Adverbs of Frequency – English Grammar Lessons
ESL Library
This section introduces the topic of adverbs of frequency and their role in describing actions in a sentence.
What are adverbs?
- Adverbs can describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire sentences.
Adverbs of Frequency
- Adverbs of frequency tell us how often an action takes place.
- Examples: "My dog is always sleepy," "Our teacher often gives us homework," "I can never remember his name."
Common Adverbs of Frequency and their Meanings
- An easy way to remember the meaning of frequency adverbs is to match them with percentages:
- Always: 100%
- Almost always: about 95%
- Usually and often: about 80%
- Sometimes: around 50%
- Seldom and not very often: about 20%
- Rarely: around 10%
- Almost never: about 5%
- Never: 0%
Sentence Patterns for Adverbs of Frequency
- There are three common sentence patterns for adverbs of frequency in English:
- Be plus adverb pattern:
- Example: "She is never late."
- Adverb plus verb pattern:
- Example: "We usually eat lunch in the cafeteria."
- Verb plus adverb plus verb pattern:
- Example: "You are always looking at your phone."
Examples of Sentences with Adverbs of Frequency
- It is almost always cold in this room.
- He is often sick.
- My friends usually laugh a lot.
- It rarely rains in summer in my hometown.
- I can sometimes hear birds in my backyard.
- My mother is always telling me what to do.
Practice Exercise
- Look at the picture and unscramble the words to make a sentence.
- Example: "He rarely goes to the gym."
Conclusion
- Adverbs of frequency are used to describe how often an action takes place in a sentence. They can be placed before the verb, after the verb "be," or between parts of a verb phrase.