Wednesday, May 20, 2015

adverbs to describe how frequently

adverbs to describe how frequently 


We use some adverbs to describe how frequently we do an activity.
These are called adverbs of frequency and include:
Frequency
Adverb of Frequency
Example Sentence
100%
Always
always go to bed before 11pm.
90%
Usually
usually have cereal for breakfast.
80%
normally / generally
normally go to the gym.
70%
often* / frequently
often surf the internet.
50%
Sometimes
sometimes forget my wife's birthday.
Or
sometimes  i  forget my wife's birthday.
30%
Occasionally
occasionally eat junk food.
10%
Seldom
seldom read the newspaper.
5%
hardly ever / rarely
hardly ever drink alcohol.
0%
Never
never swim in the sea.
* Some people pronounce the 'T' in often but many others do not.



The Position of the Adverb in a Sentence
An adverb of frequency goes before a main verb (except with To Be).
Subject + adverb + main verb
always remember to do my homework.
He normally gets good marks in exams.



An adverb of frequency goes after the verb To Be.
Subject + to be + adverb
They are never pleased to see me.
She isn't usually bad tempered.



When we use an auxiliary verb (have, will, must, might, could, would, can, etc.)
 The adverb is placed between the auxiliary and the main verb. This is also true for to be.
Subject + auxiliary + adverb + main verb
She can sometimes beat me in a race.
would hardly ever be unkind to someone.
They might never see each other again.
They could occasionally be heard laughing.



We can also use the following adverbs at the start of a sentence:
Usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally
  • Occasionally, I like to eat Thai food.
BUT we cannot use the following at the beginning of a sentence:
Always, seldom, rarely, hardly, ever, never.

We use hardly ever and never with positive, not negative verbs:
  • She hardly ever comes to my parties.
  • They never say 'thank you'.
We use ever in questions and negative statements:
  • Have you ever been to New Zealand?
  • I haven't ever been to Switzerland. (The same as 'I have never been Switzerland').
We can also use the following expressions when we want to be more specific about the frequency:
- every day - once a month - twice a year - four times a day - every other week

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