Verb Phrases
A verb phrase is made of one or more helping verbs and a main verb.
Common Helping Verbs
Be: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
Have: has, have, had
Do: do, does, did
Others: may, might, must, can, could, shall, should, will, would
Examples: Her flower garden will bloom brightly in the spring.
Jim is going to race his carved car in the soapbox derby this week.
Sarah and Jean have been dancing on the stage all day long.
Interrupted Verb Phrases
If a verb phrase has a word between the helping verb and the main verb, that word is the interrupter.
Not and n’t in contractions are NOT part of the verb phrase.
Examples: He does not read as fast as his brother.
George and Martha have always been favorite storybook characters.
Will you give me another serving of dessert?