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.
Free printable PDF worksheet.
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The kind of sentences you'll get
Underline the helping verb in each sentence.
-
The band will march in the parade.
Answer: will
- The wind is pushing leaves across our porch.
- The baker had sliced the warm loaves.
Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.
What's on a 2nd grade sheet
2nd grade sheets draw from 64 sentences, 10 to a page. 2 of the 64 aren't on 3rd grade sheets. The other 62 are. 3rd grade sheets print 12 to a page.
Some of the words to find:
canarewerehashavemustshouldmightammay
- Identify. Underline the helping verb in each sentence. 10 questions per page.
- Multiple choice. Circle the letter of the word that is the helping verb. 8 questions per page.
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 2nd grade 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
- 3rd grade helping verbs A step harder, same skill
- 2nd grade action verbs Same grade, nearby skill
- 2nd grade adjective or adverb? Same grade, nearby skill
- 2nd grade adverbs of how, when, and where Same grade, nearby skill
- 2nd grade articles (a, an, the) Same grade, nearby skill
- Helping verbs, all grades The full progression
- All 2nd grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 2nd grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated July 2026.
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