Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency tell us how
often something happens/is the case, happened/was the case,
will happen/will be the case, etc.
There are lots of them. Here are some
examples:
|
always |
constantly habitually chiefly
predominantly typically continuously |
usually normally mostly generally
commonly largely regularly |
often frequently repeatedly |
sometimes occasionally
sporadically intermittently spasmodically |
rarely infrequently seldom |
never |
Where do they come in the sentence?
1. If the sentence has one verb in
it (e.g. no auxiliary verb) we usually put the adverb in the middle of the
sentence, i.e. after the subject and before the verb:
Position A
|
subject |
adverb |
verb |
predicate |
|
Tom |
usually |
goes |
to work by car. |
2. The adverb usually comes after
the verb "be":
Position B
|
subject |
verb |
adverb |
predicate |
|
Tom Anne |
is isn’t |
often usually |
late. late. |
This is not the case if we put
the adverb at the beginning or end of the sentence for emphasis.
This rule also does not apply to
short answers:
|
Speaker A:
Is she usually on time? |
Speaker A: Tell
her not to be late. |
|
Speaker A: Yes,
she usually is. |
Speaker B: She
never is. |
The rule is broken in other cases
too, e.g.
|
Speaker A:
What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at school? |
|||||
|
Speaker B |
I |
normally |
am |
at school at this time, |
but
my teacher is ill. |
|
Speaker A:
You’re late again! |
||||
|
Speaker B: |
I |
usually |
am |
late on Mondays because the traffic is so bad. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Speaker A:
Tom is late again! |
||||
|
Speaker B: |
Tom |
usually |
is |
late! |
|
I |
never |
was |
any good
at maths. |
3. If the sentence has more than one
verb in it (e.g. auxiliary verb) we usually put the adverb after the first part
of the verb:
Position C
|
subject |
verb 1 |
adverb |
verb 2 |
predicate |
|
I Anne The children |
can doesn’t have |
never usually often |
remember smoke. complained |
his
name. about the state of the school toilets. |
Exception:
In sentences with "have
to" the adverb is in position A:
|
subject |
adverb |
verb 1 |
verb 2 |
predicate |
|
We |
often |
have to |
wait |
for the
bus. |
4. For emphasis we can put the
adverb at the beginning or end of the sentence.
At the end is unusual – we usually
only put it there when we have forgotten to put it in earlier.
Position D
|
adverb |
subject |
verb 1 |
predicate |
|
Sometimes |
we |
go |
to school by
bus. |
Position E
|
subject |
verb 1 |
predicate |
adverb |
|
We |
go |
to school by bus |
- sometimes. |
Exceptions:
"Always" can’t go at the
beginning or end of the sentence.
"Never",
"seldom", "rarely" can’t go at the end of a sentence. They
only go at the beginning of a sentence in "polemic statements". Then
they have to be followed by the word order for questions:
|
Never |
has |
there |
been |
a
better time to overcome our differences! |
|
Rarely |
do |
we |
have |
an
opportunity like this to… |
|
Seldom |
had |
the orchestra |
given |
a worse performance. |
5. When using adverbs of frequency in
the question form, put the adverb before the main
verb.
Position F
|
Auxiliary verb |
subject |
Adverb |
verb 1 |
predicate |
|
Do |
you |
often |
go |
to the cinema? |
Exceptions:
"Never",
"seldom", "rarely" and other adverbs of frequency with a
negative sense are not usually used in the question form.
6. When using adverbs of frequency
in the negative form, put the adverb before the main
verb.
Position G
|
subject |
Auxiliary verb |
Adverb |
verb 1 |
predicate |
|
They |
don’t |
often |
go |
to the cinema. |
Exceptions:
"Never",
"seldom", "rarely" and other adverbs of frequency with a
negative sense are not usually used in the negative form.
Source:
http://esl.about.com/library/grammar/blgr_adverbs_frequency.htm
