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2nd Grade Helping Verbs Worksheets

A helping verb teams up with a main verb: she is running, they have finished, we will visit. Second graders find the helper by first finding the action word, then looking just in front of it. The common helpers are is, are, was, were, has, have, had, will, and can.

Free printable PDF. One skill per page, answer key on page two.

Every sheet is one of a kind and prints with a version code, so you can reprint the exact same one later. New version every click.

A sample 2nd grade sheet. Yours will have different sentences. Click it to print your own.

The kind of sentences you'll get

Underline the helping verb in each sentence.

  1. You must return the library books on Friday.

    Answer: must

  2. The tide was rising near the rocks.
  3. The chef will taste the sauce before dinner.

Every print draws a fresh mix of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different sheet.

What's on each sheet

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Find the action first, always: circle the -ing word or the main verb, then look one word to its left. That's where the helper lives. Pairing them out loud ("is... running! have... finished!") makes the teamwork audible. Save the is-linking-or-helping question for 3rd grade; at this level every sheet keeps the pattern clean.

Watch for: The helping verb always has a partner: is running, have finished, will visit. If is stands alone before a describing word, it's a linking verb instead. Helping verbs carry the time of the sentence: was jumping is past, is jumping is now, will jump is future.

Common questions about helping verbs

What is a helping verb in simple terms?
The main verb's teammate. In "She is running," running is the star and is is the helper standing right in front. The helpers a 2nd grader meets most are is, are, was, were, has, have, will, and can, and the sheet's sentences keep them right next to their partner.
How does my child find the helping verb?
Backwards from the action. Find the doing word first (running, finished, visit), then check the word before it. That word is the helper. Hunting action-first prevents the classic mistake of circling every is and was in sight.

Related worksheets

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Reviewed by the One More Sheet curriculum team. Content version 68, updated July 2026.