Which term describes the use of a second verb to help with tense?

Which term describes the use of a second verb to help with tense?

• A. Helping verbs
• B. Fragment
• C. Run-on sentence
• D. Comma splice

Answer: (A)

Using a second verb to show tense is done with helping verbs, also called auxiliary verbs. These words team up with the main verb to convey time or aspect, as in I am walking (am marks present progressive) or She has finished (has marks present perfect). The other terms describe sentence structure issues rather than how tense is formed, so they aren’t the right label here.

Using a second verb to show tense is done with helping verbs, also called auxiliary verbs. These words team up with the main verb to convey time or aspect, as in I am walking (am marks present progressive) or She has finished (has marks present perfect). The other terms describe sentence structure issues rather than how tense is formed, so they aren’t the right label here.