Adverbs of Frequency
Always, usually, normally, generally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally, seldom, hardly ever, rarely, and never.
These are all adverbs and they describe how frequently we do an activity or the frequency of habits.
These are called Adverbs of Frequency or more specifically Adverbs of Indefinite Frequency. (Indefinite because it is NOT a specific frequency like three times a week, once a month, etc.)
To help you understand when to use each adverb of frequency, I will add some approximate numbers (percentages of frequency or possibility of it happening) to give you a general idea of the frequency associated with each adverb.
- 100% always
- 90% usually
- 80% normally / generally
- 70% often / frequently
- 50% sometimes
- 30% occasionally
- 10% seldom
- 5% hardly ever / rarely
- 0% never
IMPORTANT: The percentages that appear on the left are only approximate numbers to give you a general idea of the frequency associated with each adverb.
Let’s look at each adverb of frequency more in detail…
ALWAYS
When something happens 100% of the time, we use the adverb ALWAYS.
- I always brush my teeth at night.
This means that without exception 100% of the time I will brush my teeth at night before going to bed.
NEVER
What is the opposite of ALWAYS? … NEVER, which is 0% of the time.
- Vegetarians never eat meat.
This means there is a zero percent possible of this happening. The frequency is zero.
SOMETIMES
What adverb do we use when something happens half the time and the other half of the time it doesn’t happen?
When something has about a 50% frequency of happening. We use the adverb SOMETIMES.
- I sometimes sing in the shower.
This means half the time I am in the shower I sing, and half the time I don’t sing… I sometimes sing in the shower.
HARDLY EVER / RARELY
What can we use if we almost never do something? It’s not zero percent but maybe 5% possibility of it happening.
In this case we use the adverbs HARDLY EVER or RARELY.
- I hardly ever get angry.
OR you can say…
- I rarely get angry
They both mean the same thing.
This means there is a VERY small chance of it happening but it is almost never.
I hardly ever get angry. It usually only happens if you steal my chocolate from the fridge. Other than that, nothing else annoys me.
Let’s quickly look at the other adverbs of frequency.
USUALLY
USUALLY is when something happens around 90% of the time. It is almost always.
- I usually walk to work.
Yes, I live close to my place of work so I usually walk there.
NORMALLY / GENERALLY
NORMALLY or GENERALLY happen around 80% of the time.
- I normally get good marks.
Yes, about 80% of the time my marks are good, the rest of the time… they are excellent!
OFTEN / FREQUENTLY
When something has a frequency of around 70%, we use the adverbs OFTEN or FREQUENTLY
OFTEN can be pronounced two ways:
- By pronouncing the T … “OFTEN” … or
- By not pronouncing the T …”OFFEN” (Never write “Offen”)
Both forms are correct and depend on where you live.
Our examples of these adverbs are:
- I often read in bed at night.
which is the same as:
- I frequently read in bed at night.
The adverb OFTEN is more common than using the word FREQUENTLY.
OCCASIONALLY
The adverb Occasionally is at about 30% frequency.
- I occasionally go to bed late.
Yes, this happens on Friday and Saturday night. I occasionally go to bed late.
SELDOM
And the adverb Seldom is at around 10% frequency.
- I seldom add salt to my food.
Which means it is not common or not often that I add salt.
The adverbs Seldom, hardly ever, rarely, and never all have a negative meaning.
Adverbs of Frequency – Word Order
Let’s look at word order when we use adverbs of frequency.
In general, the adverb of frequency goes before the main verb.
The order is: Subject + Adverb + Main Verb
Let’s look at this sentence…
- I read in bed at night.
If I want to let you know about the frequency I do this, the frequency that I read in bed, then I need to use an adverb.
The main verb is READ, so we put the adverb before the verb READ…
- I often read in bed at night.
Another example:
- Daniel always passes his exams.
The main verb is PASSES so we put the adverb before it.
- They never speak Spanish in class.
The main verb is SPEAK so the adverb of frequency goes before it.
Adverbs of Frequency – Word Order with Auxiliary Verbs
When there is an auxiliary verb such as has, have, must, might, will, can, should, would, etc. followed by a main verb, then the adverb goes between them both.
Subject + Auxiliary Verb + Adverb + Main Verb
- I have done my homework.
HAVE is the auxiliary verb and DONE is the main verb so we put the adverb of frequency in the middle:
- I have always done my homework.
You can see it is the same rule as before, the adverb goes before the main verb. Just remember to put it after the auxiliary verb.
Look at this sentence:
- Susan has lived in New York.
HAS is the auxiliary verb and LIVED is the main verb so we put the adverb of frequency in the middle:
- Susan has always lived in New York.
Look at this example:
- I have never eaten dog food.
The adverb NEVER goes between the auxiliary verb HAVE and the main verb EATEN.
- I have never eaten dog food… that I know of.
Adverbs of Frequency – Word Order with TO BE
Of course in English there is always an exception and this happens with the verb TO BE.
When we want to use an adverb with the verb TO BE, then the order is:
Subject + TO BE + Adverb
Look at this sentence:
- I am busy at work.
AM is a form, or conjugation, of the verb TO BE so we put the adverb after it.
- I am normally busy at work.
We cannot say “I normally am busy at work.” NO, this is NOT correct.
- He is always happy.
Again, the adverb is after the form of To Be.
- They are sometimes late.
The adverb SOMETIMES comes after the verb ARE which is a form of TO BE.
Adverbs of frequency at the beginning of a sentence
We have just seen the common position of adverbs of frequency within a sentence.
But, it is also possible to place SOME adverbs at the beginning of a sentence.
These adverbs include: usually, normally, frequently, generally, occasionally, and sometimes.
Look at these examples:
- Occasionally I have pancakes for breakfast.
OR you can put the adverb between the subject and main verb:
- I occasionally have pancakes for breakfast.
Both sentences are correct.
- Normally our English class is in the morning.
- Sometimes they take a bus to work.
But be careful with always, hardly ever, seldom, rarely, and never …. Do NOT put them at the beginning of the sentence.
- Always I get up early. This is NOT correct.
We need to put ALWAYS before the main verb…
- I always get up early. (CORRECT)
The exception to this is when we are using ALWAYS or NEVER in the IMPERATIVE to give orders or instructions.
We will see more about this in another lesson.
Next activity
You might want to watch our other video about Adverbs of DEFINITE frequency.
Summary Chart
I hope you found this English lesson about adverbs of frequency useful. If you did, please let other people know about us!
Have an awesome day!
Continuous verb forms with Always
We can use “always”, “continually” and other similar words with a continuous form to mean “very often”
- John’s always losing his keys.
- Mrs Smith is wonderful. She‘s always giving people vegetables and flowers from her garden.
- I’m forever seeing Mary on the bus these days.
- My dog‘s continually escaping from the garden.
The structure is used to talk about things which are unexpected or unplanned.
Compare:
- I always meet my husband at the station on Fridays after work
- (a regular, planned arrangement)
- We‘re always meeting Bill and Florence in the supermarket.
- (unplanned, accidental meeting – a coincidence)
- Our English teacher always organised monthly trips to the theatre.
- (Planned, regular)
- Our parents were always organising surprise picnics and trips to the coast.
- (unexpected, irregular)
It is also used for unexpected actions that are surprising, annoying or frustrating.
- Philip and Glenn are always arriving late to class.
- (which is annoying because the class is disrupted when they arrive)
- My son is always leaving his dirty socks on the bathroom floor.
- (annoying and frustrating)
- Diana‘s always forgetting where she has parked her car, so we usually get home late.
Misuse of always and never
When something annoys us, or surprises us, we often use the words always or never incorrectly:
Mother: Why are you always forgetting to do your homework?
Son : But Mum, I’ve only forgotten it twice all year!
Mike : Why do you never remember my birthday?
Mary : Here’s your present!
Back to English Grammar lessons
Go to FREE English language and Grammar exercises here
This website uses cookies to improve your experience, to analyse our traffic and to share information about your use of our site with social media and our advertising partners. We’ll assume you’re ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Always is an adverb.
Always: meaning
Always can mean ‘on every occasion’, ‘forever’ or ‘very frequently’. In these meanings we use it with simple tense forms:
She always brings me flowers when she comes to visit.
I will always love you.
Kenneth has always been called Kenny by his family.
Always with continuous verb forms
We can use always with continuous verb forms to refer to regular events or states, especially ones which are problematic or which we do not like or want:
She’s always complaining about her job. Why doesn’t she get a new one?
Teenagers were always causing trouble at the shopping centre, stealing things, breaking windows, that sort of thing.
The kids are always asking for sweets, but they’re not good for them.
Always: position
We most commonly use always in mid position, between the subject and main verb, after the modal verb or first auxiliary verb, or after main verb be:
He always wears a hat. (between subject and main verb)
I’ve always wanted an open-top sports car. (after first auxiliary verb)
I envy you. You’ll always be happy! (after the modal verb)
She’s always late for class. (after main verb be)
We don’t use always at the beginning of a statement or question:
She always cooks wonderful meals.
Not: Always she cooks wonderful meals.
Do you always go camping for your summer holidays?
Not: Always do you go camping …
Commands
Always often comes first in a command (imperative):
Always keep your PIN number in a safe place and do not give it to anyone else.
Always arrive early for a job interview.
Always with can and could
We often use always with can and could to talk about possible solutions to problems:
If the hotels are all full, you can always stay with us.
If I needed it, I could always borrow money from my father.
As always
We use as always to talk about one event which is seen as typical:
As always, she made us feel very welcome in her home.
[at the end of an email, thanking someone for a visit]
It was nice, as always, to see you last week.
Always, for good or for ever?
When we talk about things which will be permanent, we normally use for good, or, more formally, for ever (sometimes written as forever). We do not normally say for always:
She just wants to work in Australia for a year. She doesn’t want to move there for good.
I will remember this moment for ever. (more formal)
Always or all the time?
All the time also means ‘very often’ or ‘continually’ and is commonly used to refer to things that people do not like or do not want to happen. We don’t use all the time in mid position:
My guitar tutor criticises me all the time. She thinks I’m lazy.
Not: My guitar tutor all the time criticises me.
We have this kind of problem all the time.
We don’t use all the time before a command (imperative):
Always take extra care when driving near a school.
Not: All the time take extra care …
Наречие — это часть речи, которая обозначает признак действия и описывает где, когда и как это действие совершается. Often, usually и always относятся к наречиям частотности и отвечают на вопрос «Как часто?». Где ставятся often, usually и always в предложении — рассмотрим ниже.
В английском различают наречия места, времени, образа действия, меры и степени, наречия частоты действия и наречия-вопросительные слова. Оften, usually и always относятся к наречиям частоты действия или иначе частотности — Adverbs of Frequency, но не являются единственными представителями этой группы.
Примеры наречий частоты действия:
Это далеко не все существующие Adverbs of Frequency, их великое множество. Условно их можно разделить на наречия определенной частоты (definite frequency) и наречия неопределенной частоты (indefinite frequency). Наречия обеих групп отвечают на один и тот же вопрос: «How often?».
Наречия определенной частоты действия:
- Daily — ежедневно
- Annually — ежегодно
- Every day / hour / month / year — каждый день / час / месяц / год
- Once a week / month / year etc. — раз в неделю / месяц / год и т.д.
На группе наречий неопределенной частоты действия остановимся подробнее, поскольку оften, usually и always представляют именно эту группу. Наиболее распространенные наречия неопределенной частоты иногда представляют в виде шкалы, на которой ярко видна разница между ними. Частота выполнения действия представлена в процентном соотношении.
При использовании этих наречий в речи большую роль играет субъективное мнение говорящего: для кого-то «часто» — это три раза в день, а для кого-то — три раза в месяц.
Наречия частоты действия, в том числе, оften, usually и always, относятся к временным маркерам Present Simple. Простое настоящее время связано с периодичностью, регулярностью или постоянством. Соответственно, сходно и значение его маркеров-наречий частотности.
Оften, usually и always в утверждениях, отрицаниях и вопросах
Утверждение
По общему правилу, если сказуемое выражено одиночным смысловым глаголом, то наречие частоты следует поставить перед глаголом.
He often visited us. — Он часто нас посещал.
I usually drink tea in the morning. — Я обычно пью чай по утрам.
Вопрос
В вопросах наречия частоты также занимают место в середине предложения, после подлежащего.
Did he usually have tea for breakfast? — Он всегда пил чай на завтрак?
Также наречия неопределенной частоты употребляются в коротких ответах на вопросы перед вспомогательным глаголом, когда говорящий соглашается или не соглашается со сказанным ранее.
Mary is depressed again. — Oh, she always is.
Мэри опять расстроена. — Она всегда такая.
Tom talks only about himself. — Yes, he always does.
Том говорит только о себе. — Да, он всегда так делает.
Must he always come here at 8 o’clock? — Yes, he always must.
Он всегда должен приходить сюда в восемь часов? — Да, всегда.
Отрицание
Что касается отрицаний, то частица not обычно ставится перед наречиями частоты.
I do not usually go to the gym. — Обычно я не хожу в спортзал.
They are not always very friendly. — Они не всегда дружелюбные.
Таким образом, наиболее типичное место наречия частоты в предложении — до или после глагола в середине высказывания.
Место оften, usually, always в предложении до и после глагола
- В утверждениях наречия частоты чаще всего занимают место в середине предложения, после вспомогательного глагола (если он есть) и перед смысловым.
Не always comes early. — Он всегда приходит рано.
Не often goes there. — Он часто ходит туда.
I usually get up at seven o’clock. — Я обычно встаю в семь часов.
- Если в предложении единственный глагол — to be, то наречие частоты должно стоять после него
She is always happy to help us. — Она всегда рада помочь нам.
Не is always here at five o’clock. — Он всегда здесь в пять часов.
He is usually at home in the morning. — С утра он обычно дома.
- Если в предложении есть вспомогательный (am, is, are, have, has, will) или модальный глагол (can, may, must, should), то наречие частоты находится после этого глагола.
You can usually find him in his office. — Его обычно можно найти у себя в кабинете.
I will always love you. — Я всегда буду любить тебя.
I don’t often go to parties. — Я не часто хожу на вечеринки.
Parents can’t always be around. — Родители не могут всегда быть рядом.
Birds don’t always fly south in October. — Птицы не всегда улетают на юг в октябре.
Место оften, usually, always в предложении: в конце или в начале?
Не все наречия частоты могут стоять в конце или в начале предложения. Но always, usually и often, относящиеся к наречиям частотности с положительным значением, иногда ставят в конец предложения.
My neighbours go out in the evening, usually. — Мои соседи обычно ходят гулять вечером.
Does he call you often? — Он часто тебе звонит?
He doesn’t call me very often. — Он не очень часто мне звонит.
Наречия частоты always и never часто стоят в начале повелительных предложений.
Always tell the truth. — Всегда говори правду.
Some adverbs (for example, always, also, probably) go with the verb in the middle of a sentence:
* Tom always goes to work by car.
* We were feeling very tired and we were also hungry.
* Your car has probably been stolen.
Study these rules for the position of adverbs in the middle of a sentence. (They are only general rules, so there are exceptions.)
i) If the verb is one word (goes/fell/cooked etc.), the adverb usually goes before the verb:
Tom always(adverb) goes(verb) to work by car.
I almost(adverb) fell(verb) as I was going down the stairs.
* I cleaned the house and also cooked the dinner. (not ‘cooked also’)
* Lucy hardly ever watches television and rarely reads newspapers.
Note that these adverbs (always/often/also etc.) go before have to:
* Jim never phones me. I always have to phone him. (not ‘I have always to phone’)
ii) But adverbs go after am/is/are/was/were:
* We were feeling very tired and we were also hungry.
* Why are you always late? You’re never on time.
* The traffic isn’t usually as bad as it was this morning.
iii) If the verb is two or more words (can remember/doesn’t smoke/has been stolen etc.), the adverb goes after the first verb (can/doesn’t/has etc.):
I can(verb 1) never(adverb) remember(verb 2) his name.
Ann doesn’t(verb 1) usually(adverb) smoke.(verb 2)
Are you(verb 1) definitely(adverb) going(verb 2) to the party tomorrow?
Your car has(verb 1) probably(adverb) been(verb 2) stolen.
* My parents have always lived in London.
* Jack can’t cook. He can’t even boil an egg.
* The house was only built a year ago and it’s already falling down.
Note that probably goes before the negative. So we say:
* I probably won’t see you. or I will probably not see you. (but not ‘I won’t probably.’)
We also use all and both in these positions:
* We all felt ill after the meal. (not ‘we felt all ill’)
* My parents are both teachers. (not ‘my parents both are teachers’)
* Sarah and Jane have both applied for the job.
* We are all going out this evening.
Sometimes we use is/will/did etc. instead of repeating part of a sentence. Note the position of always/never etc. in these sentences:
* He always says he won’t be late but he always is. (= he is always late)
* I’ve never done it and I never will. (= I will never do it) We normally put always/never etc. before the verb in sentences like these.
EXERCISES
109.1 Are the underline words in the right position or not? Correct the sentences that are wrong.
1. Tom goes _a1ways_ to work by car. _WRONG: Tom always goes_
2. I cleaned the house and also cooked the dinner. _RIGHT_
3. I have usually a shower when I get up. —
4. We soon found the solution to the problem. —
5. Steve gets hardly ever angry. —
6. I did some shopping and I went also to the bank. —
7. Jane has always to hurry in the morning because she gets up so late. —
8. We all were tired so we all fell asleep. —
9. She always says she’ll phone me but she never does —
109.2 Rewrite the sentences to include the word in brackets.
1. Ann doesn’t drink tea. (often) _Ann doesn’t often drink tea._
2. We were on holiday. (all) —.
3. We were staying at the same hotel. (all) —.
4. We enjoyed ourselves. (all) —.
5. Catherine is very generous. (always) —.
6. 1 don’t have to work on Saturdays. (usually) I —.
7. Do you watch television in the evenings? (always) —.
8. Martin is learning French. He is learning Italian. (also)
Martin is learning French. He —.
9. That hotel is very expensive. (probably) —.
10. It costs a lot to stay there. (probably) —.
11. I can help you, (probably) —.
12. I can’t help you. (probably) —.
109.3 Complete the sentences. Use the words in brackets in the correct order.
1. I _can never remember_ her name. (remember/never/can)
2. I — sugar in coffee. (take/usually)
3. 1 — hungry when I get home from work. (am/usually)
4. ‘Where’s Jim?’ ‘He — home early.’ (gone has/probably)
5. Mark and Diane — in Manchester. (both were/born)
6. Liz is a good pianist. She — very well. (sing/also/can)
7. Our car — down. (often/breaks)
8. They live in the same street as me but I — to them. (never/have/spoken)
9. We — a long time for the bus. (have/always/to wait)
10. My sight isn’t very good. I — with glasses. (read/can/only)
11. I — early tomorrow. (probably/leaving/will/be)
12. I’m afraid I — able to come to the party. (probably/be I won’t)
13. It’s difficult to contact Sue. She — at home when I phone her. (is/hardly ever)
14. We — in the same place. We haven’t moved. (still/are/living)
15. If we hadn’t taken the same train, we — each other. (never/met/would/have)
16. ‘Are you tired?’ ‘Yes, I — at this time of day.’ (am/always)
109.1
3 I usually have …
4 right
5 Steve hardly ever gets angry.
6 I also went to the bank.
7 Jane always has to hurry ..
8 We were all tired so we all fell asleep.
9 right
109.2
2 We were all on holiday.
3 We were all staying at the same hotel.
4 We all enjoyed ourselves.
5 Catherine is always very generous.
6 I don’t usually have to work on Saturdays.
7 Do you always watch television in the evenings?
8 He is also learning Italian.
9 That hotel is probably very expensive.
10 It probably costs a lot to stay there.
11 I can probably help you.
12 I probably can’t help you.
109.3
2 usually take
3 am usually
4 has probably gone
5 were both born
6 can also sing
7 often breaks
8 have never spoken
9 always have to wait
10 can only read
11 will probably be leaving
12 probably won’t be
13 is hardly ever
14 are still living
15 would never have met
16 Yes, I always am at this time of day. (but I am always tired)