Adverbs of Frequency & Expressions of Frequency.
Adverbs of Frequency & Expressions of Frequency.
What are Adverbs of Frequency?
We use adverbs of frequency to say how often we do things. For example
“A vegetarian never eats meat.”
Where to Place Adverbs of Frequency.
Adverbs of frequency go before the main verb
for example
“She always complains when we eat out!”
but adverbs of frequency go after the verb to be or modal verbs.
“I am sometimes still hungry after lunch.”
Examples of Adverbs of Frequency
This table shows some common adverbs of frequency. The are in descending order, starting with “Always” which mean 100% of the time and finishing with “Never” which means 0% of the time.
| Adverb of Frequency | Example | Example with “to be” / modal verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Always | I always have a healthy breakfast. | I am always hungry in the morning |
| Usually | I usually eat with my family. | I am usually too busy to eat a large lunch. |
| Normally / Generally | I normally have a snack between lunch and dinner. | I am normally full after my dinner. |
| Often / Frequently | I often have dessert when we eat out. | I am often interested in trying new dishes. |
| Sometimes | I sometimes have a snack late at night! | I am sometimes too lazy to cook. |
| Occasionally | I occasionally have take-away food. | I am occasionally able to buy really good quality steak. |
| Seldom | I seldom eat in very expensive restaurants. | I am seldom too full to eat dessert! |
| Hardly Ever / Rarely | I hardly ever bake cakes. | I am hardly ever late for dinner with friends. |
| Never | I never eat meat, I’m vegetarian! | I can never find all the ingredients for exotic dishes. |
Expressions of Frequency
Another way of talking about how often we do things is using expressions of frequency, such as
“I go shopping once a week“
An expression of frequency
We can combine a number of times or an adverb with a period of time
Examples of Expressions of Frequency
once
twice / a couple of times
three times
four times
five times
every
a day
a week
a fortnight
a month
a year
a decade
Position of Expressions of Frequency
Expressions of frequency usually go at the end of the sentence or clause.
So we could say that
“I cook every day.”
“I go shopping twice a week.”
“I eat out once a month.”
“We have take-away food once a week.”
Example Expressions of Frequency