Adverbs of Frequency
These adverbs show the number
of times that an action takes place or is repeated. In a
sentence, these adverbs will come directly before a simple verb tense.
James always checks out his
computers before he sells them to his customers.
Margarita never spoke harshly
to her students.
The project barely meets the
federal guidelines.
·
When these adverbs are used with perfect
tenses (have + past participle) they are placed between have and the past
participle.
We
have often visited that museum.
The
director has occasionally asked his employees for suggestions.
Wendy
had never been to Niagara Falls before 1993.
·
If the compound tenses are used as questions,
then the frequency adverbs are placed directly before the past participle.
Have
you never gone to Stone Mountain near Atlanta?
Has
Janet always lived in Vermont?
EXERCISE
For each sentence, replace the
words in parentheses with one of the frequency adverbs in the list that means
the same or nearly the same. Some may be repeated.
[never, rarely, barely,
scarcely, occasionally, seldom, usually, generally, often, frequently,
sometimes, hardly (ever)]
Example: Jeff barely knew
Mandy when they married after a short engagement. (almost not at all)
1.
Deborah ___________ visits her grandmother.
(every day)
2.
Allen ___________ gets low grades on his tests.
(almost never)
3.
Leonardo ___________ studies in the library.
(many days)
4.
Has Marina ___________ gone to a rock concert?
(not one time)
5.
Chris and Joe have ___________ watched a
baseball game on television. (only two times)
6.
___________ my friends and I go to the shopping
mall. (three times every month)
7.
I ___________ ever see you anymore. (not very
much)
8.
Sandy and her husband ___________ eat dinner at
a restaurant. (maybe once a month)
9.
We ___________ receive junk mail at home.
(almost every day)
10. Mr.
Davis ___________ travels to Japan on business, but he goes to Europe once a
month. (one time every two years)
Answer Key:
1.
always
2.
rarely (seldom)
3.
often (usually/frequently)
4.
never
5.
hardly
6.
Occasionally (Sometimes)
7.
hardly (rarely, scarcely)
8.
sometimes
9.
usually (frequently)
10. seldom
(rarely)
EXERCISE
Write the frequency adverb in
its proper place in the sentence.
Example: Mickey watches sports
events on television. (rarely)
Answer: Mickey rarely watches
sports events on television.
1.
Football fans watch the games on Sunday
afternoons. (always)
Football
fans always watch the games on Sunday afternoons.
2.
Pasquale has written a letter to his cousin in
Italy. (never)
Pasquale
has never written a letter to his cousin in Italy.
3.
I have seen that program, but I don’t like it.
(occasionally)
I have seen that program occasionally, but
I don’t like it. (I have occasionally seen .......)
4.
We study on Friday afternoons. (usually)
We usually
study on Friday afternoons.
5.
Marta prepares a peach pie for special
occasions. (generally)
Marta generally
prepares a peach pie for special occasions.
6.
They see us on weekends, because we are so busy.
(hardly)
They hardly
see us on weekends, because we are so busy during the week.
7.
Monica has gone shopping in the new mall,
because it is so far away. (seldom)
Monica
has seldom gone shopping in the new mall, because it is so far
away.
8.
This neighborhood is quiet, but today it is
rather noisy. (usually)
This
neighborhood is usually quiet, but today it is rather noisy.
9.
The girls take the bus to work, but today it
was raining and they got a ride. (generally)
The girls generally take the bus to work,
but today it was raining and they got a ride.
10. I have
seen Tom without his wife at the council meetings. (seldom)
I have
seldom seen Tom without his wife at the council meetings.
11. They barely
talk to us since they moved to the new neighborhood.
They barely
talk to us since they moved to the new neighborhood.
12. We
take the children to the park for a picnic on Sundays. (frequently)
We frequently
take the children to the park for a picnic on Sundays.
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