Adverbs of Frequency

The most common adverbs of frequency are always, usually, often, sometimes, seldom,
rarely, and never.

Adverbs of frequency tell us how often an action takes place.

In addition to the adverbs in the chart above, other common adverbs of frequency include
constantly, generally, normally, regularly, frequently, routinely, repeatedly, occasionally,
infrequently, and hardly ever.

The basic rule is that adverbs of frequency come before the main verb but after present
and past forms of be (am, are, is, was, were). In the case of tenses that use an auxiliary,
we put the adverb between the auxiliary and the main verb.

The following tables show the position of the adverbs of frequency in affirmative,
negative, interrogative, and imperative sentences.
Affirmative Sentences
Subject

Auxiliary

Adv. of
Frequency

Main
Verb

Predicate

The side
effects

usually

go

away after a few hours.

sometimes

have

trouble accessing my
favorite web site.

Beethoven

often

went

to Baden for the

summer.

a fan of SUVs.

Kevin

has

never

been

Brian

has

always

wanted to own a restaurant.

will

always

be

grateful to you.

Affirmative Sentences with BE

Subject

BE

Adv. of Frequency

Predicate

The bus

is

usually

on time.

Some people

are

never

satisfied.

Negative Sentences
Adv. of
Frequency

Subject Auxiliary

Main Verb

Predicate

Suzanne doesn't

usually

get

involved in politics.

It

doesn't

often

snow

here at Christmas.

don't

ever

download

music from the

Internet.

Negative Sentences with BE

Subject

BE + not Adv. of Frequency

Iron supplements

aren't

Professor Morgan isn't

Predicate

usually

necessary for men.

often

at a loss for words.

Interrogative Sentences
Auxiliary Subject Adv. of Frequency Main Verb

Predicate

Does

Kimberly usually

have

breakfast at home?

Do

you

always

read

the fine print?

Did

Chris

ever

play

basketball?

Don't

you

ever

get

tired?

Interrogative Sentences with BE

BE

Subject

Adv. of Frequency

Predicate

Are you

always

so cheerful in the morning?

Isn't Ted

usually

here by eight o'clock?

Imperative Sentences
Adv. of Frequency

Verb

Predicate

Always

do

your best!

Never

forget

this rule!

Always

be

truthful!

Short Answers with Adverbs of Frequency

Subject

Adv. of Frequency Auxiliary or BE

A: Will you ever change?

B:I

never

will.

A:Has Shirley ever been to Austria?

B:She
never

has.

A: Do they ever study together?

B:They

sometimes

do.

A: Is Jessica ever wrong?

B:She

seldom

is.

Distribution of Adverbs of Frequency by Sentence Type

Adv. of Frequency

Affirmative Negative

Interrogativ
Imperative
e

always

usually

often

sometimes/occasionally

rarely/seldom/hardly
ever/scarcely ever*

never*

ever

X
X

* Although used in sentences with affirmative form, the meaning is negative.

Distribution of Adverbs of Frequency by Sentence Position
Adv. of Frequency

Initial Medial Final

always
usually
often

X
X

X
X

sometimes/occasionally

rarely/seldom/hardly ever/scarcely ever**

never**

ever

** If placed in initial position, subject-verb inversion occurs. See below for examples.
Subject-Verb Inversion
Negative
Adverb

Auxiliary Subject

Main
Verb

Predicate

Never

did

think

I would see my book in print.

Seldom

have

we

had

a professor with such

enthusiasm.

"Scarcely

had

he

finished

speaking when the door of the

queen's apartment opened...."

We use some adverbs to describe how frequently we do an activity.

These are called adverbs of frequency and include:
Frequency
100%
90%
80%
70%
50%
30%
10%
5%
0%

Adverb of Frequency
always
usually
normally / generally
often* / frequently
sometimes
occasionally
seldom
hardly ever / rarely
never

Example Sentence
I always go to bed before 11pm.
I usually have cereal for breakfast.
I normally go to the gym.
I often surf the internet.
I sometimes forget my wife's birthday.
I occasionally eat junk food.
I seldom read the newspaper.
I hardly ever drink alcohol.
I never swim in the sea.

* Some people pronounce the 'T' in often but many others do not.

The Position of the Adverb in a Sentence

An adverb of frequency goes before a main verb (except with To Be).
Subject + adverb + main verb

I always remember to do my homework.

He normally gets good marks in exams.
An adverb of frequency goes after the verb To Be.
Subject + to be + adverb
They are never pleased to see me.
She isn't usually bad tempered.
When we use an auxiliary verb (have, will, must, might, could, would, can, etc.), the adverb is
placed between the auxiliary and the main verb. This is also true for to be.
Subject + auxiliary + adverb + main verb
She can sometimes beat me in a race.
I would hardly ever be unkind to someone.
They might never see each other again.
They could occasionally be heard laughing.
We can also use the following adverbs at the start of a sentence:
Usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally

Occasionally, I like to eat Thai food.

BUT we cannot use the following at the beginning of a sentence:

Always, seldom, rarely, hardly, ever, never.

We use hardly ever and never with positive, not negative verbs:

She hardly ever comes to my parties.

They never say 'thank you'.

We use ever in questions and negative statements:

Have you ever been to New Zealand?

I haven't ever been to Switzerland. (The same as 'I have never been Switzerland').

We can also use the following expressions when we want to be more specific about the
frequency:
- every day - once a month - twice a year - four times a day - every other week