In which of the following sentences is the underlined verb a main verb and not a helping verb?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Every morning, my grandmother does the puja before she drinks her tea.
Main verb (the verb that carries the meaning):
- Have, do and be can work in two ways. As a helping verb, they come before another verb and help it show the tense or make a question. As a main verb, they stand on their own and carry the meaning.
- Here “does” means “performs”. It acts on “the puja”, and no other verb comes after it. So “does” is the main verb.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Rekha has already packed her bag for the school trip. — Incorrect. “Has” comes before the main verb “packed” and helps it. So here “has” is a helping verb.
Option 2: The farmers were ploughing the fields when the first rain came. — Incorrect. “Were” comes before the main verb “ploughing”. Together they show an action going on, so “were” is a helping verb.
Option 4: Do you know the way to the new bus stand? — Incorrect. “Do” helps the main verb “know” to make a question. So here “do” is a helping verb.