Question

Read the sentence.She had heard that the figure skaters were arriving.What are the helping verbs in the verb phrases?

Answer 1

Correct answer is had; were

Answer 2

The helping verbs in this sentence are "had" and "were".

Helping verbs, also called auxiliary verbs, are used with the main verb in order to add a funcional or grammatical meaning.

Helping verbs have different functions within a sentence. They can express tense, modality, voice or emphasis. In this sentence for example, both helping verbs  "had" and "were" express the tense of the verb.

Had heard: Past perfect

Were arriving: past progressive