• often
• never
• sometimes
•
repeatedly
• rarely
• occasionally
• hardly ever
•
typically
Adverbs of indefinite frequency are positioned within the central part of
the sentence. The exact position is defined by the types of verbs used.
Below are the three sentence positions:
1. In between the noun/pronoun and the ‘main’ verb.
For example:
• He
often travels to the snow.
• The manager
always starts works at 8am.
•
The employees usually go out for lunch on Friday.
2. Following the verb ‘to
be’ but only if the verb is the ‘main’ verb.
For example:
• She is
never sick.
• The manager is
always working late.
• The employees are
occasionally early for work.
3. In between the ‘assisting’ verb and the ‘main’ verb, even if the ‘main’
verb is a conjugated form of ‘to be’.
For example:
• He has
never travelled overseas.
•
The managers can often finish work at 7pm.
• The director will
always arrive before the employees.
•
Incorrect: The students have been
often disruptive.
•
Correct: The students have often been disruptive. In this example
the assiting verb is ‘have’ and the main verb is ‘been’.
Adverbs of Definite Frequency
Adverbs of definite frequency appear at the start or finish of a sentence.
They describe exactly how many times
the action happens within a
