Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency are words that tell us how regularly something happens.
We can imagine these words on a scale from zero, meaning never, to 100%, meaning always.
0% ——– ——— ——— ——— ——— 50% ——— ——— ——— –——- –——- 100%
never, rarely, seldom, sometimes, occasionally, often, usually, almost always, always
Positive: subject + adverb of frequency + verb
Negative: subject + do/does + not + adverb of frequency + verb
Question: Do/Does + subject + adverb of frequency + verb?
- Always means 100% of the time.
She always eats breakfast in the morning. - Usually and often are synonyms that both mean most of the time.
He usually goes to bed early.
They often visit their friends at the weekends. - Sometimes and occasionally are synonyms that mean a small number of times.
I sometimes go to the cinema on Fridays.
They occasionally treat themselves to a Chinese takeaway. - Rarely and seldom both mean something that happens very few times.
He rarely sees his old school friends.
Kristina, the English teacher, seldom shouted. - Never means 0% of the time; something that doesn’t happen at all.
She never forgets her daughter’s birthday.
Check your understanding of Adverbs of Frequency
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