Expressions of frequency in English

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Do you sometimes think it’s tricky in English to get the wording right when you are using expressions or adverbs of Frequency? Not to worry, as today we are going to look at them and their explanations in English.

How many times a week/month/year do you do something?

In English when we are talking about how often we do something we can use various expressions.

Examples:

Once/twice/three times a week/month/year

Every Friday

Almost every week

These expressions are used at the start of the sentence and are very simple to incorporate into your daily English.

What about frequency adverbs?

Frequency adverbs are slightly different from general expressions of frequency in English due to their location in a sentence. When we use them we have to place them between the subject and the verb. There are a couple of exceptions in the form of the verbs “to be” and “to be able to” however.

Examples:

I usually go to the cinema

He always plays football

They sometimes have parties at their house

As we can see from these examples and according to the previously explained rule, the frequency adverb is highlighted and found between the subject and verb.

It should also be noted that when we use frequency adverbs in the present perfect tense, their position in the sentence changes and actually comes between the auxiliary verb (to have) and the past participle.

Examples:

I have always gone to the beach

He has never been to Florida

They have always done their homework before eating dinner.

What should we bear in mind?

The most important points to bear in mind are the positioning of the frequency adverbs in not only the present tense but also the present perfect too. Once you have memorised the positioning, they will become easier to use in a more natural manner.

If you would like more information on this grammar point, check out unit 103 of the complete course for more information.

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