How does one diagram " He helps build the house" "helps" is not a helping verb, but "build" is not an infinitive, or is it?
In that sentence, "build" is an infinitive with the "to" understood. Hold on, and I'll try to find a good explanation.
OK, here you go:
He helps build the house.
He - subject
helps- verb
build the house - infinitive phrase which answers how? It is an infinitive used as an adverb and "house" is the direct object of that infinitive, with "the" on a slanted line below the word "house."
Diagram: infinitive as adverb: http://members.cox.net/teachro/diagramming/verbals/infadverb.htm
Then add direct object line with "house" on it...and "the" below.
To diagram the sentence "He helps build the house," we can break it down into different components:
1. Subject: "He"
2. Verb: "helps build"
- "Helps" is the main verb in the sentence.
- "Build" is a non-finite verb form that functions as the object of the verb "helps." It is not an infinitive but rather a present participle (also known as a gerund-participle), which functions as a part of the verb phrase.
3. Object: "the house"
Here's how you can diagram this sentence:
He (S)
|
helps (V)
|
/\
build (VP)
|
the house (O)
Note: In traditional sentence diagramming, you might see "build" labeled as a direct object because it is the object of the verb "helps." However, in modern linguistic analysis, it is more commonly referred to as part of the verb phrase (VP).
Regarding your second question, "build" in this sentence is not an infinitive. Infinitives are the base form of a verb preceded by the word "to" (e.g., "to build"). In this case, "build" is a present participle used in the progressive aspect of the verb phrase "helps build."