By:Teacher Herold and Teacher Joseph
A word that has been used so many times through the years with lots of repeats and repetitions, again and again, probably rarely at first, but never always, though at some point in time was never utilized until its first use sometime in the 1600s.Anyway, we can let the proponents of lexicons and dictionaries deal with that for the time being. Even Wikipedia would say that ‘frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency.
And then, it would continue telling us about temporal, spatial, and ordinary and such types of frequency. I’m blabbing again, and this frequently happens when my mind races. What in the world is a frequency in the English language all about?
Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency or frequency adverbs describe how frequently we do an activity. They tell how often somebody does something.
Adverbs of frequency are common in everyday spoken English. The words always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, and never have been known to be adverbs of frequency. Adverbs of frequency usually come before the main verb.
Adverbs of frequency usually come before the main verb.
Twinkle always drinks milk.
Incorrect: Arthur goes rarely to the movies on Tuesdays.
Correct: Arthur rarely goes to the movies on Tuesdays.
Adverbs of frequency usually come after a be verb.
They are sometimes late for school.
Incorrect: Marlon never is late for class.
Correct: Marlon is never late for class.
Okay, let’s test your comprehension here.
Read and identify the adverbs of frequency in this sample dialogue.
Tom: Hey Arthur, do you play basketball?
Arthur: Yes, I always play basketball at school. Do you like basketball?
Tom: Yes, I usually play basketball with my brother at home. My father sometimes plays basketball with us. He’s a good basketball player.
Arthur: May I play with you tomorrow?
Tom: Okay!
Ha! Test, you say? I already highlighted the words for you, but you know. It is important to know where to place your adverbs of frequency in your sentence. Examine the sentences below.
I play basketball always at school.
I play basketball at school always.
The sentences are incorrect because Remember that adverbs describe or modify verbs.
Correct: I always play basketball at school.
In addition, 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.
She can sometimes beat me in a race.
They might never see each other again.
You might be wondering how can you differentiate usually from normally or occasionally from sometimes. So, here is a guide on how we arrange the frequency of these adverbs.
Let’s try another ‘test’ again.
What’s the difference between the adverbs of frequency used in the sentences below?
- I go to bed before 11 p.m. every night.
- I usually go to bed before 11 p.m.
The frequency adverb in the first sentence is every night while the frequency adverb in the second sentence is usually. The difference is that every night is more specific than usual.
These specific adverbs are definite frequency adverbs. They specify the exact frequency. Here are other definite frequency adverbs.
every day
once a month
twice a year
four times a day
every other week
daily
monthly
once a month
twice a year
weekly
On the other hand, adverbs of INDEFINITE frequency don’t define the exact frequency.
Always
Usually
Normally
Often
Sometimes
Occasionally
Seldom
Hardly ever
Never
So, we have already mentioned the position of indefinite frequency adverbs.
Adverbs of frequency usually come before the main verb.
Tom always drinks milk.
Adverbs of frequency usually come after a be verb.
They are sometimes late for school.
The question is, can we apply these rules to definite frequency adverbs?
The answer is no. As a rule, adverbs of definite frequency only appear at the end of the sentence. This principle also means that they cannot be placed before the object.
Answer the following using definite frequency adverbs.
How often do you brush your teeth? I brush my teeth three times a day.
How often do you ride a bike? I ride my bike every day.
How often do you watch TV? I watch TV every night.
How often do you read a book? I read a book four times a week.
How often do you do your homework? I do my homework every night.
How often do you read the newspaper? I read the newspaper once a month.
How often do you listen to the radio? I listen to the radio every morning.
How often do you call a friend? I call a friend once a week.
How often do you study English? I study English every day.
How often do you go to the park? I go to the park once a week.
How often do you do exercise? I exercise four to five times a week.
The adverbs of definite frequency are placed at the end of the sentence.
Whoa! That’s a lot of adverbs. Perhaps we should take it slow a bit.
And don’t worry; we should ‘never’ stop learning (laughs).
Listen to the song. Examine how the frequency adverb “never” was used in the song.
I’ll Never Love Again
Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper
Wish I could, I could’ve said goodbye
I would’ve said what I wanted to
Maybe even cried for you
If I knew it would be the last time
I would’ve broke my heart in two
Tryna save a part of you (*tryna=trying to)
Don’t wanna feel another touch (*wanna= want to)
Don’t wanna start another fire
Don’t wanna know another kiss
No other name fallin’ off my lips
Don’t wanna give my heart away
To another stranger
Or let another day begin
Won’t even let the sunlight in
No, I’ll never love again (I will never love again.)
I’ll never love again, oh, oh, oh, oh
When we first met
I never thought that I would fall ( I never thought that I would fall.)
I never thought that I’d find myself ( I never thought that I’d find myself.)
Lying in your arms, mm, mm
And I wanna pretend that it’s not true
Oh, baby, that you’re gone
‘Cause my world keeps turnin’, and turnin’, and turnin’
And I’m not movin’ on
Don’t wanna feel another touch
Don’t wanna start another fire
Don’t wanna know another kiss
No other name fallin’ off my lips
Don’t wanna give my heart away
To another stranger
Or let another day begin
Won’t even let the sunlight in
No, I’ll never love (I’ll never love.)
I don’t wanna know this feelin’
Unless it’s you and me
I don’t wanna waste a moment, ooh
And I don’t wanna give somebody else the better part of me
I would rather wait for you, ooh
Don’t wanna feel another touch
Don’t wanna start another fire
Don’t wanna know another kiss
Baby, unless they are your lips
Don’t wanna give my heart away
To another stranger
Don’t let another day begin
Won’t let the sunlight in
Oh, I’ll never love again
Never love again
Never love again
Oh, I’ll never love again
Source: LyricFind