Questions 1–8: in the following sentences, identify the main verb and the verbs. the neighbor’s children were playing outside all afternoon. it is obvious that carmen does not care for most vegetables. standing on her tippy-toes, tamra can just reach the top shelf. will the rain stop before the party starts? you really must return those overdue library books. you could try making lunch for the family today. the car might need more gas if we drive much longer. jason has finished the laundry and will start the dishes next.

The neighbor’s children were playing outside all afternoon. (main: playing; helping: were)

It is obvious that Carmen does not care for most vegetables. (main: care; helping: does)

Standing on her tippy-toes, Tamra can just reach the top shelf. (main: reach; helping: can)

Will the rain stop before the party starts? (main: stop; helping: will)

You really must return those overdue library books. (main: return; helping: must)

You could try making lunch for the family today. (main: try; helping: could)

The car might need more gas if we drive much longer. (main: need; helping: might)

Jason has finished the laundry and will start the dishes next.(main: finished, start; helping: has, will)

A main verb is one that expresses an action. It gives the most information about the nature of this action. On the other hand, a helping or auxiliary verb does not give major information in terms of the action. Instead, they describe the time, or the mode, in which the action was performed. They are both important parts of the sentence that contribute to providing meaning.