Helping and Linking Verbs

Can, could, may, might, must, should, will, would; is, seems, became, feels; and subject–verb agreement.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 30

Some verbs don't show action by themselves. Helping verbs help a main verb. Ana is reading. We should leave. The birds have built a nest.
Helping verbs like must, should, might, could, and will change the meaning. You must wear a helmet: it's required. It might rain: maybe.
Linking verbs link the subject to a word that describes or names it. The soup smells delicious. The puppy seems tired. Grandpa was a pilot.
The same word can do both jobs! The class is excited: linking. The class is painting: helping, because painting is the action.
And the verb must agree with its subject, even when words come between them. The box of crayons is on the desk. The subject is box, not crayons.
Your turn! Tap the helping verb: The birds have built a nest.

Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts Standards:

4.L.GC.1.33 — Grammar: Use helping and linking verbs. (Master)
4.L.GC.2.c — Use correct subject-verb agreement to consistently achieve clarity in a variety of sentences. (C)