Always, usually, never: how often?
Adverbs of frequency tell us how often something happens. The scale goes from always, usually and often, through sometimes, to rarely and never. In a sentence with a normal verb, the adverb goes before the verb: I usually walk to school. With the verb be, it goes after be: She is never late. To ask, we say: How often do you swim? We answer with an adverb, for example I swim twice a week, or I sometimes swim on Fridays.
| Adverb | How often | Example |
|---|---|---|
| always | 100% | I always wash my hands. |
| usually | 90% | He usually walks to school. |
| often | 70% | We often eat fish. |
| sometimes | 50% | She sometimes draws. |
| rarely | 10% | They rarely watch TV. |
| never | 0% | I am never late. |
How often do you play football, Mona?
I usually play on Fridays. And you?
I rarely play. I often read at the weekend.
Are you ever bored?
No, I am never bored!
Marwan always wakes up at six o’clock. He usually walks to school with his friend, but when it rains, his dad sometimes takes him by car. Marwan is never late for school. At lunch he often eats a sandwich, and he rarely buys sweets. After school he always does his homework first.
| Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| swims | swims | - | swims | swims |
Always-never line. Draw a line on paper from always to never and mark the six words. The grown-up says a sentence, for example: I never eat onions for breakfast. The child puts a finger on the right place and says a true sentence with the same verb about himself or herself.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| water | water | water | water | water |