Adverbs of Frequency


Adverbs of Frequency are Adverbs of Time that answer the question "How frequently?" or "How often?". They tell us how often something happens. Here are some examples:

  • daily, weekly, yearly
  • often, sometimes, rarely


You probably see a differencebetween a) and b) above. With words like daily we know exactly how
often. The words in a) describe definite frequency. On the other hand, words like often give us an idea about frequency but they don't tell us exactly. The words in b) describe indefinite frequency.

We separate them into two groups because they normally go in different positions in the sentence.


Adverbs of definite frequency

Examples:

  • hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly
  • every second, once a minute, twice a year
  • once, twice, once or twice, three times

Adverbs of definite frequency, like all adverbs of definite time, typically go in END position. Look at these examples:

- Most companies pay taxes yearly.

- The manager checks the toilets every hour.

- The directors meet weekly to review progress.

 

Sometimes, usually for reasons of emphasis or style, some adverbs of definite frequency may go at the FRONT, for example:

Every day, more than five thousand people die on our roads.

 


Adverbs of indefinite frequency

 

Examples: never, seldom, sometimes, often, always

 

Adverbs of indefinite frequency mainly go in MID position in the sentence. They go before the
main verb (except the main verb "to be"):

- We usually go shopping on Saturday.

- I have often done that.

- She is always late.


Occasionally, sometimes, often, frequently and usually can also go at the beginning or end of a sentence:

- Sometimes they come and stay with us.

- I play tennis occasionally.


Rarely and seldom can also go at the end of a sentence (often with "very"):

- We see them rarely.

- John eats meat very seldom.

Adverbs of Time List


List of common single-word time adverbs


Points of time (definite)

 

now

then

today

tomorrow

tonight

yesterday


Frequency (definite):


annually

 daily

 fortnightly

 hourly

 monthly

 nightly

 quarterly

 weekly

 yearly



NOTE: The word "bimonthly" is ambiguous and best avoided. Bimonthly can mean "twice a month" or "every two months". The same is true of "biyearly" / "biannually".


Frequency (indefinite):


always

constantly

ever

frequently

generally

infrequently

never

normally

occasionally

often

rarely

regularly

seldom

sometimes

regularly

usually


Relationships in time (indefinite):


already

before

early

earlier

eventually

finally

first

formerly

just

last

late

later

lately

next

previously

recently

since

soon

still

yet