The Position of the Adverb in a Sentence

An adverb of frequency goes before a main verb (except with To Be).

Subject + adverb + main verb

I always remember to do my homework.

He normally gets good marks in exams.

An adverb of frequency goes after the verb To Be.

Subject + to be + adverb

They are never pleased to see me.

She isn't usually bad tempered.

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. This is also true for to be.

Subject + auxiliary + adverb + main verb

She can sometimes beat me in a race.

I would hardly ever be unkind to someone.
They might never see each other again.
They could occasionally be heard laughing.

We can also use the following adverbs at the start of a sentence:

Usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally

 Occasionally, I like to eat Thai food.

BUT we cannot use the following at the beginning of a sentence:

Always, seldom, rarely, hardly, ever, never.

We use hardly ever and never with positive, not negative verbs:

 She hardly ever comes to my parties.

 They never say 'thank you'.

We use ever in questions and negative statements:

 Have you ever been to New Zealand?

 I haven't ever been to Switzerland. (The same as 'I have never been Switzerland').
Adverbs of Definite Frequency
We can also use the following expressions when we want to be more specific about the frequency:

 every day
 once a month
 twice a year
 four times a day
 every other week
 daily
 monthly

These are also known as Adverbs of DEFINITE frequency as the exact frequency is specified.
See our video for details about these types of Adverbs:
What are adverbs of frequency?

Look at the chart below:

(The above numbers are only used to give a general, relative idea of "how often")

Other words and phrases also do the job of Adverbs of Frequency.

 Words such as:

once in a while, from time to time and every now and again. However, the phrase, "once in a while" is generally avoided
and the word "occasionally" is used instead.

 The numbers once, twice, thrice also work as adverbs of frequency.

Example:

1. You should brush your teeth twice a day.

2. Once a month I meet my girlfriends for lunch.

Remember:

With words like daily, weekly, hourly etc. we know exactly how often. These words are called as definite frequency.

On the other hand, words like often, rarely, sometimes etc. give us an idea about frequency but they don't tell us exactly.
These words are called as indefinite frequency.

Points to Remember :

 The verbs has, have, and had are auxiliary verbs, when they are used with the past participles. (In such

sentences, the adverb of frequency comes after the auxiliary verb)

Example: She has always spoken the truth.

 When the verb has, have, or had are used as main verbs the adverb of frequency comes before.
 Example: I always have a glass of milk before going to bed.

 While asking a question the adverb of frequency always goes after the subject

Example: Do you always come so late at night?

Are you never going to learn the importance of time?

 The verbs do, does, and did are auxiliary verbs only when used in questions or negatives

Example: Did you finish the project on time?

 In other cases, do, does and did are normal verbs:

Example: He never does his homework for that class.

Examples of Adverb of Frequency

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1. I always update the calendar at the beginning of the month.

2. Patricia often takes notes during the Skype sessions.
3. India almost always loses test matches.
4. Anne doesn't usually smoke.
5. I often watch cricket matches on TV
6. Sometimes I watch hockey or tennis on TV.
7. Occasionally I see other programs on TV.
8. I seldom go to the stadium to see a live match.
9. I have never visited England.
10. The visit was occasionally frustrating.
11. We seldom see John.
12. We take a vacation at least once annually.

Exercise:
Choose the correct Adverb of Frequency for each sentence.

 I usually get up late on Saturdays.

 Do you often travel on weekends?
 I am never late.
 We usually go swimming twice a month.
 I would hardly ever be unkind to someone.
 You see them once in a lifetime, if you travel.
 She hardly ever has met him.
 Always wash your hands before the meal!
 I waited but he never turned up.
 You normally see them best in September or March.
 Take the medicine three times a day.
 She hardly ever comes to my parties.
 Have you ever been to Switzerland?
  Adverbs of manner are the information providers in English. They are the words that tell us
how the verb is being performed. They describe the action and are usually found after the
verb. We form adverbs by using an adjective + ly
 Find the adverbs of manner in the following sentences.
 1. Jose' reads his book quickly
2. Mariko is studying the words on the board very carefully
3. Vincent is quietly singing the French song he learnt yesterday
4. Mohammed is smiling happily at his friend
5. Lionel is sitting quietly at his desk
6. Adres is trying hard to find a word in his dictionary
7. Yara is speaking clearly to her friend
8. Khaled is trying desperately to fix the air-conditioner
9. Yasin is laughing loudly at the joke.
10. Thayna is looking innocently at the teacher.
 These are the adverbs you should have found: quickly, carefully, quietly, happily, quietly, hard, clearly,
desperately, loudly and innocently
 Rules for adverbs of manner:
 Adverbs of manner are made by adding LY to the adjective: bad >>> badly
 When the word ends in a Y (for example happy) we must remove the Y and add ILY: busy >>> busily
 When the word ends in L we must add LY: cool >>> coolly
 Change the following adjectives into adverbs of manner and complete the sentences below.
 slow
loud
quick
happy
quiet
angry
careful

Adverbs of Manner
Rewrite the sentences and put the adverbs in correctly.

She speaks
1. She speaks. (slowly) →

2. They sang. (wonderfully) →

3. He treated her. (respectfully) →

4. John speaks English. (well) →

5. The dog barks. (loudly) →

6. My sister plays the piano. (awfully) →

7. She met him. (secretly) →

8. The children laughed. (happily) →

9. She hurt her leg. (badly) →

10. They sneaked out of the house (quietly). →