Adverbs of Frequency

Learn how to say how often you do something — and where to put these words in a sentence.

Adverbs of frequency tell us how often something happens. From most to least often:

never
0% rarely
~10% sometimes
~50% often
~70% usually
~80% always
100%

Adverb	Meaning	Example
always	every time (100%)	She always drinks coffee in the morning.
usually	most of the time (~80%)	He usually walks to work.
often	many times (~70%)	They often go to the cinema.
sometimes	not always (~50%)	I sometimes forget my keys.
rarely	not very often (~10%)	We rarely eat fast food.
never	not at any time (0%)	He never drinks alcohol.

Adverbs of frequency go before the main verb (but not before "be").

Subject + adverb + main verb

✓I always eat breakfast.

✓She usually takes the bus.

✓They never watch TV in the morning.

✗I eat always breakfast. (adverb after main verb — wrong)

When the verb is be (am, is, are, was, were), the adverb goes after it.

Subject + be + adverb

✓She is always late.

✓He is usually very tired after work.

✓They are never on time.

✗She always is late. (adverb before "be" — wrong)

💡 Simple rule: Before all verbs — except "be". After "be".

Longer time expressions like every day, on Mondays, once a week go at the end of the sentence — not in the middle.

Subject + adverb + verb + object + time expression

✓I usually go to the gym on Mondays.

✓She always calls her mother on Sundays.

📌 You can also put the time expression at the very beginning of the sentence for emphasis: On Mondays, I usually go to the gym.

Exercise 1: Word Order

Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.

Exercise 2: Sentence Builder

Choose the sentence with the correct position of the adverb.

Exercise 3: Error Correction

Each sentence has one word in the wrong position. Click on it.

Exercise 4: Gap Fill

Choose the correct adverb of frequency from the menu.

Exercise 5: Matching

Match each sentence beginning on the left with the correct ending on the right.

Exercise 6: Sentence Sort

Drag each sentence into the correct category: adverb in the correct position, or adverb in the wrong position.

Exercise 7: Spot the Extra Word

One word in each sentence does not belong. Click on it.

Your Scores

Complete the exercises to see your results here.