Pre-elementary Study Book 2nd edition

Unit 15 – frequency adverbs

I always text my friends …

I always drink coffee …

Meet Kelly …

Meet Matthew

Matthew is a nineteen year old boy studying at Manchester University. He usually gets up at 8.30am, but at the weekend he sometimes gets up late, usually after a late night out. He always eats in the university cafeteria because it’s cheap, but he never has the curry because it’s sometimes too spicy. He often meets friends after morning classes for lunch. They usually sit in the garden if the weather is nice. Matthew sometimes calls his parents, but his mother always complains he doesn’t call often enough.

adverbs of frequency

These are the most common words used for frequency, but there are many more.

always

always‘ is used for things that (usually) happen all the time.

I always brush my teeth before bed.
Tom always washes his car on Sunday morning.
I always drink coffee after I wake up.

usually

usually‘ is used for things that happen more often than not.

I usually drink coffee in the morning, but not always.
We usually exercise at the weekend, but not this week.
He usually walks to work but today he took the bus.

often

often‘ is used for things which happen a lot.

We often go to the park in the evening.
Ben and Emma often go for lunch together.
Susan often goes skiing in winter.

sometimes

sometimes‘ is used for things that don’t happen a lot.

I sometimes have lunch at my desk.
We sometimes eat out but usually we eat at home.
Peter sometimes goes out on Saturday evenings.

never

never‘ is used for things that (usually) never happen.

It never snows in summer in England.
Peter is never late for work.
I can never find a place to park in town.

Answer the questions about Kelly

  1. Kelly has a history class on Tuesday.
  2. She has gym once a week.
  3. She usually has Music and French on Wednesday.
  4. She has science class on Thursday.
  1. She has dance practice every day.
  2. She has a private teacher on Saturday.
  3. To help with her school work.
  4. She relaxes on Sunday.