. 7.We have time.Do we have time?
  8. 8.I said that.Did I say that?

Building Questions with Be

7 items

Turn each sentence into a question using is, are, was or were.

  1. 1.The baby is sleeping.Is the baby sleeping?
  2. 2.You are ready.Are you ready?
  3. 3.He was late.Was he late?
  4. 4.They are outside.Are they outside?
  5. 5.It is your turn.Is it your turn?
  6. 6.We were too loud.Were we too loud?
  7. 7.She is your sister.Is she your sister?

Saying No

8 items

Make each sentence negative. Use the helper plus not.

  1. 1.I like broccoli.I do not like broccoli.
  2. 2.She wants to go.She does not want to go.
  3. 3.They came to my party.They did not come to my party.
  4. 4.He is sleeping.He is not sleeping.
  5. 5.We are finished.We are not finished.
  6. 6.It was my fault.It was not my fault.
  7. 7.You have my crayon.You do not have my crayon.
  8. 8.The dog is barking.The dog is not barking.

Pick the Helper

8 items

Fill in the blank with do, does or did.

  1. 1.____ you want a snack?Do
  2. 2.____ your brother play soccer?Does
  3. 3.____ we go to the zoo last summer?Did
  4. 4.____ the bus come yet?Did
  5. 5.____ they live next door?Do
  6. 6.____ it hurt?Does
  7. 7.____ I leave my coat here?Did
  8. 8.____ she know the answer?Does