Is the word sometimes a noun

[ˈsʌmtaɪmz]

Частота употребления

Кол-во употреблений sometimes на 1 миллион слов: 218.

Примеры предложений

Tom sometimes reads on his bed.
Том иногда читает в постели.

I sometimes borrow books from the library.
Я иногда беру книги в библиотеке.

Tom and I sometimes work together.
Мы с Томом иногда работаем вместе.

Tom sometimes sleeps on the floor.
Том иногда спит на полу.

Not every grandchild is an angel; sometimes grandchildren are enemies.
Не каждый внук — ангел. Иногда внуки становятся врагами.

The door is sometimes open.
Дверь иногда открыта.

I sometimes play cards with my friends.
Я иногда играю в карты с друзьями.

It’s sometimes necessary not to tell the truth.
Иногда нужно не говорить правду.

Tom sometimes appears on TV.
Тома иногда показывают по телевизору.

Alcohol is sometimes called liquid courage.
Алкоголь иногда называют жидкой храбростью.

Mary usually goes to school by bus, but sometimes she walks.
Мэри обычно ездит в школу на автобусе, но иногда ходит пешком.

I still sometimes do that.
Я до сих пор иногда это делаю.

Tom sometimes goes to Boston.
Том иногда ездит в Бостон.

I love my wife, but I sometimes need to be alone.
Я люблю свою жену, но иногда мне нужно побыть в одиночестве.

The best way to solve a problem is sometimes the simplest.
Иногда лучший способ решить проблему — самый простой.

I sometimes dream of my mother.
Я иногда вижу сны о моей матери.

They sometimes play baseball.
Они иногда играют в бейсбол.

That supermarket sometimes has sales.
В этом супермаркете иногда бывают распродажи.

In other cultures, the balls were filled with earth, grain, bits and pieces of plants, and sometimes even pieces of metal.
В других культурах мячи наполнялись землёй, зерном, кусочками растений, а иногда даже кусками металла.

The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all.
Бедные иногда противятся тому, чтобы ими плохо управляли; богатые вообще противятся, чтобы ими управляли.

His behavior is sometimes strange.
Его поведение иногда бывает странным.

He sometimes wished to go to extremes.
Иногда ему хотелось пойти на крайние меры.

He sometimes goes to work by car.
Иногда он ездит на работу на машине.

He sometimes eats lunch there, too.
Иногда он также обедает там.

He sometimes watches TV.
Он иногда смотрит телевизор.

Tom still sometimes cries.
Том до сих пор иногда плачет.

My father sometimes goes to Australia on business.
Мой отец иногда ездит по делам в Австралию.

My little sister sometimes wished she was a boy.
Моя младшая сестра иногда хотела быть мальчиком.

Tom sometimes comes home late.
Том иногда поздно приходит домой.

Tom sometimes walks to school.
Том иногда ходит в школу пешком.

Some time ago, I would sometimes use sometime in the wrong place.

Anytime you want to use an indefinite pronoun, be a little bit careful.

You might find that you could need to use an adverb or modify a noun with an adjective or partitive.

That all sounds quite complicated, but it is easy, really.

Take some time

Take your time; it’s nothing to get excited about. But yes, sometimes grammar can be a little confusing.

You can learn about indefinite pronouns whenever you like. But yes, you might want to study it sometime in the future.

If you set aside some time, you will understand everything in no time at all.

The basic meanings of these three confusing words can be defined like this.

adverb
at some unspecified or unknown time: you must come and have a barbecue sometime. This refers to an unspecified time in the future.

adjective
former: the sometime editor of this blog. This means that the editor is now no longer working on this blog.

Sometimes

adverb
occasionally, not all of the time: sometimes, I want to study Spanish.

Some time

noun
[mass noun] the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

In the two words, some time, the noun time is modified by some, which is an indefinite pronoun. So it refers to an unspecified period of time, at some point in time.

I’ll get around to doing it at some time.

Some time ago, I decided to do more exercise.

Having fun with sometime vs. some time

A very, very long indefinite time ago now, I wrote this short piece of grammatical gymnastics for my personal blog.

It seems appropriate to dig it out now for you to read. I have edited it a little to better suit the context of this article.

I love something about indefinite pronouns

In the beginning, there was nothing except indefinite time, until, at some time, something arrived, and everything changed.

Sometimes, for some reason, something always creates a problem, and so it was to be again.

Nothing remained the same thereafter, as something had altered everything, including all time in the future. While no one knew who or how; someone had changed the balance of everything and anything for a long time.

Then, at some time, when everyone was busy with something, no one noticed that nothing had changed until something else happened at some period of time.

Sometime between when nothing and something happened, someone, somewhere, had the presence of mind to note that everything was somewhat different in some way.

Somehow, something really weird was happening.

Someone wrote something about it, and someone read it and then sent it on to someone else.

Somewhere between when it was sent and read, something else happened, which of course, no one expected.

Then, for some odd reason, everyone knew all about something, because of course, they thought they knew everything about anything.

Somehow, as much as things change, everything stays the same.

Errors are sometimes easy to make

Always take some time to check if you are unsure about sometime vs. some time.

You can use a dictionary, check online, or use a grammar checker to help you.

But if you can learn the basics, you will get it right most of the time. Sometime and sometimes are always written in one word. In two words, some time is a pronoun.

Sometimes means occasionally or not very often and is an adverb of frequency.

Sometime refers to an unspecified point in time in the past or future. But the adverb and adjective can be confused. If you use it before a noun, it becomes an adjective, meaning former or ex.

Some time refers to an unspecified period of time. It is similar to a long time, which defines an unspecified length or duration of time.

Anyway, find any way that can help you

When you are proofreading your writing, pay careful attention to indefinite pronouns and adverbs.

One of the easiest ways to check is to separate the words to see if the meaning changes. Or if a sentence still makes sense.

The adverb, anyway, usually starts or can end a phrase.

But within a sentence, it is almost always a noun, which can take an adjective. So you can add adjectives such as any possible way or any easy way.

Take your time, and it will become clear.

Somehow, at some point in time in the future, I am sure you will get there and understand everything you need to know about indefinite pronouns.

Related reading: Card Shark And Card Sharp Are Both Correct In Writing

иногда, временами

наречие

- иногда, время от времени, временами

Словосочетания

we sometimes do not know our own mind — мы иногда сами не знаем, чего хотим  
criminals are sometimes the products of — преступники иногда появляются в результате  
sometimes gestures are more expressive than speech — иногда жесты выразительнее слов  
sometimes history repeats itself — иногда история повторяется  
sometimes they serve up a good meal here — здесь иногда хорошо кормят  
earth’s shadow sometimes falls on the moon — иногда тень от Земли падает на Луну  
shadow sometimes falls on the moon — иногда тень от Земли падает на Луну  
the shadow sometimes falls on the moon — иногда тень от Земли падает на Луну  
as is sometimes the case — как это бывает  
the reverse is sometimes true — имеет место обратное положение; иногда верно и обратное  

Примеры с переводом

Возможные однокоренные слова

sometime  — когда-то, когда-нибудь, некогда, прежде, бывший, прежний

Adverbs are words that modify verbs by describing how, when, or where they happen.

It’s not always easy to pick out an adverb. Some words modify verbs even when they don’t appear to be doing so, like sometimes.

Should you use sometimes or some times when you want to describe something that only happens once in a while? Continue reading to learn more.

What is the Difference Between Sometimes and Some Times?

In this post, I will compare sometimes vs. some times. I will use these words in several example sentences—this way, you will be able to see the words in context.

Then, I will demonstrate a mnemonic device that makes choosing sometimes or some times easier.

When to Use Sometimes

What does sometimes mean? Sometimes is an adverb. The word sometimes describes when an event takes place. You can think of it as a synonym of adverbs like occasionally and the phrase now and then.

If something happens sometimes, it happens often enough to be worth mentioning, but it is not happening constantly.

Here are a few examples,

• Sometimes, I like to shower before I go to work, but other times, I prefer to shower when I get home at night.
• Katie sometimes jogs with her dog Marky Mark around the park as a quick morning workout.

Sometimes is a compound of the words some and times, where some is an adjective that describes an unspecified quantity, and times is a noun that refers to points in a person’s experience of life. Compounds happen when two words which are frequently used together gradually come to be spelled as a single word.

According to Merriam-Webster, the word has been part of English since the 14th century.

When to Use Some Times

What does some times mean? You are also free to use the words separately, as in the phrase some times.

Some times is a noun phrase, rather than an adverb, and it means a nonspecific quantity of points in a timeline. Someone might ask his or her colleague for some times that would work to get together and talk about the quarter-end finances, for instance.

Here are some more examples,

• “Let’s find some times that will work for all of us and clean up this back alley,” said one of the neighbors.
• Some times are not good times for pizza, but I have yet to discover exactly when those times are.

Trick to Remember the Difference

The phrase some times and the compound sometimes are different parts of speech, so you will need to know when to use each.

• If you are using the word as a noun phrase, choose some times.
• If you are using it as an adverb, sometimes is the better choice.

Some time vs. Sometimes Mnemonic: Sometimes has a similar meaning to occasionally. Some times, two words, simply means multiple times, also two words.

Summary

Is it some times or sometimes? These two words are never interchangeable.

• Sometimes is an adverb that means occasionally or now and then.
• Some times is a noun phrase that means a nonspecific quantity of points in a timeline.

Published January 8, 2017

While they appear very similar, sometime, sometimes, and some time have slightly different meanings. Sometime means a vague point in time, and usually refers to a long amount of time. Sometimes means occasionally. Some time refers to a period of time.

Sometime

Sometime refers to an unspecified point in time. It functions as an adverb, and is also synonymous with someday, one day, or sooner or later. Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

For example, in The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah uses sometime to refer to an indefinite time in the night: “As usual in the hot summer months, Sophie had kicked the coverlet to the floor sometime in the night.”Sometime can also be an adjective that means occasional, but this use of the word is rare. For instance, one could say “He’s her sometime employee,” which implies that he only works for her on occasion.

Sometimes

Sometimes is a very common adverb that means occasionally or now and then. For instance, Kazuo Ishiguro uses sometimes in The Buried Giant: “She and Beatrice went on conferring in low voices, sometimes glancing towards the crowd, sometimes at Axl.”Sometimes is an adverb of frequency, which is an adverb describing how often something happens. Some other adverbs of frequency are always, never, usually, and rarely. Sometimes is somewhat special in that it can go at the front, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence. For example, you can say “Sometimes he stays up late,” “He sometimes stays up late,” or “He stays up late sometimes.” The placement of other adverbs of frequency tends to be more restricted.

Some Time

The two-word expression some time means a period of time or quite a while. Some is an adjective describing the noun time. For example, in Girl at War, Sara Novic uses some time to describe a period of time of an unknown length: “‘I think we need some time apart.’ When I saw the words reflected on his face I wished I hadn’t said them.”

In the following example from The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah uses some time to imply quite a while: “It looked like no one had been in this apartment for some time. Probably not since that day Papa had left to save Isabelle.” The implication is that a large amount of time had lapsed since anyone had been inside the apartment. Whereas Novic uses some time to mean an unspecified period of time, in this example Hannah uses some time to suggest a long time.

The words «sometime,» «some time,» and «sometimes» are related in meaning, but they’re used in different ways. The adverb «sometime» (one word) means at an indefinite or unstated time in the future; as an adjective, «sometime» means occasional or former. The expression «some time» (two words) means «a period of time.» The adverb «sometimes» (one word) means «occasionally, now and then.»

How to Use Sometime

As an adverb, «sometime» suggests some unspecified point in time. For example, the famous 1930s and early 1940s comedian and actress Mae West was well-known for her quirky line:

• «Why don’t you come up sometime and see me?»

West uttered this phrase, which is often misquoted, while playing the part of a seductive nightclub singer in the1933 film, «She Done Him Wrong.» She later paraphrased the quip in her next film, «I’m No Angel,» as, «Come up and see me sometime,» where she was trying to tempt her costar, Cary Grant, to come up to her room at some unspecified point in time.

To use «sometime» as an adverb—which is far less common in English—employ the term when you mean occasional, as in, «He’s a full-time bartender and sometime actor.» This means he’s nearly always a bartender and not very often an actor.

How to Use Some Time

«Some time» is actually a phrase or expression rather than a word and means a period of time or quite a while. Technically, «some» is an adjective describing the noun, «time,» which in this case is an idea, rather than a person, place, or thing. An acceptable use might state:

• I fear that it will be «some time» before he is able to deal with his memories of the war.

The sentence is saying that it will be a long period of time before he is able to grapple with his wartime memories, and possibly post-traumatic stress disorder.

How to Use Sometimes

«Sometimes» is actually a compound of the words «some» and «time,» but it has a very different meaning and use than its two-word cousin. Remember that used as one word, «sometimes» means occasionally or now and then. So, to use the term, you could say:

• «Sometimes,» he likes to sleep with his boots on.

In the sentence, the subject «he» (possibly a cowboy in a Western novel) does not always remove his footgear before slumbering.

Examples

Perusing examples will help illustrate how the terms are used, such as in the sentence:

• Give me a call «sometime,» and we’ll talk about getting together.

In this sentence, a young man or woman might be suggesting that a prospective romantic partner call at some point in time in order to arrange a date. You can also use «sometime» to mean occasional, or (even more rarely) former, as in:

• Sammy Hagar, a «sometime» lead singer for the band Van Halen, was booted from the band when former lead singer David Lee Roth expressed a desire to return to the group.

This sentence uses «sometime» to imply both occasional and former, expressing the fact that Hagar was an occasional and former singer with the famous 1980s rock band. To express a nearly opposite sentiment, use «some time» as two words:

• The Rolling Stones have been around for quite «some time.»

Note here the addition of the adverb «quite» before «some time» to express the fact that this multi-decade rock group has been around for a very long time. Indeed, it is the longest-performing rock band of all time.

How to Remember the Differences

It’s not difficult to distinguish between «sometime» and «some time» because they actually mean such different things. Remember that «sometime» as an adverb means an indefinite or unstated time, and as an adjective it means occasional or former. Think of these as shorter periods of time. West probably wanted a suiter to visit her only for a single, limited period of time. And Hagar played with Van Halen for a limited period of time.

By contrast, «some time» is two words, so it’s longer. The words are spaced apart and separated by a space. And that’s the meaning of this term—for some time or for a long period of time.

However, distinguishing between «sometime» and «sometimes» can be trickier. Use this mnemonic device:

• «Sometime» = a single unspecified period of time or occasional
• «Sometimes»= occasionally, a few times, now and then

So, swap out the definitional words in the famous Mae West line:

• «Why don’t you come up at an unspecified period of time and see me?»

That sentence works because West’s character wanted any potential suitor to come up at a single unspecified time (but only a single time). But if you say:

• «Why don’t you come up occasionally and see me?»

The word occasionally means «sometimes»—more than once, and probably a few times. West’s character had many suitors in her films, so she certainly didn’t want them coming to see her at various times; they might have run into each other. That’s why «sometime» (a single unspecified time) works here rather than «sometimes» (meaning occasionally, or a few times).

Sources

• “Is It ‘Sometime,’ ‘Sometimes,’ Or ‘Some Time’?” Dictionary.com.
• “Sometime, Sometimes, and Some Time.” Grammarly, 16 May 2019.
• “Sometimes vs. Some Times – What’s the Difference?” Writing Explained, 8 Feb. 2018.