1.1.1: Adverbs of Frequency

Adapted from: Susan Caisse, Kristee Emens-Hesslink, & Jennifer Rueda Clackamas Community College via OpenOregon License: CC-BY-NC

Photo by Allyson Marceau

Adverbs of Frequency with the Simple Present

Adverbs of frequency let us talk about how often we do something.

Example

How often do you come to class? I always come to class!

How often do you shop at Fred’s? I often shop at Fred’s.

Study the chart below to learn the meanings of the following adverbs.

Adverb	Frequency
always	100%
usually	70-90%
often	50-60%
sometimes	30-40%
seldom/rarely	10-20%
never	0%

Adverbs of Frequency with the BE Verb

With the BE verb, the adverbs of frequency are added between BE and the rest of the sentence. You will see in the next section that this is different with other verbs.

subject + BE + adverb of frequency + rest of sentence

Subject	BE	Adverb of Frequency	Rest of Sentence
I	am	never	late.
He/ She/ It	is	always	on time.
You/ We/ They	are	sometimes	early.

Exceptions

Some adverbs of frequency can be put in different places in a sentence.

Sometimes can be placed in three places in a sentence:

• At the beginning:
  • Sometimes I am too tired to cook dinner after work.
• After the verb:
  • I am sometimes too tired to cook dinner after work.
• At the end:
  • I am too tired to cook dinner after work.I work on the weekends sometimes.

Usually can be put in two places in the sentence.

• At the beginning:
  • Usually I am very tired after work.
• After the verb:
  • I am usually very tired after work.

Exercise 1.6: Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: Complete the sentences with the correct form of the BE verb and the adverb of frequency .

Example She (always) is always late.

1. Class (usually)_________________________ interesting.
2. They (often)_____________________ busy.
3. I (always)______________________ friendly.
4. You (never)____________________ hungry after lunch.
5. She (always)______________________ hungry at 3:00 pm.
6. He (rarely)_____________________ on time for class.
7. They (sometimes)__________________ confused in class.
8. You (often)_____________________ sleepy.

Think about It: Which sentences can you write with the frequency adverbs in different places? Write the other possible sentences in the space next to the sentences.

Adverbs of Frequency with Other Verbs

When we look at the sentences in Activity 3.9, we see that we are saying how often something happens. An adjective follows the adverb of frequency. Adverbs of frequency give more information about a person or a situation. For example, they show how often we are hungry, tired, late, busy, or on time. But, what if we want to say how often we do some activity? In that case, we don’t use the BE verb. We use another verb, like eat, sleep, cook, drive, or talk. Instead of adding the adverb of frequency after the verb, like we did with the BE verb, we add it before the verb. We do this because we are saying how often the activity of the verb happens.

 

Subject	Adverb of Frequency	Verb	Rest of Sentence
I	always	eat	breakfast.
He / She /It	usually	starts	at 6pm.
You / We / They	never	walk	to school.

We use the adverb of frequency to talk about how often or how frequently something happens.

For questions, we often use “How often….?” to ask about the frequency of activities.

Examples:

1. How often do you go swimming? – I often go swimming in the morning.
2. How often does Amanda cook? – She usually cooks on weekdays.

The adverbs “never” and “rarely” have a negative meaning, so do not use them with “do not” or “does not”

Examples:

1. I don’t never eat sushi. (incorrect) I never eat sushi. (correct)
2. She doesn't rarely go to bed after midnight. (incorrect) She rarely goes to bed after midnight. (correct)

Exercise 1.7: Fill-in the-Blank

Directions: Write the adverb of frequency and the verb in the blank.

Remember:  When we use any verb except the BE verb, the adverb of frequency goes before the verb.

Example Mohammed (always/get up) always gets up at 7:00 am.

1. I (never/eat) _____________ breakfast.

2. You (often/do) _____________ laundry on Saturdays.

3. He (usually/swim) ______________ on weekends.

4. She (never/sing) _____________ karaoke.

5. It (rarely/rain) _____________ in July.

6. They (seldom/watch) _______________movies.

6. We (always/do) _____________ our homework.

7. She (sometimes/make)______________ the bed.

Exercise 1.8: Interview 

Part 1 Directions: Ask your classmate the questions listed in the first column of the table. Your partner should use an adverb of frequency in their answer. Check (✔) the adverb of frequency they use.

How often do you…	always	usually	often	sometimes	seldom / rarely	never
wake up before 7:00 am?
eat breakfast?
go to bed before 11:00 pm?
do laundry (wash clothes) on the weekend?
eat dinner before 6:00 pm?
sleep in  (sleep late) on Sundays?
go grocery shopping on the weekdays?
come to class on time?
do your homework before class?

Part 2 Directions: Choose 5 of the questions (and answers) from Part 1. Use the answers to write sentences about your classmate’s activities. Remember to use adverbs of frequency.

Example: Ahmed always does his homework before class.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Exercise 1.9: Write about You

Directions: Answer the questions about you below using the adverbs of frequency for each statement.

Example: How often do you go to the gym? – I usually go to the gym three times a week.

1. How often do you smoke? ___________________________________________________________________
2. How often do you eat junk food? ______________________________________________________________
3. How often do you eat breakfast? ______________________________________________________________
4. How often do you work out? __________________________________________________________________
5. How often do you eat out on weekends? ________________________________________________________
6. How often do you go dancing? ________________________________________________________________
7. How often do you stay up after midnight? _______________________________________________________
8. How often do you get up before 6 am? _________________________________________________________