Adverb of Frequency

What Are Adverbs of Frequency?

How often do you exercise? Do you do it rarely, sometimes, or often? Do you do it daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly?

The words you use to describe how often you do an activity are called adverbs of frequency. An adverb is a word that modifies and describes a verb, adjective, or group of words. Adverbs of frequency typically modify verbs, or action words, and show how often they occur. So let's take a closer look at exactly what words are adverbs of frequency, how to use them, and some examples of how they appear in sentences.

Types of Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of frequency can be subdivided into two categories: indefinite and definite. Indefinite adverbs of frequency don't specify an amount of time. They include words like 'rarely,' 'often,' 'always,' 'never,' and 'sometimes.' The amount of time described by these words is unclear because it depends on the context they are used in.

So as you may have already figured out, definite adverbs of frequency do specify an amount of time. They include words like 'hourly,' 'daily,' 'weekly,' and 'yearly,' all of which give a definite amount of time. Hence the name.

How to Use Adverbs of Frequency

There are a couple of general rules to keep in mind when using adverbs of frequency.

• Since adverbs of frequency describe actions that are repeated, they are usually used with verbs in the simple present tense, like 'walk' (as opposed to 'walked' or 'walking').
• Indefinite verbs of frequency usually come before the verb: Tom rarely walks. If there is a helping verb like 'have' or 'will,' the adverb comes between the helping verb and main verb, such as in the example: Tom will rarely run.
• Finally, definite verbs of frequency usually come after the verb, such as in: Tom runs daily.

Examples

Now that we're familiar with the different types of adverbs of frequency and the rules for using them, let's look at some examples of how they are used in sentences. First, let's look at some indefinite adverbs of frequency:

• Tina rarely misses a question on a math test.
• I sometimes eat ice cream even though it is bad for me.
• Jane often forgets her schoolbooks at home.
• Tina and Tony always go on vacation in June.
• Janie has never flown on a plane.

And now let's look at some examples of definite adverbs of frequency:

• Rachel's overprotective mom calls hourly to check up on her.
• Jan swims three miles daily.
• Mike makes his weekly grocery-shopping trip every Saturday.